A miracle horse with “quite a story” behind him has won the seven-year-old title at the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Belgium (24–28 September).
Augustus Z, a son of the great Zangersheide stallion Aganix Du Seigneur out of Vigo D’Arsouillies mare GCS Athena, was ridden to claim the gold medal in the final by 19-year-old Eoin Brennan.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Augustus Z, he’s an amazing horse,” said Eoin, who also won silver in the six-year-old consolation final at the championships with Fernhill SDF Five Star.
But the home-bred Augustus Z’s journey to being crowned world champion has been far from straightforward. The gelding is owned and bred by Eoin’s vet father Tim Brennan, but as a three-year-old, he had an accident while on the family’s walker at home and initially suffered neurological problems.
“About a week after his accident, these problems developed and hence he has very bad stringhalt when he’s walking,” said Eoin, who then set about the long recuperation process with the youngster. “We gave him six months in the field, not sure if it was going to get any better or any worse. Thankfully it stayed the same and it never stopped him from cantering or jumping – his jump was always amazing.
“I started to compete him as a four-year-old, then a five-year-old, all the way up. Thankfully he’s always been an incredible horse for me.”
Eoin Brennan on his jump-off tactics: “I committed and set off from about 10 miles away!”
At Lanaken, Eoin and the athletic, imposing Augustus Z triumphed in the seven-year-old final after an electric 10-way jump-off, taking out an early stride between fences one and two on Bernard Mathy’s 1.45m course.
They maintained their pace to edge home ahead of 16-year-old Belgium rider Niels van Rossem with BWP gelding Speedy Van Klapscheut (Chaiton FZ x Peppermill), bred by the van Rossem family. Completing the podium was Thibault Thevenon of France with Selle Français stallion ICI Et La Courcelle.
“My original plan was to do seven strides from fence one to two, until just before I went in when Ger O’Neill and Jason Foley gave me the idea that, because my horse has a massive stride, they thought he’d be able to do it in six strides,” said Eoin, whose showjumper brother Tim was representing Ireland in the Rabat Nations Cup in Morocco while Eoin was in action in Belgium.
“So I committed and we set off from about 10 miles away from fence two! But the horse has so much scope; then I followed my plan for the rest of it. Augustus was unbelievable. So I’m very happy.
“Credit to the whole team, who put in incredible effort,” added Eoin. “My father puts incredible effort into the breeding and looking after the horses. He’s also a vet, which is very handy – he can look after the horses at home and keep them right for me.”
Finishing fourth with a double clear from first draw was another Irish representative, Leah Stack and Aggie Van De Start Z, who was bred by Jan van Alken and is by the same stallion as Augustus Z. Her compatriot Niamh McEvoy followed in fifth with the third-fastest time of the day on Irish-bred stallion Boleybawn Alvaro, but with one fence down.
Three world titles in a row for Mikey Pender
Ireland proved once again at the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Horses why its breeders and producers are admired the world over, the nation’s young horse jumping squad dominating throughout.
Mikey Pender sealed an astonishing third world title in a row by topping this year’s five-year-old final with Marta Hughes-Bravo’s HHS Private Ryan. The Irishman followed up on his successes in 2023 with five-year-old HHS Ocala and in 2024 with seven-year-old champion HHS Mercedes, all from the Kilkenny-based Hughes Horse Stud.
A field of 18 progressed to the jump-off to decide the five-year-old championship, including a second ride for Mikey in HHS Evora. But it was the El Barone III Z x High Shutterfly KWPN gelding, whom Mikey has only been riding for the past six weeks, who triumphed by a near-three-second landslide from last draw.
The silver medal went to Olympic Van’t Roosakker VK Z (Doron Kuipers) and Ireland’s Jason Foley took bronze riding Martin Egan’s Irish mare Tysons Lady Lux (Tyson x Luz Z), bred by Dublin’s Shay Hesnan.
“All praise goes to everyone who has helped bring Private Ryan to where he is today – it’s brilliant when you get a day like this,” said Mikey. “He is naturally very fast and we flew round the jump-off, keeping exactly the right pace – not too much, not too little – and that worked fantastically.”
Britain’s highest-placed representative with an immaculate double clear in ninth was Sandy McLean with Tom Williams’ consistent Diora PS.
Topping the 118-strong five-year-old consolation final was Tabitha Kyle of Ireland with Zangersheide mare Ottani Z. Third-placed Nicole Pavitt was the leading British contender with BWP stallion Umberto II Van Het Geninsteinde, owned by Amber Bundock and bred by Bethy Noens.
The world six-year-old gold medal went to Dutch rider Max van de Poll and KWPN mare Ortane, the sole combination to deliver two clear rounds. Last year’s five-year-old world championship-winning rider Niamh McEvoy claimed silver as the fastest four-faulter with relatively new ride, the “phenomenal” BP Othello (Ganesh Hero Z x Tygo), an Irish Sport Horse bred by the Hughes brothers of Ennisnag Stud and owned by Fiona and Michael Roche.
Read the full report from the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Lanaken, Belgium, in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday, 2 October.
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