EQUESTRIAN: Ireland's show jumpers, team gold medallists at last year's European championships, have suffered a recent loss of form on the Nations Cup circuit that has seen the Samsung series winners of 2000 slump to ninth in the current rankings. But Tommy Wade's team will be bidding to put recent disappointments behind them when they go for a third successive victory in the Prince of Wales Cup at Hickstead this afternoon, writes Grania Willis

Good fortune has already come into play, with Wade drawing his quartet to go last in the seven-way contest. Peter Charles jumps as pathfinder with the mare Corrada, winner of both the Hickstead and La Baule Derbies last year.

Cian O'Connor's Waterford Crystal is currently leading horse in the rankings and O'Connor himself is second in the leading rider table.

But the 22-year-old is competing under severe strain following the tragic death of girlfriend Hazel O'Callaghan at the beginning of the month from head injuries sustained in a fall off the ramp of a lorry in O'Connor's Co Kildare yard.

Wade has put O'Connor in to jump second for Ireland, followed by Kevin Babington, who took the Grand Prix at Hickstead 12 months ago with Carling King, currently third on the Samsung leading horse table.

Dermott Lennon, whose clear in Arnhem last summer clinched European team gold, is in his traditional number four slot with the mare Liscalgot.

Lennon has been sidelined through injury recently, having broken a bone in his right hand while jumping at the Dutch show in Geesteren 11 days ago. His arm was put in plaster up to the elbow, but that has now been removed and the Co Down rider is expected to be back to his best for this afternoon's challenge.

The Irish will be facing strong opposition in their bid for the hat-trick, however, not least from the hosting British, who had recent Nations Cup successes at Lummen and Lisbon.

The Germans, currently top of the rankings, are also expected to put up a good fight.

An Irish win at Hickstead would be an important morale booster in the build-up to next month's Kerrygold Horse Show at the RDS, where the same quartet will be aiming to wipe out memories of Ireland's disastrous fourth-place finish last year.

Placings in the Samsung league are also being converted into points for the new Super League and Ireland need to be in the top eight overall to prevent relegation to the second division next season.

Cork rider Robert Splaine scooped some of the Hickstead prize fund when slotting the stallion Coolcorron Cool Diamond into third in yesterday afternoon's speed class.

Cian O'Connor and Irish Independent Casper finished eighth.