Michael Jung and FischerIncantas lead the Six Year Old class
The European Champion Michael Jung is continuing his top form to the very end of the season by leading both classes at the FEI World Championships for Young Event Horses at Le Lion d’Angers. Michael took the lead from his team mate Ingrid Klimke in the Six Year Old class when Ingrid riding her mare Weisse Duene picked up 20 penalties at Fence 15C, dropping her down the leader board.
This moved everyone in the top 10 of the class, who all completed the cross country without faults, up one spot and putting Michael riding FischerIncantas into first place on his dressage score of 39.1. French rider Stanislas De Zuchowicz is now in second place riding Vingt Vingt on 44.1 and Merel Blom of The Netherlands is in third on The Quizmaster (45.2).
Stanislas De Zuchowicz riding Vingt Vingt (above) and Merel Blom on The Quizmaster (below)
While there were relatively few incidents on the Six Year Old course with only two combinations eliminated and two opting to retire, the Seven Year Old class proved to be more challenging.
William Fox-Pitt and Reinstated
In this class two combinations retired on course and twelve were eliminated, including the world number three rider William Fox-Pitt. William had completed the course on his first horse, The Soapdodger to be in fifth place but had a bad fall at Fence 20, an Owl Hole, from his horse Reinstated, who was not injured. The event has issued an official statement and reports on William’s Twitter account have confirmed that he has sustained a head trauma in the fall but is in a stable condition in hospital in Angers.
Janou Bleekman was another rider to have a problem at this fence, incurring elimination when her horse Dasj also fell here but Fences 6 and 9 seemed to cause the most problems.
Emma Dougall and Fernhill Tabasco
Michael Jung and his seven year old Lennox 364 had no such problems, cruising around the course to maintain their lead in this class, as did Australia’s Emma Dougall on Fernhill Reinstated and Chris Burton on Cooley Lands for second and third places.
Chris Burton and Cooley Lands
Second after dressage, Germany’s Julia Krajewski, picked up 20 penalties at Fence 9B, where William had a refusal on Reinstated prior to their fall, putting her out of contention and young Noah Brook also picked up 20 penalties on Deo Volente, moving them out of the top 10. Laura Collett and Mr. Bass are now the top British combination in fifth place and Tom Carlile riding the grey stallion Upsilon is the top French rider in sixth place
Tom Carlile and Upsilon
