Depleted Irish still book ticket for Sydney

Ireland's show jumpers booked their ticket to next year's Sydney Olympics with a seventh-place finish in the European team decider at Hickstead yesterday, despite the decision by Cruising's owner Mary McCann to stick to her guns and refuse to allow the stallion to jump. This left the Irish with a three-man squad and no discard score.

Concerted efforts yesterday morning by Irish chef d'equipe Tommy Wade (who had already declared Cruising for the Nations Cup), the stallion's rider Trevor Coyle and Hickstead director Paul Schockemohle, who recently took Coyle on as stable jockey, Mary McCann would not be swayed and Cruising remained in his stable throughout yesterday's action.

"I was convinced the horse was frightened from yesterday["], Mrs McCann said, referring to Thursday's speed round in which Cruising hit three fences and put a foot in the water. "I thought that he could turn himself over and seriously hurt himself and it would have been even more damaging for the sport."

Mrs McCann also issued an official statement through her Hartwell Stud offices in Co Kildare, claiming that the stallion was "mentally stressed." The statement went on to say that, "in the interest of the welfare of the horse there was a mutual agreement between the owner Mary McCann, the rider Trevor Coyle and chef d'equipe Tommy Wade to withdraw."

Mrs McCann's statement finished by saying that the horse would now go home to Hartwell and would be put out in the field. The horse has been withdrawn from next month's Canadian Nations Cup meeting in Calgary, which boasts the largest prizefund in the world, but Mrs McCann refused to comment on speculation that the partnership that finished second in this year's World Cup final and won the Aachen Grand Prix may now be at an end.

Without the cushion of a discard score, Ireland's trio of Edward Doyle, Marion Hughes and Jessica Chesney were left at a serious disadvantage, but they rose to the occasion magnificently, with Hughes just missing out on a place among the elite quartet that scored double clears yesterday. The home-bred Heritage Charlton had put in two foot-perfect rounds in the Aga Khan at Dublin and only fractional time faults prevented him repeating the feat yesterday. The Kilkenny combination has now moved up into overnight 10th going into tomorrow's individual final, just over one fence adrift of French leaders Michel Robert and Auleto.

Jessica Kurten lost her grip on the eighth place she had held after Thursday's speed leg when picking up a disappointing 16.25 in the first round. But Kurten drew on the combined forces of Peter Charles, grounded since his Hickstead fall last month, and Tommy Wade to produce the required transformation and Paavo jumped a superb clear that brought Kurten right back into the hunt to finish 24th and qualify for tomorrow.

Even though Edward Doyle has missed the cut, he rode a first-round eight-faulter that kept the Irish in the shake-up in eighth at the break and then, even though Windgates King Koal hit three at the second attempt, it was good enough to put Ireland up to seventh and guarantee a slot in Sydney next summer.

Meanwhile the Germans continued their triumphant march, successfully defending their European crown and able, once again, to boast a full house of world, Olympic and European titles.

The Swedish challenge collapsed yesterday, with the team dropping from overnight second to sixth. Switzerland, gold medallists on home ground in St Gallen four years ago, took the silver this time ahead of Holland, with the individual medals still to be decided tomorrow.