Equestrian: Olympic qualification for Ireland's show jumpers hangs tantalisingly just out of reach as the squad goes into today's crunch decider for the team medals at the European Championships in Donaueschingen, Germany.
But team manager Tommy Wade is confident he can pull one if not two rabbits out of the hat in today's two-rounder, even though the Irish are currently languishing down in eighth of the 18 teams.
"We were two-and-a-half fences off the Germans after the first day when we won two years ago and we're less than two fences behind now," he said after yesterday's speed leg.
"But I'm playing it safe. I want to qualify for the Olympics. I reckon we'd be about a 20 to 1 chance to win here. If we get five clears and just one down we could win the lot. I know it's a tall order, but we could do it."
Wade is hoping that course designer Olaf Petersen will produce a big track for today's Nations Cup, knowing that the Irish traditionally thrive over the more demanding courses. It was a viewpoint backed by team member Billy Twomey. "The bigger the better for us," the Cork rider said after faulting just once yesterday to slot into 26th overnight.
Cian O'Connor, who held onto fifth at the halfway break yesterday, is best of the Irish quartet in 13th after a cracking clear from Waterford Crystal, but Kevin Babington, who led off for the Irish, wasn't in sufficiently attacking mode and, although he too was clear with Carling King, his lack of pace left him below Twomey in 29th.
Robert Splaine, who booked his team place by clinching the Nations Cup victory in St Gallen and lifting the Grand Prix at the Swiss fixture as well, was never at the races yesterday and, with two rails down and a toe in the water, ended the day in 44th.
Wade has now switched the order for today's team final and Splaine's number four slot has been given to Babington, with Splaine put in as pathfinder. Twomey and O'Connor start as two and three for the Irish, with a late draw at 15 suiting Wade's planned overhaul of Switzerland, Denmark and Italy to get into the Olympic qualifying zone.
The Danes certainly got off to a promising start yesterday, with 28-year-old Thomas Velin currently heading the individual standings after a flying clear on the French-bred stallion Equest Carnute that put him 0.01 ahead of home side favourite Marcus Ehning with another stallion, For Pleasure.
The Germans head the team rankings, with a 1.73 penalty advantage over the Swedes, while the French, team gold medallists at last year's world games in Jerez, are also lurking dangerously close in third, just over half a point clear of the Swiss.
Coverage of today's team decider will be screened tonight on RTÉ 1 at 12.40 a.m, with the 40-minute highlights programme repeated on Network 2 at 2.40 p.m. tomorrow.
TEAM STANDINGS (after first speed leg) - 1, Germany, 7.15 penalties; 2, Sweden, 8.88; 3, France, 9.30; 4, Switzerland, 9.86; 5, Denmark, 12.19; 6, Holland, 13.85; 7, Italy, 14.14; 8, Ireland, 14.79.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS - 1, Denmark's Equest Carnute (Thomas Velin), 0 penalties; 2, Germany's For Pleasure (Marcus Ehning), 0.01; 3, Switzerland's Pozitano (Beat Mandli), 0.48; 4, Sweden's H&M Butterfly Flip (Malin Baryard), 0.49; 5, Bulgaria's Hildon Fleche Rouge (Samantha McIntosh), 2.14; 6, Belgium's Parco 4 (Ludo Philippaerts), 2.21; Irish placings, 13, Waterford Crystal (Cian O'Connor), 3.59; 26, Luidam (Billy Twomey), 5.33; 29, Carling King (Kevin Babington), 5.87; 44, Coolcorron Cool Diamond (Robert Splaine), 8.56.
