Ireland's showjumpers will be the Swallows without the Amazons when the international showjumping begins in the main arena at the RDS this morning on the opening day of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show.
For the second consecutive year, Team Ireland will be battling to stay in the Samsung Super League without the help of Jessica Kurten.
But news that Ireland's other female star, Marion Hughes, will also be missing following an injury to her horse, Heritage Transmission, has made the uphill struggle seem close to impossible.
Kurten is ranked number two in the world but has refused to jump in Dublin following a fallout with team manager Robert Splaine after she was dropped for the Swiss Nations Cup in Lucerne in June.
Hughes proved her undoubted star quality at last month's British round in Hickstead, picking up just a single time fault in two rounds of jumping, but now she too is out of the equation for this week's action in Dublin and her 12-year-old horse could also be ruled out for the World Equestrian Games in Germany later in the month.
Tipperary man Shane Breen has been brought in to replace Hughes and, along with Cameron Hanley, Cian O'Connor, Billy Twomey and captain Shane Carey, will be bidding to get Splaine's nod for the Nations Cup team.
With a €445,000 prize fund on offer in the international classes, competition will be hot, but the main focus will be on Friday's Aga Khan Cup, when a good result is vital if Team Ireland is to remain in the Samsung Super League in 2007.
Currently last of the eight nations in the Super League rankings, Ireland will have to pull out all the stops on Friday - and even a win may not be enough to avoid relegation if the Netherlands and Sweden, just above Ireland in the league standings, also perform well.
Team USA and Britain are both fielding strong teams and look favourite to take the lion's share of the €148,000 - and the top Samsung points - on offer in the Nations Cup.
There is a further €120,000 to be shared out in Sunday's Longines Grand Prix, the classic curtain-closer to five days of top showjumping action.