Disciplinary hearing will not distract Marshall
The Antrim rider has been cited by the show host Tom McGuinness, following an alleged quarrel between Marshall and a steward over parking on Saturday, April 23, the first day of the two-day show. Marshall subsequently left the show. McGuinness has written a letter to the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) and a disciplinary hearing is planned, in which the case for both sides will be outlined.
Marshall returned to the Dundalk show the following day and, ironically, won the grand prix, but yesterday he said the issue had been blown out of proportion.
“There was no row. It was merely a misunderstanding. There were no cross words and I’m looking forward to the hearing to clear this up,” he said from La Baule.
“They wanted me to move the truck. I had been told where to park the truck earlier by an attendant and said if I had to move it again, I would go home. End of story.”
He rejected that the prospect of appearing before an SJAI disciplinary committee would interfere with his approach to today’s competition.
“The disciplinary hearing would prove a distraction only if I had done something wrong,” he said.
Marshall lines out with Ado Annie. He will be preceded by Dave Quigley (Ashdale Futuro) and followed by Denis Lynch (Domingo) and anchorman Robert Splaine (Clarion Hotels Coolcorron Diamond). Trevor Coyle was left out of the team as Overtime is recovering from an over-reach injury.
The consensus is that this is not our strongest team. Marshall agrees and says he has still much to learn about Annie, the King of Diamonds 12-year-old chestnut mare, who he started competing in earnest less than two months ago.
“She should be OK. She jumped well this morning,” he said yesterday, “and had just one down. I’ve only had her for six weeks, so I’m still getting a feel for her.”
Asked how she will cope with the challenge of such big fences, he said: “She will come out through the finish.”
Ireland were yesterday drawn sixth of the eight nations in the following order: The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Britain, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, USA.
Meanwhile, chef d’equipe and head of the SJAI selectors committee, Taylor Vard
yesterday moved to dispel speculation that Eddie Macken remains interested in the position.
“Eddie made a statement, in which he indicated he did not want to be the chef d’equipe and, as far as we are concerned, that is the way it stands,” said International Affairs Committee Chairman Vard.
“If there was any truth in speculation that he still interested in the job, then he should contact International Affairs.
“He said a meeting of the International Affairs Committee will take place next Tuesday night, when the chef’s position for Rome will be discussed. He said he expected Splaine to be asked to fill the position.
IRELAND’S Eric Smiley lay in equal eighth place last night after day one of dressage in the Badminton Horse Trials. Riding Macloud, he scored 54.8 penalties to lie 6.1 behind defending champion William Fox-Pitt on the Irish-bred Ballincoola. Mark Kyle (Drunken Disorderly) and Trevor Smith (Dunrath Hill) get their competition underway today.
ARMY show jumpers were on target at the four-star show in Modena, Italy, last weekend, notching up a double.
Limerick rider Captain Shane Carey came home just a tenth of a second to the good in a 1.40m speed class on the 13-year-old Irish-bred chestnut mare Laughton’s Lass.
Captain David O’Brien repeated the feat on Sunday with Lismore Clover, putting a more decisive half-second between his nearest rival in a 1.35m speed class. He had jumped a double clear the previous day with Ringfort Cruise to place fourth of 50 starters in a 1.50m competition.
Conor Swail made a determined effort in Sunday’s grand prix and despite a fast second round clear with his own Dutch-bred eight-year-old Poncho, he ended in fifth place after four faulting in the first round.
TOMORROW’S Fermoy Gymkhana has been cancelled due to wet ground conditions. The show had already been rescheduled from last Sunday. It is unsure if an alternative date will be sought.
Sunday’s Blackrock Charity Show at Inniscarra, Co Cork, will, however, go ahead. The going is described as being good. It should be noted that, contrary to the SJAI bulletin, event two is a 1.20m Open Horse competition incorporating a Gain Qualifier .
The show begins at 10am and will have four arenas.
The organisers of Callaghane Horse Show in Co Waterford, which was cancelled last Monday due to the bad ground conditions, hope to reschedule in early June. The inclement weather also took its toll on last Sunday’s North Mayo Harriers Gymkhana, which has been postponed until June 4. The schedule and prizefund remains unchanged.
Coilog show, which was postponed from April 17, has been rescheduled for May 21.
Meanwhile, the June 11 show in Ballinamona, Co Waterford, will now feature a grand prix.
GALTEE ROGUES from Araglen, captained by Frances Murphy, ensured their entry in the history books last week when winning the country’s first team chase, held at the Ballindenisk Eventing World Cup Qualifier.
Emphasising their claim to the 1,000 first prize was the fact they won despite increasing their 4:37 finish time with a five-second penalty for a knocked tape at fence two.
Faultless, but not fast enough, were second-placed team The Captain’s Folly. First on the track, the Thomas Freyne captained team were worthy pacesetters, returning in 4:47 in an event that thrilled spectators and attracted 11 teams from around the country.
Third went to the Dare Devils from Thurles, captained by Sandra Murphy
HIGHLIGHTS of the Ballindenisk World Cup Qualifier will be televised tonight at 8pm on RTÉ 2’s new monthly sports round-up, OB Sport. Setanta TV will also carry coverage on Monday, May 16,
repeated the following Saturday.
PATRICIA FURLONG has been appointed vice-chairperson of the SJAI. Currently chairperson of the Leinster Region, she is also on the SJAI’s Management and Finance committee and became a full international judge in 2002.
She is keen to promote the sport and is putting revision of the rule book top of her agenda this year.
MORE than 3,000 has been raised by the Cork/Kerry Branch of the SJAI for the Red Cross. The money is the proceeds of the branch’s inaugural spring league, held courtesy of Noel C Duggan in Millstreet.
In the finals recently, Maura Counihan had to be at her best to take the 1.20m competition, bringing Regal Clover home 0.9 seconds faster than the ever-competitive Sarah-Kate Quinlivan on Carley Que. For good measure, Quinlivan also took third on Newmarket Vasco, denying league winner Dominic O’Halloran, fourth and fifth with Shannondale Ard Ri and Jalousie Louvo, respectively.
