EQUESTRIAN:AS THE Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show kicks off at the RDS this morning, Ireland's team manager Robert Splaine is confident that his squad will put up a good fight for the Aga Khan trophy. But there is more than just a gold cup at stake on Friday.
The Corkman will be keeping a close eye on performances throughout the week with a view to naming his team of five for the European championships, which take place in Windsor at the end of the month.
Splaine plans to name the quintet for the Europeans early next week, but before that the potential team members will compete in five days of jumping for a record prize fund of €599,000 at the RDS. Friday’s feature, which boasts prize-money of €200,000, is the final round in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup series and Ireland’s participation in the 2010 series is already guaranteed, thanks to a win in the Swedish leg at Falsterbo last month and a third-place finish at Hickstead less than a fortnight ago.
With next year already in the bag, Splaine is in a positive frame of mind. “I think we’ve got a good chance on Friday”, Splaine told The Irish Times yesterday. “The riders have all got a lot of experience at top level, so the pressure won’t get to them and the horses all have good recent form.”
League leaders France field what will probably be their championship team and are expected to hold out for the series honours, but the Irish quartet of Denis Lynch, Cian O’Connor, Billy Twomey and Cameron Hanley will also be aiming to finish the series on a high note. With 10 teams in action, the battle lines have now been drawn on the hallowed turf of the main arena, turf that has more than repaid the massive injection of capital required to produce what last year’s Longines Grand Prix winner Jessica Kürten described as the best grass jumping surface in the world.
Despite last year’s almost continuous deluge, the Ballsbridge footing held firm and, 12 months on, one thing is certain, there were no sympathetic tears shed at the RDS when the international riders objected to the soggy state of the footing at both Aachen and Hickstead recently.
Dublin is being seen as a final dress rehearsal for the Europeans and Ireland’s senior riders will be bidding to follow in the footsteps of newly crowned European pony champion Kellie Allen from Co Meath. Allen, who claimed individual gold in the pony jumping championships in Belgium on Monday, will be joined by her silver medal team-mates plus eventing bronze medallist Joseph O’Brien, son of trainer Aidan O’Brien, in the parade of prize-winners in the main arena on Friday afternoon.
Undoubtedly the Irish medallists will receive a rapturous welcome as the stands are expected to be packed for the feature Nations Cup, which the RDS hopes will be recession-proof.
