THE CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds at last week’s FEI WBFSH eventing world championships for young horses at Le Lion d’Angers proved a triumph for science, as Christopher and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning IV, a clone of their deceased Badminton winner and sire Chilli Morning, claimed the gold medal, while another clone, Chilli Morning II, finished sixth.
The winner, a gelding (there is frozen semen available), who finished fourth in the CCIYH3*-S at Charlbury last month, completed on his flatwork mark (26.2 penalties) under Britain’s Gemma Stevens, who is based at the Stones’ Tattleton Stud in West Sussex. The full horse Chilli Morning II, who was ridden for the Stones by Germany’s Julia Krajewski, was on the same second-placed score after dressage, but picked up a small number of time penalties in both jumping phases and had a fence down on Sunday for a completion score of 34.2.
The clones are registered as British Sport Horses by Phantomic out of Koralle 103, by Kolobri.
Britain’s Kitty King finished on her dressage score to take the silver medal with the Anglo European Studbook-registered Kantango (27.9), a bay by Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve, who placed second at Charlbury and was sixth here last October. A clear show jumping round saw New Zealand’s Sam Lissington move up from sixth to third with the KWPN gelding Mr Cookie Time (29.9), a son of Casago, who won the CCI2*-L at Millstreet in early summer.
Lying second going into the final phase, the home favourite Astier Nicolas dropped down to fourth, having lowered a pole in a second over the time with the Selle Francais gelding Hitchqote du Coudray (31.6).
The highest-placed Irish Sport Horse was Calida Spice who, ridden by Britain’s Lizzie Baugh, led after dressage on 25.4, dropped to third with the addition of 2.4 cross-country time penalties and eventually finished fifth, having had a pole down show jumping on Sunday.
Going into these championships, the Tyson mare had an excellent international record, most recently finishing third in the CCIYH3*-S at Charlbury, following a fourth-place finish in the CCI2*-L at Hartpury. The grey was bred in Co Galway by Eugene Killalea out of the King Henry mare Red Diamond Spice.
Top 10
Two of the 12 Irish riders in this class finished in the top 10, the higher-placed being England-based Danielle McCormack, who was one of just three riders to complete on her dressage score, when placing seventh with the ISH gelding MGH Hildare Harlequin (34.4). This Firkov du Rouet chesnut was bred by Padraig McCarthy out of the Luidam mare Fair Dinkum II.
Danielle McCormack riding MGH Hildare Harlequin (IRL), the highest placed of the Irish in the seven-year-old class at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Le Lion 2024 \ Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times
MGH Hildare Harlequin was purchased as an unbroken three-year-old by Anna Sims-Hilditch who, with husband Hugh, was on hand to support their gelding at the weekend. One of his best performances previously this year came when he finished fifth to Mr Cookie Time at Millstreet.
“He has gone on his holidays now,” McCormack revealed earlier this week. “His ultimate target next season will be the eight and nine-year-old class at Blenheim in September.
“The cross-country was tough on Saturday because of the going. There was quite a bit of rain in the morning, but it was dry for the seven-year-olds. The fences were beautifully built and presented, as usual.”
South Co Dublin’s Ian Cassells, who was drawn first to go in this 64-runner class with Con McCarthy’s home-bred ISH mare Greenogue Gigi (finished 14th on 37 penalties), had a costly pole down show jumping to complete in 10th place with Inquisitor (34.9). By Coroner, this ISH gelding, who was home-bred by his owner Bridget McGing out of her Coolcorron Cool Diamond mare Diamond Fleck, finished third in that CCI2*-L at Millstreet.
One other Irish rider to note is Godfrey Gibbons who, on his first visit to Le Lion last October, was eliminated when unseated across the country in the CCI3*-L. The 20-year-old had two rides in this class last week, finishing 19th on Kilroe Lego Land (38.8) and 31st with Kilnamac Kasu (48.3).