Equestrian European three-day event: The medals proved just out of reach, but the Irish team achieved its goal of securing qualification for next year's Athens Olympics by finishing fourth overall at the Fáilte Ireland IFG European championships in Punchestown yesterday, with Susan Shortt the best of the Irish, finishing 11th individually.
Shortt, third out onto Tommy Brennan's cross-country course in a torrential downpour on Saturday, knew that both the first two runners had fallen, but she used all her experience to produce a sensational clear that lifted the spirits of the rain-soaked crowds as they cheered her all the way.
But celebration of Shortt's brilliance was short-lived when the second team horse, Austin O'Connor's ride for Tom McGuinness, Horseware Fabio, was killed instantly in a fall at the Eircom Steps. The 12-year-old, which had been jumping superbly right up to the moment of the accident, broke its neck when it stumbled on the edge of the first step and pitched headlong into the face of the second.
The horse was seen to have a trickle of blood coming from its nostrils after the steeplechase, but both the Irish team vet and the three international vets assessed the gelding thoroughly three times before it went out on the cross-country and team vet Marcus Swail stressed yesterday that there had never been any question of stopping the horse from running across country.
"The accident that killed the horse and the haemorrhage after the chase were two totally unrelated incidents", he said yesterday. "All the vets were aware of the incident (on the chase) and there was no sign of blood in the nostrils at the time of death."
O'Connor said afterwards: "It was just a freak accident. But he died doing what he loved best. It wasn't a fault with the course or anything else, it was just a horrible accident."
The tragedy cast a major shadow over the Irish camp, but Sherelle Duke showed true professionalism to go clear with the head-strong LA Temple Bar and Trish Donegan followed suit on the giant Don't Step Back. Riding to team orders to go clear at all cost, Donegan incurred hefty time faults, but it was still good enough to boost the home side up from seventh to fourth overnight.
Don't Step Back hit a single rail in yesterday's show jumping, but eight time faults dropped him to 27th, one slot ahead of Temple Bar with two down. That piled all the pressure squarely back onto the shoulders of Susan Shortt but, as always, she came up with the goods, steering Just Beauty Queen to a clear that missed a top-10 placing by one but still earned Shortt the Carew salver for the top Irish result and nailed the all-important slot on the Olympic startlist.
As expected, team honours went to Britain, even though the defending champions were left with only three at the finish following Jeanette Brakewell's fall at the influential IFG water during Saturday's cross-country. France, with four cross-country clears, held on for silver ahead of the Belgians, but the French avenged their defeat in the teams by claiming individual gold through 23-year-old Nicolas Touzaint, who led from the outset with the talented grey Galan de Sauvagere.
Sweden's Linda Algotsson, who added only a handful of time faults across country, was also foot-perfect in yesterday's show jumping to clinch the silver with the exuberant Stand By Me, but both Belgium's Karin Donckers (Gormley) and Britain's Leslie Law (Shear l'Eau) faulted to drop out of the top three, allowing defending champion Pippa Funnell to take the bottom step on the medal podium.
Results in SPORTS ROUND-UP
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