EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Triple Olympic team gold medallist Andrew Hoy heads the Masterfoods field after the first day of dressage on only his third ever start at Burghley.
Mary King, who provided the last British win back in 1996 amongst a run of Kiwi victors, is best of the hosts in second on King Solomon. She is just over a point clear of New Zealander Andrew Nicholson, winner here in 2000 with Mr Smiffy, but now teamed up with New York.
Four of the five Irish runners at Burghley were named as reserves for the World Equestrian Games, which open in Jerez on September 11th. The quartet have been warned that they may be requested to pull their horses out of the competition here should anything happen to any of the six that are due to travel to Spain, but none are currently competitively placed, with Mark Kyle highest up the order in 37th with his Lulworth advanced winner Drunken Disorderly.
The selectors have now finalised their choices for Jerez, naming Eric Smiley (Irish Patriot), Sasha Harrison (All Love du Fenaud), Patricia Donegan (Don't Step Back) and Jane O'Flynn (Kilnadeema Star) as the World Games team, with Vina Buller (Glencara) and Susan Shortt (Just Beauty Queen) to run as individuals.
There are already problems with Ireland's show jumping squad, following the news that European Championship team gold medallist Kevin Babington has dislocated his collarbone in a fall and has been pulled out of the Rotterdam Nations Cup squad. Denis Coakley, who had been named for the team travelling to Calgary, Canada next week, has been called in as a replacement for the Dutch show, where the Nations Cup features on Sunday. There will now be no team for Calgary.
