Kurten gets two World Cup slots

IRELAND show jumping manager Robert Splaine has given two of the next four Rolex World Cup slots to Jessica Kürten, with Cameron Hanley and Dermott Lennon sharing one apiece.

Kürten returns the brilliant Castle Forbes Libertina to top-class action in the World Cup at Mechelen in Belgium, tomorrow night, but has also been given the nod by Splaine for Bordeaux, France, on February 4-6, and Vigo, Spain a week later.

Ireland is entitled to nominate one rider for each of the 13 qualifying rounds in the World Cup Western European League and Hanley is also in Mechelen courtesy of Splaine, while Lennon will line out in Zurich, Switzerland on January 28-30.

Splaine said yesterday: “With both Billy Twomey and Denis Lynch assured of automatic invitations [to World Cup shows] because of their top-10 position in the world jumping rankings, I have allocated Irish places in the next four legs of the World Cup largely based on contributions to the team effort during the 2010 Meydan Nations Cup Super League series.”

Twomey currently lies in fourth place in the Western European League but Lennon and Lynch are well down the line and will need a number of good performances if they are to make the final in Leipzig, Germany, at the end of April.