Badminton is just too high a risk for Kyle

Equestrian News: Irish representation at next week's prestigious Badminton three-day event in England has been dealt another blow with the withdrawal of Mark Kyle and Drunken Disorderly.

Kyle, who rode The Irish Patriot at Badminton in 1998 and '99, pulled out of the British fixture this week following a slower than expected recovery from deep vein thrombosis in his left leg.

Wicklow-born Kyle, who is now based in Lincolnshire, broke his right ankle last March and developed the DVT in the other leg shortly after. He has been put on a course of a blood-thinning drug but the clot has not responded as well as expected and it was felt the possibility of a more serious injury in the event of a fall was too high a risk.

With the European championships on home ground at Punchestown in September, the Irish selectors had originally entered seven horses for Badminton. Two of those were balloted out, Jane O'Flynn then withdrew Braveheart last month and, just last week, Virginia McGrath pulled out The Yellow Earl, which was due to make its fifth Badminton appearance and was in line for a coveted Armada dish.

That leaves just two flying the Irish flag in the Mitsubishi Motors field next week, British-based Edmond Gibney with Grainne Ward's Kings Highway and Patricia Donegan, who rides the big grey, Don't Step Back.