Sport

Ireland slip back at European Championships while Germany lead

The Irish team fell from fifth to seventh during yesterday’s proceedings in Scotland

Michael Ryan of Ireland competes on Ballylynch Adventure in the dressage on Friday during the Longines FEI European Eventing Championship 2015 at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Scotland. Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Michael Ryan of Ireland competes on Ballylynch Adventure in the dressage on Friday during the Longines FEI European Eventing Championship 2015 at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Scotland. Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Margie McLoone
Sat Sept 12 2015 - 10:56

Reigning champions Germany are in the gold medal position going into today’s cross-country phase of the Longines FEI European eventing championships at Blair Castle, Scotland.

Bidding for a fifth successive team victory, the German quartet of world champion Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo), defending European individual title-holder Michael Jung (fischerTakinou), Badminton runner-up Ingrid Klimke (Horseware Hale Bob) and Dirk Schrade (Hop And Skip), who provided the discard score, are on 102.70 penalties.

Britain, who led after Thursday’s opening session, are in second place on 112.50 with William Fox-Pitt’s marks on the Irish-bred Bay My Hero being surprisingly discarded. France, one of a number of nations seeking Olympic qualification at the event, is narrowly behind on 115.20.

Disappointingly, Ireland, who secured a team place in Rio de Janeiro at the World Championships in Normandy last year, slipped from fifth to seventh after Michael Ryan (Ballylynch Adventure) and Austin O’Connor (Balham Houdini) posted scores of 51.90 and 47.10 respectively.

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With Ryan’s marks discarded, O’Connor’s score combined with those of Padraig McCarthy (Simon Porloe) and Joseph Murphy (Sportsfield Othello) saw the team on a total of 143.70 at the end of dressage. At this stage, four of the top 12 horses are Irish-bred headed by DHI Lupison which is in second place under British individual Holly Woodhead.

This morning, Murphy will be second out on the beautifully-presented cross-country designed by Scottish Olympian Ian Stark. This is very much a track of two halves with the first being over some stiff undulating terrain while the second half is more or less on the level.

Eventing continues at home this weekend at Lisgarvan where, among the many classes at the Co Carlow venue tomorrow, is the first running of the Horse Sport Ireland five and six-year-olds mares’ championship which has attracted a strong entry of 22.

Overnight, Co Down show jumper Conor Swail won the 1.60m World Cup qualifying class at the four-star show in North Salem, New York. The 43-year-old came out best in a 14-horse jump-off riding Ilan Ferder’s 10-year-old mare Viva Columbia.