Equestrian: Power looks to boost Irish chances in European eventing test
Elizabeth Power looks set to be the best-placed Irish performer at the European Eventing Championships in Fontainebleau, France this week.
Michael Ryan (Old Road) and Ciaran Glynn (Killossery Kruisita) have been called up late due to the withdrawals of both Capt Brian Curran-Cournane and Sarah Wardell whose horses are injured and they join Power (Kilpatrick River), Sacha Pemble (I've Been Dun), Patricia Ryan (Fernhill Clover Mist) and Sam Watson (Horseware Bushman) at the fixture.
First staged at Badminton in Britain in 1953, the European Eventing Championships have been dominated by the British.
But Ireland has a good record in this sport, however, with individual gold going to Eddie Boylan and Durlas Eile at Punchestown in 1967 and Lucy Thompson with Welton Romance at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy in 1995 while army man, Capt Brian McSweeney, took individual bronze with Inis Meain at Horsens in Denmark in 1983.
Ireland took team gold at Luhmuehlen, Germany in 1979 and silver in '62, '65, '67 and '91 along with five team bronze titles. The dressage phase has been the Irish weak-point in recent years however, and the Irish contingent will be trying to break a 14-year absence from the podium this week.
But Power showed world-class potential when finishing 11th with Kilpatrick River at the super-tough Badminton Horse Trials in May.
Bandon husband-and-wife team Patricia and Michael Ryan took the top two placings at this summer's World Cup Qualifier in Tattersalls, Co Meath.
Meanwhile, last weekend Kildare-born Aoife Sisk finished an impressive fourth with Valiance at the CIC 2-Star at Gatcombe Park in England.
And yesterday show jumping team manager, Robert Splaine, announced the list of Irish riders who will compete in the early stages of the forthcoming Rolex FEI World Cup series.
Jessica Kuerten will travel to Oslo, Norway and Cameron Hanley will compete in Helsinki, Finland while Cian O'Connor will line out in Lyon, France and Verona, Italy over the next two months. Denis Lynch has been selected for Stuttgart in Germany, and Billy Twomey and Hanley will take in the two Christmas events at Olympia in London and Mechelen in Belgium respectively.
- Louise Parkes
