Germany, holders of Olympic, world and European show jumping titles, had the perfect dress rehearsal for the defence of its European crown at Hickstead next month by winning the British Nations Cup at the Sussex showgrounds yesterday in a close tussle with the hosts.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Germans were third at the halfway stage with only Carsten-Otto Nagel managing a clear and individual European champion Ludger Beerbaum crashing out with three down.
The British challenge had opened strongly with a clear from Nick Skelton's Kerrygold Grand Prix winner Hopes Are High, but none of his team-mates could follow suit to leave the hosts in fourth at halfway. They were just ahead of the Irish, who made too many mistakes to seriously challenge for a higher place
Marion Hughes had boosted morale for the Irish with a scorching victory in the morning speed class with the consistent Vaor d'Isigny, notching up his third placing of the week, while Irish pathfinder Edward Doyle slotted Sea Wolf in immediately behind, mirroring Robert Splaine's runner-up spot in the earlier speed class with the stallion Convent Hill Diamond. But the winning stopped there and, when all four Irish again picked up a single fault apiece at the second attempt, a two-round total of 24 left them well off the pace.
The Dutch pace slackened dramatically after the break and, without a single clear to their credit, they eventually shared fourth with the Irish, just in behind a similarly displaced Italian quartet.
This left Britain and Germany to battle it out for the honours, but the British hand had already been weakened with the disappearance of Hopes Are High, who damaged a nerve warming up for the second round and had to be withdrawn. A captain's clear from British Grand Prix winner John Whitaker would have maintained the pressure, but when Virtual Village Flower connected with the second last, the Cup was in German hands.
Today's action features the Queen Elizabeth Cup, with Marion Hughes bidding for a third victory on the grey mare Flo Jo, winner of the Lummen Derby Trial in Belgium last week. Hughes, who took the Queen's Cup in both 1995 and 1996, will be joined by Jessica Kurten in this afternoon's class, while the male equivalent, the King George V Gold Cup, will be the main aim for the rest of the Irish squad, particularly the 1995 winner Robert Splaine.
