Munster Express Online

It was desperately hard luck for Jessica Kurten in her bid to win the World cup in show jumping for a first time for an Irish rider.

The final round proved her undoing after a brilliant run up to that point. The final placings are taken on the aggregate points earned over the last three rounds of the competition.

Kurten was leader after two of those final tests being third in the first of those deciding rounds and winning the second.

Then, in the final and all important test, her mount Libertina let her down with two fences knocked to leave the door open for the reigning world champion Meredith Michaels Beerbaum to come from behind and snatch the most prestigious prize in the sport.

The faults incurred by Libertina pushed Kurten down to equal fourth in the final standings on a total of twelve faults with Swiss rider Beat Mandli and Germany’s Ludgar Beerbaum. Standing above them was Meredith Michaels Beerbaum on Shutterfly on a four fault total followed by American Rich Fellers on Flexible and Germany’s Heinrich Engemann with six and nine faults respectively.

The placing was a drop on her runner-up spot two years ago at Kuala Lumpar and on the second of Trevor Coyle on Cruising in 1999 and the third spot of Eddie Macken in 1979, in this Rolex sponsored championship.

On that form evidence it is not on the cards that Ireland is to win this prestige event – but we must keep trying to redress that omission from the Irish show jumping CV.

Last week’s event also coincided with the Punchestown race meeting at which Jessica’s late father won the Champion Hunters Cup Chase with Glen Heather forty-nine years ago.

Now, Kurten moves on to the Global Champions Tour, and with Denis Lynch already a pathfinder in this event, with a win in Qatar, she has a standard to live up to.

To add to this win at Qatar, Lynch and his partner in arms Lantinus won a Global Tour qualifier at Hamburg in a 1.55m class to indicate they are hitting form.

Robert Splaine has been keeping a benevolent eye on the action on the overseas circuit and has drawn up a panel list of ten riders for the forthcoming assault on the Samsung Super League.

It is a well known fact that while we have a collection of super skilled and experienced riders we have a distinct shortage of the calibre of horse for the very top level in the sport.

Ireland will concentrate on the Nations Cup International circuit rather than on the Olympic Games this year in Beijing.

No doubt Jessica Kurten is qualified for Beijing as an individual but it is not yet clear whether she will stick with the European circuit or take the Olympic route.

Signs are that she will remain in Europe as her horses have had a tough hard campaign at the top level and the more realistic road would be to avoid Beijing in August. Meanwhile, this weekend sees the start of the Samsung Super League at La Baule in France.