THE going on the cross-country course is described as good with a few soft patches at Le Lion d’Angers, where the second phase of this year’s FEI WBFSH eventing world breeding championships for young horses gets under way today at 10am local time.

Robbie Kearns, who was last of the three Irish riders to compete in the dressage phase of the CCI2*-L for six-year-olds, is best-placed of the trio in seventh with Richard Ames’s Irish Sport Horse mare Belline Thistle Bethelasttime (29.1 penalties), winner of the CCIYH2*-S at Lisgarvan in August.

Finland’s Jutta Koivula, president of the ground jury at C, had Kearns and the Johnston Brodie-bred Grafenstolz grey second (73.64%) of the 44 starters, but the USA’s Robyn Fisher (E) and Britain’s Douglas Hibbert (M) placed the Piltown-based combination 10th (66.64) and 12th (70.45) respectively.

Going into today’s (Saturday) cross-country phase, the lead is held by The Netherlands’ Merel Blom-Hulsman on the Holstein mare Killer Queen (25.1), a daughter of I’m Special de Muze. The highest-placed ISH is the Sligo Candy Boy gelding Barrington Boy (28.9), who is currently lying fifth under Britain’s Izzy Taylor, winner of this class last October on Barrington Alice.

Taylor has returned to the French venue with that Cevin Z mare for this season’s CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds but, on 34.3 penalties, she is some way off her compatriot Lizzie Baugh on the ISH mare Calida Spice (25.4), who previously this year finished fourth in the CCI2*-L at Hartpury in August and third in the CCI2*-S at Thoresby Park in March.

Remarkably, there are joint-seconds on 26.2 in the 64-runner after dressage, viz Germany’s Julia Krajewski on the British Sport Horse gelding Chilli Morning II, who led following Thursday’s first session, with Britain’s Gemma Stevens lying third on another Chilli Morning clone, Chilli Morning IV, who was third last into the arena on Friday.

Best of the dozen Irish combinations here in 12th is Cathal Daniels on board Sarah Hughes’s Shannondale Michah (29.9), who finished second in the CCI2*-L at Kilguilkey in July. This chesnut ISH gelding by Shannondale Sarco was bred in Co Clare by Martin Walsh out of the Lux Z mare Shannondale Maria and is thus a full-brother to Shannondale (CCI4*-S) among others.

At time of writing, showers were forecast for this morning, giving way to drier conditions and, as usual, you can follow all the action for free on the Mondial du Lion website.

Meanwhile, the five-star is underway at the Mars Maryland 5-Star in Fair Hill, USA. Won 12 months ago by Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, there is no Irish representation at the event this year.

Three British riders - Harry Meade who is double-handed, Bubby Upton and Oliver Townend - made the trip. Townend rides the Olympic gold medal-winning Irish Sport Horse Ballaghmor Class.