THREE Irish Sport Horses finished in the top ten at the World Breeding Championship finals at Lanaken in Belgium today (Sunday), while Irish rider Jessica Kurten won the Seven Year-Old Final on an Irish-owned horse born at the National Stud.

With a total of almost 800 horses competing for medals across three categories, Irish Chef d'Equipe and Coach Comdt. John Ledingham praised not only those Irish riders who competed at Lanaken over the weekend, but also those who had taken part in the extensive World Championship qualification process during the Horse Sport Ireland Studbook classes in Ireland.

"Irish horses at Lanaken represented the breed very well, " he said. "Declan Egan went clear in the first round of the Five Year Old Final on Coco Chanelle, but in a very fast class had to go for time in the second round and had an unfortunate fence on the floor. In the Six year Old Final Harry Marshall and Derryinver Luxury Cruise were one of nine clears in the first round but in the jump-off Harry had a real go at the clock in an attempt to win the class but had the last fence down to finish in ninth overall.

"Trevor Breen with the approved stallion Oldtown KC had the first fence down and this denied him a place in the jump-off but I do believe we are looking at a future Superleague Nations' Cup horse here."

The three Irish Sport Horses who finished in the World Championships Top Ten were:

WORLD FINAL 6 Year-Old Horses.
9th Derryinver Luxury Cruise (ISH) 2005 grey stallion by Lux Z (HANN) out of Icing (ISH), by Cruising (ISH). Bred by Tom & Linda Magee, Cottage Stud, 22 Clonmakate Road, Birches, Portadown, Co. Armagh. Owner: David Campbell. Rider: Harry Marshall (IRL)

WORLD FINAL 7 Year-Old Horses.
4th NLS Coole Al Clover (ISH) Bred by Eamonn Kenny Co. Laois. Owner André Ollevier. Rider: Nina Fagerstrom (FIN)
10th Oldtown KC (ISH) – 2004 chestnut stallion by Cruising (ISH) out of Oldtown Katie (ISH), by Clover Fields (ISH). Bred by Martin Coffey, Oldtown, Templemore, Co. Tipperary. Owner: Martin & Paschal Coffey. Rider: Trevor Breen (IRL)

Fourth-placed Finnish rider Nina Fagerstrom piloted Coole Al Clover, who with rider Clem McMahon was last year's Irish-bred Six-Year-Old World Gold Medallist.

Ireland's Jessica Kurten took the Gold Medal in the Seven Year Old Final with Ayumi Katoni's stallion Cor Dela Rossa Z, who was born at the Irish National Stud.