NEXT week sees the annual FEI World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) championships take place at Le Lion d’Angers. There’s a certain poetic justice in the fact that the sport of eventing has replaced cavalry horse trials and that former state studs, once used for churning out cavalry remounts, instead host three-day-events.

Le Lion d’Angers has morphed from a three-day-event to the site of the world championships for young event horses. And again, the question about any championship is have we seen future superstars? Yes and in abundance as the Le Lion strike rate for future European, world and Olympic event horses is remarkable.