Irish challenge fails at first fence

Ireland failed to make it past the first round in yesterday’s second-division Belgian Nations Cup at Lummen.

Dermott Lennon and Loughview Lou Lou opened with a single error, but Alexander Butler failed to find his recent form and added 17 faults with Will Wimble. Edward Doyle and Samgemgee four-faulted, while Shane Breen and Cos I Can finished with eight.

Ireland show jumping manager Robert Splaine said: “We were on a slightly different mission to most of the teams at the Lummen Nations’ Cup, which for me was a fact-finding exercise.

“We have a Super League coming up next week at La Baule, and today’s team was made up of combinations that I wanted to look at as possible candidates for the Super League later in the year. In that respect, today was highly informative.”

Meanwhile, a busy weekend of domestic show jumping begins today with the first of the RDS qualifiers, for young riders and pony riders, in Cavan.

However, the Redmills Munster Grand Prix League at Ballylawn Show has been postponed, while the TRM National Grand Prix takes place at Coilog Equestrian Centre, Co Kildare, on Monday.