Equestrian Sport/Punchestown three-day event: Olympic selection is the main goal for Ireland's top riders at the Fáilte Ireland/IFG Punchestown three-day event, which kicks off this morning with the first of two days of dressage.
A panel of 13 elite riders are still in line for selection, and seven of these line out at the Kildare racetrack, along with a star-studded international field that includes three Olympic gold medallists.
"It's the strongest pool of horses we've ever had,", said chef d'equipe Helen Cantillon-O'Keeffe last night about the group from which the Irish selectors will name the team for Athens in 11 days.
The selectors plan to announce a team of five, plus two reserves on Sunday week.
"They're all being considered," the chairman of selectors, John Lyttle, said at Punchestown yesterday, although Becky George, who went so brilliantly across country at Badminton last month with Wee Hot Toddy only for the horse to fail the final inspection, is currently ineligible. British-born George, who is based in Co Down, is still trying to get her Irish passport sorted out.
"I've informed her that if she doesn't get her passport prior to us reaching our decision we won't reconsider," Lyttle said.
The selectors have other problems, too, with Sasha Harrison's All Love du Fenaud withdrawn yesterday morning. The French gelding, which was part of Ireland's team at last year's European championships in Punchestown, finished an impressive fourth in Chatsworth last month, but was pulled out of this week's competition with a respiratory tract infection.
Jane O'Flynn, who suffered life-threatening injuries in a horrific fall in Co Armagh last August but has fought her way back to full fitness, is also part of the elite panel up for selection. But although she will do the dressage tomorrow, she has opted not to run Kilnadeema Star across country on Saturday.
"The horse has already done two three-stars this spring, which is more than he's ever done," O'Flynn said yesterday. "If they want him for Athens he'll be ready and tuned up, but I'm not going to run him across country. What has he got to prove?"
