The 2013 Six Year Old winner, Tenareze and Thomas Carlile, trot up for this Seven Year old class at Le Lion
It is just over a month since we were in France covering the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and Libby is back there now for two of the biggest events on the eventing calendar – Le Lion d’Angers and Les Etoiles de Pau 4*
From 16th – 19th October the 29th Le Lion d’Angers will run on the Isle-Briand, 160 hectares of lush vegetation where the Oudon and Mayenne rivers meet. These rivers caused considerable problems in 2012 when the event had to be cancelled due to flooding but the organisers bounced back last year for a formidable win by French rider Thomas Carlile. Riding Sirocco du Gers in the 7 Year Old class, a combination that has just won at Boekelo, and the 6 Year Old class on the stallion Tenareze Thomas sent French hopes for the future of eventing in their country soaring with a historic double whammy
Thomas and Upsilon
Thomas must be one of the favourites this year, returning with Tenareze in the 7 Year Old and bringing the six year old Upsilon. This young grey stallion by the Holsteiner Canturo already has proved his dominance in Young Horse competition, having won the French Championships at Pompadour as a 4,5 and 6 Year Old, a feat never achieved before
Several of last year’s place getters in the Six Year Old class are joining Thomas and Tenareze for a crack at the Seven Year Old championship including runner-up Andrew Nicholson and Jet Set (“one of the best horses I’ve ever had” Andrew told us last year), third placed Pawel Spisak and Banderas from Poland, fourth placed Kitty King and Ceylor LAN, another winner of multiple Young Horse championships in the UK including the CIC2* at the recent British Eventing Young Horse Championships at Osberton, and New Zealand’s Jonelle Price with Cloud Dancer and Lucy Jackson with Corazon who were fifth and sixth last year. Both of these ladies are on a roll at the moment and have two lovely young horses
Kitty King and Ceylor LAN
Recovered from his fall and broken collar bone incurred while show jumping Der Durer at CHI Donaueschingen, Michael Jung is back in the saddle and he has brought fischerTakinou and fischerRicona to contest the 7 Year old. fischerRicona is the full sister to Michael’s gold winning WEG mare fischerRocana who won the 6 Year Old class here in 2011; both horses are by Tuango XX out of Rose II while fischerTakinou is by Jaguar Mail, the same sire as Thomas Carlile’s Tenareze
Michael Jung and Star Connection
In the Six Year Old class Michael will be riding Star Connection, a young horse that has three CIC1* wins under its belt this year and a second at Fontainebleau where they finished just ahead of Thomas and Tenareze (interestingly the winner here was Nicolas Touzaint’s Caretinhus, who are also competing in the 7 Year old here)
Paul Tapner and Chris Burton are representing Australia on CounterParty and Dutch Man Retto. CouterParty is an off the track thoroughbred mare who has only one hip bone due a fall in 2012 but appears to have fully recovered and according to Paul ‘goes from strength to strength’ while Dutch Man Retto, a gelding by Colandro, has had some good form at lower levels in the UK leading up to this event.
The one hip wonder - CounterParty
One of the top contenders from the UK in this class however has to be Zoe Wilkinson’s Parkfield Quintessential, winner of the Burghley Dubarry Young Event Horse as both a 5 and 6 Year Old. More recently this pair were third in the CIC1* at the British Eventing Young Horse Championships at Osberton behind William Fox-Pitt – sadly not here, on the first and second placed Reinstated and The Soap Dodger.
The first horse inspection has taken place in slightly damp conditions under the watchful eye of the Ground Juries who are;
World Championships for 6-year old horses President Mr Sandor Fülöp (HUN) assisted by Mrs Jane Hamlin (USA) and Mrs. Nathalie Carrière (FRA).
World Championships for 7-year old horses President Mr. Les Smith assisted by M.Yves-François Belz (FRA) and Mrs Polly Ann Huntington (AUS).
The WEG cross country designer Pierre Michelet (FRA) is the course designer here and this is a course renowned for its beauty of both location and some brilliant fence building. This year sees the retirement of Jacques Bouguier who has been the creator of many of Le Lion’s iconic cross-country obstacles such as the Owl, Spider and lots more. The best way to appreciate the craft that goes into these fences, check out every fence on the 7 Year Old Course here on our photo gallery
All that remains now is to view more photos below then sit back and watch the action unfold here on An Eventful Life. You can watch the live stream of all phases here (see below) and Libby will be bringing us her daily galleries direct from France each day so stay tuned ...................
Mondial du Lion - Live ! by mondialdulion
Chris Burton and Dutch Man Retto
Belgium's newly wed Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Nyala d'Arville. Lara was 4th with Alpaga d'Arville in the 7YO class in 2013
China's Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro in the 7 Year Old class
Nicholas Touzaint and Fontainebleau winner Caretinhus
Ireland's Aoife Clark and the Irish Sport Horse Wasting Light were 8th here last year and have returned for the 7 Year Old class
