Britain's defence of the European title, won in Rome two years, ago began in fine style at the open European championships in Burghley yesterday when Mary King and Ian Stark slotted into third and fourth individually to give the team a 2.8 penalty advantage over New Zealand after the first day of dressage.
Unfortunately, the Irish were some way off the pace, even though team debutante Jane O'Flynn performed a test of a lifetime, completely unfazed by the occasion, to score a mark of 54.8 with the Sea Crest mare Ladakha for overnight 19th in the individual placings.
David Foster's disappointing 64.8 with Duneight Carnival leaves the Irish in equal ninth at the halfway stage, but Mark Kyle and Lucy Thompson - the reigning individual champion - will be hoping to improve the team average when they perform their tests today.
Irish individual Alfie Buller was also less than happy about his performance yesterday when Sir Knight reflected both his own and his jockey's tensions to end up well off the pace in 38th with a score of 76 at the rear of the field.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Finland's Piia Pantsu heads the individual rankings after an almost seamless test with the Polish thoroughbred Cyna. Earning top marks from all three judges, the Finnish pair have a 4.8 advantage over New Zealand's Andrew Nicholson and Dawdle, another horse with credentials better suited to the racecourse.
The 26-year-old Finnish girl lives in Sweden with her boyfriend Frederic Jonsson, whose father, Jan, won Olympic bronze at Munich in 1972 and now trains Piia Pantsu.
Hotly tipped for Olympic honours herself at last year's Atlanta Games, Pantsu missed the trip to America when Cyna had to be operated on for ligament damage. But the mare, which has a fourth and sixth at European level and fifth at the 1994 World Equestrian Games to her credit, is now back to her best and ready to continue her ascent of the placings.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the Atlantic, show jumper Peter Charles was back in winning mode at the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary when galloping to victory in the Promark Welcome Stakes with his Kerrygold Puissance winner T'Aime.
Open European Championships (individual placings after first day of dressage): 1, Finland's Cyna (Piia Pantsu), 42.0 penalties; 2, New Zealand's Dawdle (Andrew Nicholson), 46.8; 3, Britain's Star Appeal (Mary King), 47.2; 4, Britain's Arakai (Ian Stark), 47.8; Irish placings: 19, Ladakha (Jane O'Flynn), 54.8; 35, Duneight Carnival (David Foster), 64.8; 38, Sir Knight (Alfred Buller), 76.0.
Team placings: 1, Britain, 95.0 penalties; 2, New Zealand, 97.8; 3, Holland, 104.2; 4, France, 104.4; 5, USA, 107.8; 6, Germany, 113.2; 9, Ireland, 119.6.
