Cameron Hanley will realise a life-long dream when he makes his Aga Khan team debut at the RDS this afternoon. "I've been waiting 15 years for this," the Mayo man said last night. "And we're going out to win it."
Team manager Robert Splaine has put Hanley in at the vital number four slot riding the talented SIEC Hippica Kerman, with Capt Shane Carey opening for Ireland on Killossery. Shane Breen, the man who was drafted on to the Irish squad on Monday as a last-minute replacement, goes at number two with World Cruise, while Cian O'Connor has been put in at number three with the mare Echo Beach.
Billy Twomey, the Cork rider whose clear round on the stallion Luidam clinched the Irish victory two years ago, has been dropped after his mare Anastasia stopped in yesterday's power and speed class.
But Twomey accepted Splaine's decision to leave him off the team with equanimity. "He couldn't really pick me after the mare stopped," he said.
Splaine is confident he has selected the right quartet to give Team Ireland the best possible chance of a result that would take it off the bottom rung of the Samsung Super League ladder when it jumps fifth of the eight teams this afternoon.
"I'm happy I've given everybody a fair chance and that I've got the best team available," he said last night. But Splaine is also aware of how vital a top performance is this afternoon.
"We'll fight and we'll fight hard, but there's no weak team here, everybody is very strong. But I'm hoping that we can leave the Dutch behind us."
Bookmakers Ladbrokes are quoting Britain, winners on home ground at Hickstead a fortnight ago, as 5/2 favourites, with Germany fractionally behind on 3/1. America is next in the betting at 4/1, ahead of France at 5/1 and Ireland on eights. Holland, Sweden and Switzerland are all quoted as also-rans at 14/1.
Ireland is currently last in the Super League standings and, without an improvement in current form, is in danger of relegation. The Dutch, one slot ahead of the Irish, are also under threat and sixth-placed Sweden is not out of the relegation zone either.
But, even if the worst happens and Ireland is dropped from the Super League for 2007, the Nations Cup will still be held in the RDS next year and the Aga Khan Cup will still be presented, with Ireland competing on a wild-card.
Meanwhile, with questions still being asked about Jessica Kurten's absence from the Dublin Horse Show, the Equestrian Federation of Ireland (EFI) confirmed yesterday that no sanctions will be taken against her for refusing to ride on the Irish team.
"There is no provision in the federation rules to take sanctions against riders who refuse to ride on an Irish team," an EFI spokesman said.