A TOTAL of seven Irish Sport Horses have qualified for today’s finals in the World Breeding Championships at Lanaken in Belgium.

In the six year-old class, two Irish Sport Horses - Alberta Mist and Ard Ginger Pop - currently hold first and second places after the first two qualifying competitions, a remarkable achievement for the Irish Sport Horse studbook.

A total of 705 horses from all over the world are taking part in this weekend's championships, the most hotly-contested breeding event in the international show jumping calendar.

The Irish Sport Horse finalists today are as follows:

Seven-Year-Olds:

MHS Washington (ISH) with Laura Renwick (GBR)

Talks Cheap (ISH) with Eoin McMahon (IRL)

Six-Year-Olds:

Alberta Mist (ISH) with Greg Broderick

Ard Ginger Pop (ISH) with Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (BRA)

Drumiller Houdini (ISH) with Francis Connors (IRL)

Five-Year-Olds:

Cruicerath Flexianna (ISH) with Eddie Moloney (IRL)

KMR Twilight (ISH) with Cormac Rafferty (IRL)

In 2013 Ireland produced a world champion at Lanaken, when Tipperary's Greg Broderick steered the Irish Sport Horse Arraghbeg Clover to victory in the Five-Year-Old Show Jumping Final. Ard Ginger Pop placed second in last year's Five-Year-Old Final.

Here's a video of all of the Irish Sport Horses competing at Lanaken:

Live video stream (by subscription) available from 9am Sunday onwww.feitv.org