A record 205 runners are lining up for the action at the IFG Punchestown three-day event, which gets underway with two days of dressage this morning. For the first time outside a championship, there is an official team competition, with an Irish quartet pitted against six other nations.

Jane O'Flynn, who made her European championship debut last September, opens the Irish account at 8.53 this morning with Kilnadeema Star, followed by Austin O'Connor's new team ride, Horseware Fabio, just before the lunch break. Irish number three Nicola Cassidy (Mr Mullins) and anchorman Sasha Harrison (All Love du Fenaud) both perform their dressage tests tomorrow.

The British will pose a particularly strong threat in the team competition, with one re-routed Badminton horse in Charlotte Bathe's The Irish One and a potential Olympic horse in Ian Stark's Arakai. Stark, who also rides Rangitoto, as it was pulled out of Badminton with a minor leg infection, brought Arakai as a late entry for Punchestown when it was discovered that the horse was not qualified for Sydney.

The New Zealand-bred has not completed a three-day event since running as part of Britain's gold medal-winning team at Burghley in 1997. He was excused Badminton this year with Sydney in mind until the selectors realised that the horse wasn't qualified and rapidly organised a late entry at Punchestown.

The British squad also includes Pippa Funnell and General Salute, the Irish export she rode to victory in the two-star here last year before she won double gold at the European championships last autumn with another of her Irish string, Supreme Rock.

Today's dressage features the first 46 horses in both the feature IFG three-star and the KPMG two-star, with the remaining 41 in each appearing tomorrow. The 23 young riders and the eight juniors that were given a separate class as a last-minute reprieve after being told they could not run, also do their dressage tomorrow.