Australia, winners of team gold at the last three Olympiads, took individual and team honours at the IFG Punchestown three-day event yesterday, led to victory by Australian adoptee Lucinda Fredericks on the Irish-bred Ballyleck Boy.
British-born Fredericks, married to Perth rider Clayton, declared for Australia last year and is now aiming for a place on the Aussie squad for the world equestrian games. She has the perfect ammunition for the eventing team in her Punchestown winner Ballyleck Boy, but also has Darasass, who she rode to 17th place at Badminton, plus a Grand Prix horse Azupa Gazelle, who the selectors are keen to have on the dressage team.
Given the choice, the 36-year-old will opt for Ballyleck Boy, who led from flagfall at Punchestown and was then clear both across country on Saturday and in yesterday's show jumping - although with time faults both days - to clinch the IFG honours from Badminton winner Pippa Funnell with Primmore's Pride.
Polly Stockton, who had moved up into overnight second after her cross-country round on Tangleman, plummeted down the order to ninth, with three rails down yesterday afternoon, to allow New Zealander Andrew Nicholson up to third with Fenicio, one slot above best of the Irish, Jane O'Flynn.
O'Flynn, who made her Badminton debut with Braveheart a fortnight ago, was out to prove that Jinnie Webb's Kilnadeema Star, who has been off the road for almost two years, is back to his brilliant best. And prove it she did with a superbly confident cross-country round to finish Saturday as the only rider with an untouched dressage mark. The longed-for clear in yesterday's show jumping eluded her and, with one rail down, so did second place, but fourth was still an impressive result.
There was further good news for the Irish selectors - who are seeking six combinations for the world equestrian games in Jerez, Spain next September - when Susan Shortt's new ride for Kieran Connors, Just Beauty Queen, produced a rock-solid performance to slot into 10th after clears over the solid timber and the knockable poles.
The selectors will be announcing their world games longlist on Wednesday, which can be added to after Bramham and Luhmuhlen. Three proven campaigners, Don't Step Back, All Love du Fenaud and Horsware Fabio, still have to prove their fitness before they are included, but one of last year's European squad who will miss the cut this time is Carol Gee's grey Sportsfield Iceman, who somersaulted over the birch rails on top of the Newgrange fence two from home, landing on top of his rider.
Gee was immobilised and stretchered off the course, but extensive tests and X-rays have revealed nothing worse than a fractured rib and severe bruising.
The Irish missed out on the IFG two-star honours, with Sally Corscadden's Blarney one-star winner Young Man meeting only one better in all-the-way leader Galan de Sauvagere, who was steered to his sixth international win by Frenchman Nicolas Touzaint. And there was another all-the-way winner in the IFG young riders class, which went to Britain's Kitty Boggis with Five Boys.
