Sport

Manager Robert Splaine names squad for Friday night’s four-star Nations’ Cup

Show jumping riders with another chance to impress as pressure mounts to qualify for Rio

Ireland’s show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has named his four-star Nations’ Cup squad. Photograph: Lorraine O’Sullivan/Inpho
Ireland’s show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has named his four-star Nations’ Cup squad. Photograph: Lorraine O’Sullivan/Inpho
Margie McLoone
Tue Feb 24 2015 - 09:54

A squad of six riders has been named by Horse Sport Ireland's show jumping team manager, Robert Splaine, for Friday night's four-star Nations' Cup in Wellington, Florida.

The six are Kevin Babington (Shorapur), Richie Moloney (Carrabis Z or Slieveanorra), Daragh Kenny (Imothep), Cian O’Connor (Quidam’s Cherie), Conor Swail (Grafton) and Shane Sweetnam (Chaqui Z). The team of four will be announced later in the week.

“We have many riders in the USA now,” said Splaine on Monday, “and an extra Nations’ Cup added to the schedule in Florida in February is welcome, as it presents an opportunity to view some extra combinations in the USA in team situations

"Top league/Furusiyya league team jumping is the best preparation for our main goal, which is the European championships at Aachen in August. Having missed out by the narrowest of margins at the World Equestrian Games at Normandy last year, the European championships represent the last chance for Ireland to qualify as a team for the Olympic Games in Rio 2016."

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Meanwhile, HSI’s senior eventing manager, Nick Turner, has named this year’s high performance squad.

Listed alphabetically, these are Clare Abbott (Euro Prince), Aoife Clark (Fenya’s Elegance), Fraser Duffy (Fernhill Revelation), Sarah Ennis (Stellor Rebound), Ciaran Glynn (Killossery Jupiter Rising), Mark Kyle (Jemilla), Joseph Murphy (Westwinds Hercules, Electric Cruise and Sportsfield Othello), Austin O’Connor (Ringwood Mississippi, Kilpatrick Knight and Balham Houdini) and Sam Watson (Horseware Lukeswell).

Of the nine riders, Clark, Kyle and O’Connor are based in England. The majority of the horses selected are Irish Sport Horse geldings, the exceptions being P.H. Hegarty’s home-bred ISH mare Fenya’s Elegance (by Ricardo Z) and the British-bred Jemilla, a Mill Law mare owned by Shelagh Moorley.

“Over the last few weeks we have been working with the Irish Institute of Sport to evaluate our programme with the goal of Rio 2016 in mind,” stated Turner. “Securing Olympic qualification at the World Equestrian Games (last August) means we can shift the focus of the programme to Rio rather than having to chase qualification.

“I particularly want to thank the owners who are so important to ensuring that our riders are mounted to compete at the top level,” Turner concluded.