Sue not Shortt of confidence in Dartfield
Double-handed in the CCI two-star, the Kildare stalwart is sanguine, saying she views a top-five finish at the lower end of her expectations in the second year of the Loughrea event.However, Shortt qualified her statement of intent, saying luck would, as always, be a major requirement.
"I ride Karamea Dublin and Back in Business in the two-star and both should go well," she said yesterday after walking the Tommy Brennan-designed course.
"Karamea Dublin was only bought three weeks ago from Swedish rider Paula Tornqvist, so we're still getting to know each other. He's owned by Kieran Connors [owner of her top ride, Just Beauty Queen] and is an eight-year-old New Zealand gelding. I would be hoping to finish in the top five, with a bit of luck," said the Olympian.
"Having had him for only three weeks, he can still be at sixes and sevens, but he's a good horse. I plan to move him up to three-star by the end of the summer and get him qualified for the world championships next year. The track should suit him; while there's nothing enormous, there's plenty of good jumping required, but it's not overly technical."
As for her other ride.
"Back in Business did reasonably well in the two-star at the recent Ballindenisk World Cup event. He's a big, raw nine-year- old Irish-bred and is doing his first three-day. He should perform and is capable of being in the shake-up. The cross-country is his strongest and he's consistent in the show jumping, so a good test in the dressage should set him up nicely," she said.
Shortt said the British contingent were an obvious threat.
"They're not here in great numbers, but they are good pilots. Mary King is always a danger and her horse, Apache Sauce, is a good-looking animal. Rodney Powell's Jocko has been going well, while Tiny Clapham (By a Whisker), Nigel Taylor (Nordic Gent and Jedi Dancer) and Lucy Wigersma (Matisse) are also in with a shout."
Of her compatriots, Shortt pointed to Fraser Duffy, saying Oakengrove Rabbit has been "going well this year". Others with claims to short odds, in her opinion, are Simon Roche (Kaiser Soze), Steven Smith (Qualify VH) and Joseph Murphy (Skibbereen Eagle).
However, she said one could make a case for any of the 36-strong field, adding: "There isn't a bad one in it."
The Irish Examiner-sponsored event begins with dressage today and tomorrow, followed by the cross-country on Sunday and concluding with the show jumping on Monday.
Supported by the Irish Horse Board, Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Sports Council, it lists, along with the CCI two-star, a CCI one-star, CCIJ one star and CCNP two-star in its schedule.
The pony and junior competitions take on an extra significance with the selectors viewing prospective squad members for the European Championships.
DUBLINER Michael Stone has been appointed by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) as chairman of the Nations Cup Committee and as member of the World Cup Working Group for Jumping.
In taking up the posts, he replaces Bo Helander, who recently quit as FEI secretary general.
Mr Stone is FEI sports director and has publicly expressed an interest in replacing Helander.
The FEI yesterday said it plans to appoint an interim secretary general from September 1 to manage day-to-day business until its "new structure has been developed and formalised".
IRELAND'S show jumpers go into the third leg of the Samsung Nations Cup Super League today in St Gallen, Switzerland, bidding to avoid a hat-trick of last-place finishes.
Disastrous outings in La Baule and Rome last week see the team languishing bottom of the league, increasing doubts about maintaining Super League status. The situation has raised prospects of an opt-out of July's European Championships, the selectors considering Super League status retention of primacy.
Show Jumping Association of Ireland International Affairs Committee chairman Taylor Vard yesterday summed it up: "It is a priority to stay in the Super League at all costs. If it means sacrificing the European Championships to stay in the league, then, that is it what we will do.
"Our problem is Hickstead [the British round of the league] starts just four days after the
conclusion of the championships. So, if we send our best horses and riders to Italy for the championships, we will not have them for Hickstead."
He also confirmed that nations cup stalwart Kevin Babington will be out for the season due to injury to his top mount Carling King. This serious blow is compounded by the news that Billy Twomey's Luidam will not be back in action until the Dublin Horse Show in August.
Twomey, nevertheless, lines out today in St Gallen with Anastasia and he is joined by Jessica Kürten. Likewise, she rides her second-string Castle Forbes Maike. Also in the squad are Robert Splaine (Clarion Hotels Coolcorron Cool Diamond), Denis Lynch (Domingo) and Capt Shane Carey (Killossery). Chef d'équipe is Tom Slattery.
Vard acknowledged that Ireland had been bloodied in the first two openings, but said the battle to stay in the Super League was not lost.
"It is not at the critical stage yet. Certainly, we need a top-three finish to reach the comfort barrier. But the fight is not over and I feel it will go all the way to the final in Barcelona, where double points are on offer," he said.
There is a modicum of merit in his assessment. At present, Ireland prop up the league on one point, which, while disheartening, is only 2.5 points adrift of Belgium, with the Netherlands on 4.5 points. Britain's denial in Rome of the US attempt to make it two-in-a-row sees them join the Americans on top of the league on 17 points.
While Carey, like his team-mates, did not distinguish himself in last Friday's Rome
nations cup Ireland finished on 41 faults the Army rider achieved a superb second in Sunday's grand prix.
One of only two to make the jump-off, as pacemaker he put in a valiant effort, but returned with four faults on Killossery, which opened the door for European champion Christian Ahlmann.
Meanwhile, a second place yesterday for Twomey in the opening class at St Gallen with Killy Jones gave hope that Ireland, who were drawn last of the eight teams, can scale the mountain facing them in Switzerland today.
SARAH KATE QUINLIVAN notched up a double in the IJM TimberFrame League
