THE FEI world breeding championships for young event horses are taking place this weekend at Le Lion d’Angers in western France where, from a full complement of 12 combinations representing Ireland, Hillsborough’s Clare Abbott and Jewelent are the highest-placed Irish pairing in the CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds.

Abbott and the Valent gelding are 10th of the 67 starters going into today’s cross-country phase having been lying fourth following Thursday’s first day of dressage when they achieved a penalty score of 29.7. Jewelent, who finished eighth in the six-year-old championship here last season, is owned by Barbara Allen and Lisa Rosbotham whose father, Woods Rosbotham, bred the grey Irish Sport Horse out of the seven time-winning thoroughbred mare Bellaney Jewel (by Roselier).

As it stands, Abbott is just three penalty points behind Germany’s Josephine Schnaufer who was third to go in this three-star class on Thursday with the Westfalian gelding Viktor 107 and achieved an unbeatable score of 26.7 on the chesnut. Last to compete in the first group on Friday afternoon, Britain’s Tom McEwen is lying second on the ISH gelding Brookfield Benjamin Bounce, the Nazar grey on whom he finished second at both Tattersalls and Camphire earlier this year. Rounding off the top three is Australia’s Chris Burton with the Selle Français mare, Coup de Coeur Dudevin (27.4), on whom he was seventh here last October.

Daniels in the hunt

In the 42-runner CCI2*-L class for six-year-olds, where each national federation is restricted to a maximum of three combinations, the highest-placed Irish rider in 11th place is Cathal Daniels with his own and Gerry Leahy’s ISH gelding, CDS Boleybawn Freedom (31.6).

The overnight leader on 26.3 is Norway’s Yasmin Sanderson with her own Inchello DHI. This is the Dutch Warmblood gelding by Chello III VDL on whom England-based Sanderson won the CCIYH2*-S for six-year-olds at Millstreet in August when Daniels and CDS Boleybawn Freedom finished eighth.

Going into Saturday’s cross-country phase, Germany’s Sophie Leube is in second place on the Trakehner stallion Sweetwaters Ziethen (26.6) with Britain’s in-form Piggy French lying third on the Irish Warmblood mare Cooley Lancer (26.7).

Germany’s Kai-Steffen Meier, who led after the first day’s dressage, had slipped to fourth with the Rheinlander gelding, QC Rock And Roll (27.1).

Cross-country action

Today’s cross-country phase starts at 10am local time with the six-year-old class in which Co Meath’s Elizabeth Power, with Sarah Hughes’s ISH mare, Shannondale Mari (34.1), will be the first Irish rider out over the Pierre Michelet-designed track. This is described by the Irish squad’s chef d’equipe, Janet Murray, as being “a nice test without being too demanding. The seven-year-old track has a few corners that could catch out some of the less experienced riders.”

While the going on the cross-country course was described as good by Murray, with a couple of soft spots down the back, it should have been able to take the heavy rain which was forecast for last night.

However, the grass jumping arena, which was re-seeded during the summer, has already come in for criticism during the dressage phase when it cut up badly and was moving under the horses’ feet.