United States Eventing Association

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Moonshine Lead 6-year-old FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships

High level dressage was expected this morning in the 6-year-old CCI* FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships at Le Lion d’Angers with the likes of Piggy French (GBR), Michael Jung (GER), Sandra Auffarth(GER), and Thomas Carlile (FRA).

Any of these favorites would have been an likely leader at the end of day one, but the U.S’s Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp riding Deborah Halliday’s Cooley Moonshine, an Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cobra x Kilpatrick Duchess) outclassed the rest of the field in this first half of the dressage competition for a mark of 22.4.

Young British rider Millie Dumas is current second with her Irish mare Universal Cooley on a 23.3. Team World champion Piggy French (GBR) is third with Emerald Jonny, another Irish horse on a 25.8 points. German superstar Michael Jung and his Holsteiner stallion Wild Wave are a hair’s breadth from the podium with 26.0.

The class will resume on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. and the U.S.’s second entry Tiana Coudray and Happenstance, her own and Kyrle Arscott’s KWPN mare by Quality Time will be fifth in the ring at 9:28 a.m.

The 7-year-old class is currently being led by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke on a 25.3 riding Asha P. Two British riders round out the podium spots: Nicola Wilson and JL Dublin on a 25.6 and Laura Collett and Calmaro on a 26.1.

Tomorrow’s U.S. ride times are:

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver – Friday – 2:13 p.m. (8:14 a.m. ET)

Doug Payne and Quantum Leap – Friday – 2:41 p.m. (8:41 a.m. ET)

Follow along with live scores here or watch the competition streamed here or on FEI TV.

Miss any of the USEA's Le Lion d'Angers coverage? Read all the stories here:

• The Race to Le Lion: The Long and Winding Road Part 2
• Holekamp/Turner Grant Recipient, Quantum Leap, Passes First Horse Inspection at Le Lion d’Angers
• The Race to Le Lion: The Long and Winding Road
• The Race to Le Lion: Doug Payne and Quantum Leap to Represent the U.S. at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships
• The Race to Le Lion: YEH Champions Contest for the Holekamp/Turner Grant

About the Holekamp/Turner Le Lion d'Angers Prize and Grant

The Holekamp/Turner Young Event Horse Lion d’Angers Prize and Grant awards the highest scorer of the USEA Young Event Horse 5-Year-Old East and West Coast Championships combined with a cash prize that will enable them to travel to the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in France for the 7-year-old two-star Championships. Winners who are North American-bred will be awarded with $17,500 to travel to Le Lion d’Angers. If the winner is an imported horse he will be awarded $8,000. Click here for more information about the Grant, and click here to view the FEI qualification criteria for Le Lion d'Angers.

The USEA would like to thank Timothy Holekamp of New Spring Farm and his family and Christine Turner of Indian Creek Farm and her family for spearheading this grant and raising funds to support it.