Hughes hopeful Ireland can get RDS confidence-booster

MARION HUGHES is hoping that a good result in the nations’ cup at next week’s Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show will alleviate the pressure in the Samsung Super League and allow Ireland to focus fully on the World Equestrian Games.

Ireland are last in the league and staring into the abyss that is relegation, with only Dublin and the final in Barcelona remaining. Adding to that pressure is WEG in Aachen, Germany, which falls between the two league rounds and where a good result is necessary, primarily, to ensure qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

But with a small pool of world-class horses from which to chose, team manager Robert Splaine could be in the invidious position of sacrificing a good result at WEG to ensure Super League survival if Dublin does not yield the desired result.