EQUESTRIAN/European three-day event: Ireland's show jumpers booked their ticket for the Athens Olympics at the European championships in Donaueschingen, Germany last month and the eventers will be hoping to follow suit at Punchestown this week at the Fáilte Ireland IFG European three-day event championships.

As the host nation, Ireland can run 12 horses. Susan Shortt will run first for Ireland with Kieran Connors's mare Just Beauty Queen. She will be third into the dressage arena this morning, with the Irish number two Austin O'Connor running just after lunch on Horseware Fabio.

Sherelle Duke runs as number three on the Irish team with LA Temple Bar tomorrow morning, with Patricia Donegan and Don't Step Back in the all-important number four slot.

Saturday's cross-country will be the feature of the week's action. Tommy Brennan's 23-fence course will be no walkover for the 60 starters and Irish chef d'equipe Helen Cantillon O'Keeffe is under no illusions about the severity of the Test ahead.

"It's big and it's strong," she said yesterday. "It will need a brave horse and a brave rider, but our priority is to qualify for the Olympics, so we might have to be a little more conservative than perhaps we would be normally."

With only Britain and France already guaranteed their places on the Athens startlist, six teams will be bidding for the three remaining Olympic slots on offer. The British start as favourites, having won gold at the last four consecutive European championships and at eight out of the last nine. Favourite for individual honours is Pippa Funnell.