Ireland win medals in every age category at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Champions in Belgium

Ireland enjoyed an incredible final day at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championships in Lanaken, Belgium, with medal wins in every category, including a historic 1-2-3 in the five-year-old final.

Mikey Pender led a clean sweep for Irish riders and horses in the five-year-old final on board HHS Ocala (ISH), jumping a brilliant clear jump-off round in a time of 37.22 seconds to take gold.

Rising star in the Irish showjumping rankings, 19-Year-Old Niamh McEvoy, a member of the Irish team that won Team Gold at the Young Rider European Championships in Gorla Minore, Italy, piloted the stallion Boleybawn Alvaro (ISH) to the silver medal in a time of 37.72 seconds, just half a second behind the winner.  

The bronze medal went to long standing stalwart of Irish Teams competing in Lanaken, and the man who claimed Gold in this class in 2022, Ger O’Neill on the winner of the 2023 Irish Breeder’s Classic, Ballyshan B F Super Hero (ISH). His time of 39.21 seconds did enough to keep Belgium’s Walter Lelie off the podium.

Fresh from the historic morning, the Horse Sport Ireland Studbooks Team were represented once more on the podium in the Six-Year-Old Final when Co. Kildare’s Leah Stack piloted the mare Laurina (ISH), bred by the late Dr. Noel Cawley, to the silver medal position.  

One of two Irish riders into the jump off, Stack and the Stakkato Gold-sired mare came home in a time of 35.75 seconds to take the lead at the time and sit on top of the leaderboard until Germany's Katrin Eckermann pipped her to win in a time of 34.06 with Casajall (WESTF). 

Laurina’s owner Lisa Cawley said: “We’re really proud of Laurina, she’s a really nice mare and very clever. I think she gets a lot of her ability from how clever she is, and Leah did such an amazing job.

“She rode two foot-perfect rounds - just foot perfect. She rode some fantastic lines and two really beautiful rounds. They always jump beautiful together, but I think for sure today they jumped the rounds of their lives.

"It's just a little bit bittersweet that my Dad isn’t here to see this result. He’d be so proud of her. Both of them. He’d be so proud.”

Sonja Egan, Head of Breeding Innovation and Development added: “We have had an absolutely phenomenal team performance in the 5-year-old classes with Irish bred horses taking a historic gold, silver & bronze. It is a great result for Irish breeders, owners, riders and trainers.  Our congratulations to them all."

"In the six year old classes, we are absolutely delighted for Leah, Lisa and the wider Ballypatrick team on the 6-year-old World Championship silver medal here today – what a morning it has been!

“It is bittersweet that Noel is not here to join in on the celebrations, but no doubt he would be extremely proud of them all" concluded HSI's Dr. Egan.

There was further success for Irish riders in Seven-Year-Old final, with Co. Wexford’s Harry Allen taking home the Gold Medal with the Italian-bred mare Kumina Della Caccia after a thrilling eleven-horse jump off that saw Co. Carlow’s Jason Foley also claim a top 10 finish with Mister Qerly Z.

Nine years after older brother Bertram claimed the same Championship victory with Barnike, it was Harry Allen who threw caution to the wind to claim Ireland’s second gold medal of the day when stopping the clock in a time of 35.30 seconds. 

Coming to Lanaken on the back of some good international results this year from shows in Samorin (Slovakia), Chantilly (France), Aachen (Germany), Kronenberg (Netherlands), Bratislava (Slovakia) and Vejer De La Frontera (Spain), the world’s Number 183 ranked rider left nothing to chance when coming home 0.6 seconds faster than Germany’s Philip Rüpling and Casanina PS. Dutch rider Renee de Weert and Labantrix (KWPN) completed the podium line up. 

Speaking afterwards Allen said: “I’m not too sure of the plan for her now. She’s owned by American rider Adrienne Sterlinct and was sold in our Aloga Auction last year and Adrienne let me keep the ride on her. I think she’s an unbelievable horse, maybe the best seven-year-old I’ve ever ridden.” 

This result makes the Allen brothers the first set of Irish brothers to both win the same final at the Breeding Championships in Lanaken, Belgium.