Poor dressage phase dents Irish chances

IRELAND’S eventing high performance coach Ginny Elliot put a brave face on Ireland’s Olympic prospects after the team finished the dressage phase 10th of 11 teams in Hong Kong.

With the team hoping to improve their position today on the cross-country, in which Ireland are traditionally strong, Elliot said: “Remember, we are just 60 penalties behind the leaders. Sixty penalties is equivalent to one fall or three refusals. Anything can happen at this stage of the event and I would rather we fought back from this position, which we are capable of doing, rather than fall from a higher one. There’s a lot of work to do on the cross-country course, but I’m still very positive,” she said.

Waterford’s Captain Geoff Curran (Kilkishen) and Cork woman Patricia Ryan (Fernhill Clover Mist), in particular, had forgettable performances, with Elliot citing a large video screen by the arena as the main culprit.