Ireland's three-day event team came closer to the medal podium than in any of its last five Olympic runs when finishing fifth in Horsley Park yesterday behind an all-conquering Australian quartet that swept virtually unchallenged to its third consecutive Olympic team gold in this discipline.
A supremely confident show jumping clear from Trish Donegan - one of just three in the entire competition - gave more than just the Irish supporters reason to declare Joe Savage's eight-year-old Don't Step Back the talking horse of the Sydney Games. Clear across the country in his first four-star outing, the Step Together gelding added just 11.6 on the clock to become an even more sought after commodity than before the Olympics.
Nicola Cassidy and Mr Mullins had come closest to emulating Donegan's feat over the coloured poles, but the first part of the double hit the deck for five penalties. When neither Sue Shortt (10 penalties) nor Virginia McGrath (36) managed to maintain a clean sheet, a move further up the rankings was blocked as Cassidy's was the discard score after two runouts across the country.
The Irish had more than earned their final placing, but they had climbed up another rung of the ladder by default earlier in the day when the New Zealand team vanished from overnight third at the final horse inspection. Ready Teddy, the brilliant little chestnut that Blyth Tait had ridden to individual honours in Atlanta, had his show jumping pass withdrawn when noticeably lame at the trot-up.
Held over for re-inspection, Ready Teddy had deteriorated still further by the time he was re-presented, due to a stone bruise in his left hind foot.
The ground jury, which included Ireland's Jean Mitchell, had no option but to give him the thumbs down, so ending all hopes of a team bronze for the New Zealanders to mirror their placing on the Atlanta podium.
But the day, in fact the entire week, belonged to their nearest neighbours and hosts of these Games, the Australians. Leading from flagfall, they never gave the opposition a chance to overtake and, even though none of the four managed a clear in the show jumping, their supremacy held sway right through to the medal ceremony.
With just two show jumps in hand after the cross-country, the Australians still had to keep fighting to the last. Closest rivals, Britain, failed to capitalise on the Australian show jumping performances with faults of their own that left last man into the arena, Andrew Hoy, with a five-fence advantage as the 20,000 sun-scorched spectators roared their welcome.
Hoy, a veteran of both the Barcelona and Atlanta winning teams, was determined to make it a personal hat-trick as well as a record breaking three-in-a-row for his country. And, even though the wonderful grey Darien Powers hasn't the greatest track record in the show jumping arena, Hoy managed to keep his tally down to just three knocks to clinch the gold.
The British, who had failed to feature amongst the medallist since taking the silver in Seoul 12 years ago, once again finished second, with the Americans helped to the bronze by a fabulous clear show jumping round from David O'Connor and the Irishbred Giltedge. Germany, Ireland and Brazil completed the top six, all of which have now booked their tickets to the 2002 world equestrian games in Spain.
Team three-day event (final placings): 1, Australia, 146.8 penalties; 2, Britain, 161.0; 3, America, 175.8; 4, Germany, 241.8; 5, Ireland, 270.0; 6, Brazil, 333.0.
