Ingrid Klimke and Asha P take the lead in the 7 Year Old Championship
While the 6 Year Old Championship at Le Mondial Du Lion provided a smooth start to the cross country day, it was more of a rocky road for the 7 Year Old competitors
The majority of combinations in the 6YO cruised around the Pierre Michelet course with very few problems, leaving the top six intact and the USA’s Liz Halliday-Sharp in the lead on board Cooley Moonshine
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Moonshine
Only five competitors picked up jumping penalties, seven incurred time penalties and two, Tiana Coudray and Miroslav Trunda, were eliminated, leaving 39 combinations to go through to tomorrow’s show jumping phase. It is going to be a tight finish with not a rail between the leader (22.4) and fifth placed Emerald Johnny ridden by Piggy French on 25.8
There were a few more upsets in the 7-Year-Old Championship with the overnight leader Michael Jung, the very last to go on course, parting company from Choclat at Fence 8, the Burghley Fence, a seemingly innocuous brush that Choclat misread, resulting in a fall for both horse and rider. They were both immediately back on their feet but that is the end of their bid for the Championship and Michael is now en route back home
"Unfortunately, my shoulder caught something, which is why we're on the way home and I'm going to check in the hospital tomorrow" says Michael on his Facebook page, having withdrawn Wild Wave who was also lying sixth in the 6YO Championship
Nicola Wilson and JL Dublin
Ingrid Klimke had no such problem, cruising around the course on board Asha P to come home clear and under time, to take the lead and Nicola Wilson on JL Dublin moved up from third in second place.
A few more hot favourites also dropped out of contention with last year’s 6 YO Champion, Izzy Taylor’s Monkeying Around picking up 20 penalties at Fence 21 and, equal fourth with Izzy overnight, Laura Collett’s Calmaro also adding 20 at Fence 10C. Jesse Campbell, in sixth place overnight, dropped down to 43rd place with a refusal at Fence 20 which also caught out World Champion Ros Canter on board Rehy Royal Diamond
Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift
This left some room for manoeuvre at the top and young British rider Tom Jackson moved into third place (27.8) on Capel’s Hollow Drift, who recently finished fourth in the CIC2* Young Horse at Osberton, and the winner of that class, Sarah Bullimore and Corouet are now in fourth place (29). Again there is less than one pole separating the top four while Astier Nicolas, keeping his country’s hopes alive, is in fifth place on Babylon De Gamma, with the same score of 29.4 as Belgium’s Karin Donckers riding Leipheimer Van ‘T Vera
Astier Nicolas and Babylon De Gamma
Seven were eliminated and three retired on course leaving fifty-nine to go through to the final phase
Australia's Chris Burton on Coup De Coeur Dudevin (above), fourth in the 6YO and Kevin McNab (below) on Grantstown Joules, 24th in the 6YO
