Breen confident of making team

SHANE BREEN, the rider hurriedly drafted into the Irish squad for tomorrow’s nations cup competition at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show, gave the home side its best result in yesterday’s feature Irish Sports Council Classic when seventh.

One of 15 to contest the jump-off, the Tipperary rider and World Cruise produced the second-fastest round, but dropped one to end on four faults in a competition won by Frenchman Stephan Lafouge on Gabelou.

Breen was named this week on the five-man squad to contest tomorrow’s crucial nations cup after Marion Hughes’ horse Heritage Transmission picked up an injury.

Despite the second-round four faults, the Cashel man said World Cruise was firing on all cylinders and he was confident of being on the team named by chef d’equipe Robert Splaine today. The 11-year-old son of Cruising had a two-round score of 16 in the Hickstead nations cup last month, but Breen said: “When I got him home, I found he had a slight infection, but now he’s in back in form.

“It’s between Billy Twomey and myself for the last place on the team. They [the selectors] were a little bit unsure about my horse after Hickstead, but he proved today’s he’s bang on and I’m confident of being on the team.”

Breen will try again today to prove his case.

Twomey has two horses capable of being on the team and Anastasia jumped a clear round in yesterday’s Speed Stakes, while the stallion Luidam had eight faults in the Classic.

Also in the squad are Cameron Hanley, Cian O’Connor and Captain Shane Carey, as Ireland bid to wrest themselves off the bottom of the Samsung Super League and avoid relegation.

Meanwhile, Marion Hughes last night said she was “gutted” to be missing the Dublin show and said there was a possibility the World Equestrian Games could also be off her itinerary.

“Missing Dublin is as important as missing WEG. What makes it so painful is that I felt we had every chance of doing well in the Aga Khan and the grand prix,” she said.

“I feel sorry for Robert and the rest of the team, but with a bit of luck on the day, the lads can pull it off.”

The Kilkenny woman said Transmission had injured himself in a paddock at the weekend. The show jumping phase of WEG begin on August 28, and Hughes said of the gelding: “He has had an anti-inflammatory injection and I will have him reassessed next week. The vet does not think it is very serious, but recuperation could take six weeks in a worst case scenario and, at best, three weeks.”

In yesterday’s opener, a one-round speed class, Edward Doyle steered Utopia V’T Hoogveld to fourth place, with Paul O’Shea and The Patriot sixth. First place went to Switzerland’s Celine Stauffer on Narcossa Z.

The Speed Stakes saw Capt Shane Carey and Hands Free place third, with the top prize of €3,000 going to Briton Michael Whitaker and Iqbal Des Hayettes.