Cork’s sporting curse continues with narrow defeat

THERE are growing fears that nothing has gone right for Cork in a sporting sense since the visit of a certain royal tourist to the city last May.

Exits from both All-Ireland hurling and football championships before the end of July seemed to provide strong proof of the existence of such a hex on the Rebel County.

Ireland’s leading showjumper, Billy Twomey, from Monkstown in Cork, could be forgiven for sharing in such pessimism after Ireland narrowly missed out on a famous victory in the Nations Cup at the RDS in Ballsbridge yesterday.

To paraphrase US President Barack Obama, there was an air of confidence among the large audience at the Dublin Horse Show before the start of the competition that suggested: “Yes, we (Aga) Khan.”

Branded 10/3 favourites by the bookies, the Irish team of Shane Sweetnam, Nicola FitzGibbon, Denis Lynch and Twomey were hoping to recapture the famous trophy for the first time since 2004.

After the horseplay that was Ladies Day on Thursday, the Dublin Horse Show turned to its serious sporting side yesterday as evidenced by the large number of people attired in top hat and tails including Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney.

It was the day for serious horse-lovers who enjoy witnessing the world’s top showjumpers to reclaim the RDS, as stable yards around rural Ireland decamped to Dublin for the day.

Guest of honour was President Mary McAleese who added a sense of royalty to the occasion as other VIPs were low on the ground.

The steward at the water jump — also attired in regalia associated with Royal Ascot — should be praised for providing unintentional levity to the event by the manner in which he signalled a rider had cleared the obstacle. Squatting slightly and crossing his hands back and forth over his knees, the gesture was reminiscent of the Hucklebuck, or worse a dance move normally associated with drunk wedding guests.

With Ireland placed second with a total of four faults behind France after the first round, the first three Irish riders also jumped sweetly in the second round as the French blew their early lead, while the British team climbed up the leaderboard.

One of the heroes was Sweetnam who jumped two clear rounds in his first appearance to represent his country at the Dublin Horse Show. The 30-year-old native of Kanturk, Co Cork, who is now based in Florida admitted the experience, was “nerve-wracking.”

It left Twomey in anchor position for Ireland needing a clear round to claim outright victory and avoid a tie with their British counterparts. However, Twomey’s chestnut mare, Tinka’s Serenade, practically demolished the fifth fence and with it Ireland’s chances of avoiding a heart-stopping, jump-off.

Cue a rapidly-changing series of roars, shrieks and shushes from the packed grandstands in the RDS Main Arena as British rider, Nick Skelton, went first in the sudden-death round.

Having already jumped two clear rounds, Skelton kept up his faultless performance and clocked in a super-fast time of 39.98 seconds to pile the pressure on Twomey.

Yelps and shrieks again punctured the air as the Cork sportsman entered the arena. However, the climax was short-lived as Twomey’s mount knocked the second fence bringing a premature end to his round and delivering the Aga Khan to a delighted British team.

No doubt, the triumph will please a horse-loving, British royal and perhaps as a result bring an end to the perceived sporting curse on Cork.