Kurten ‘reborn’ in near miss

There was huge disappointment for Ireland’s show jumpers at finishing second in yesterday’s nations cup at the Fáilte Dublin Horse Show.

But for Jessica Kurten, the performance was such that it caused her to declare herself “reborn”.

Speaking after a competition that saw the team let slip its grip on the Aga Khan Trophy to finish second, the German-based Irish rider chose to focus on the life-renewing aspect of the Irish display.

“I have become very disillusioned in show jumping and very disillusioned in the Irish sport, but I have to say, after being in the ring today, I feel reborn. The support that the crowds gave the Irish team, I have never seen anything like it. It is really a sign that Irish show jumping is going forwards, not backwards.

“And I think for me it was just an amazing day. I think that we fought back to a strong second was super, but the most impressive thing for me was the support we had in the crowds, I feel reborn in showjumping,” said the world number seven rider, who in the past refused to compete with Cian O’Connor and under team manager Robert Splaine, but yesterday teamed up with them, Olympic hopeful Denis Lynch and legend Eddie Macken.

Finishing runner-up to Britain, though, signalled no cause for celebration, despite the relief that the team can go to the final of the Samsung Super League in Barcelona next month with relegation fears greatly eased, having moved from second last to fifth in the eight-country series. With the last-placed country at the end of the season being relegated, the main task was to put some distance between bottom-placed Sweden. The Scandinavians, though, staged a revival at Hickstead last month when joint second to leave them just five points behind Ireland.

Splaine had put his cards on the table and ventured that a win was desired if not possible.

In fact as the first round neared its completion, the Irish were on track to give the Corkman his wish, as anchorman Cian O’Connor prepared to jump the last fence and the crowd gathered their breath to give full vent to their partisan support.

Olympic hopeful Denis Lynch on Nabab’s Son had opened with a single time fault, while legend Eddie Macken finished with 14 faults on Tedechine Sept, describing his exit from the arena as a “lonely walk”. Jessica Kurten’s single error with Castle Forbes Libertina at the fifth gave cause for renewed optimism and then it was O’Connor’s turn. He proceeded to give an exhibition with Rancorrado until the last fence, when the 10-year-old gelding stopped dead as it ran out of space at the final part of the treble. It saw the crowd’s expected exultation turn to dismay, as O’Connor was forced to turn around and renegotiate the treble, four faulting second time around and finishing with a first-round total of 11.

The last-fence aberration meant Ireland went into round two on 16 faults rather than a competition-leading five.

It also meant Britain held the baton on seven faults, with British-turned-Irish-turned-British rider Peter Charles in the vanguard, opening with one time fault on Murka’s Rupert R Tim Gredley (Omelli) had five, Robert Smith provided the discard of nine on Vangelis S, with Nick Skelton and the brilliant Arko III also finishing on one.

They had the US breathing down their necks on eight faults. Sensing, perhaps, that the competition was theirs, round two saw the Irish emerge as the main threat to Britain, as the US faded.

Tipperary’s German-based Lynch again jumped clear with just a single time fault, Macken redeemed himself with a clear at a cost of two time faults and then Kurten kept a clean sheet. O’Connor retired having had two down, with no possible improvement in the score possible as Ireland finished on 19.

Meantime, though Charles repeated his single time fault, the British score moved northward as Gredley finished on five and Smith six. Thus, the spotlight fell on Skelton. He had a six-fault cushion, but his experience meant there was no need to avail of it as he finished with only the third zero of the competition for victory.

Though Ireland now boast 23.83 points, over 13 more than Sweden, Splaine was unwilling to say Super League competition was assured for 2009, as the Barcelona final boasts double points.

“We left the door open, allowing the British in,” he said.

Asked if there was any sense of relief that Ireland were no longer hovering on the edge of the danger zone, he said: “It could have been better and it could have been worse, but we came to win and, while the lads fought back brilliantly, I’m disappointed.”

For Lynch, who flies to Hong Kong tomorrow as Ireland’s sole show jumping representative, it was a similar assessment: “We were unlucky and we are all disappointed. We could have won, but that’s the nature of the sport.”