Munster Express Online

His stint of International Nations Cup duty has done no harm to either Francis Connors or his top horse Merlin’s Magic. After their recent Nations Cup involvement the partnership resumed domestic duties with a win in the National Grand Prix leg at Rolestown.

Jumping very slick clear rounds, Connors comfortably beat Seamus Hutchinson on The Bodyguard with David Taylor on Drummina taking third money. As is usual in the Grand Prix events this was a hard fought class over a big track , but Connors coped with it admirably, his jump-off leaving him almost three seconds in hand of the runner-up.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Denis Lynch maintained his wonderful run in this sort of international class when winning yet again with Lantinus. Already they had annexed the Grand Prix at La Baule and this time they beat the Belgian rider Dork Demeersmann who faulted in the final barrage leaving the Irish rider with the only clear in the crucial final round.

Rome saw the reintroduction of Jessica Kurten to the Irish team, but with Quibel who was injured on the eve of the show she had to fall back on the less experienced Galopin de Biolay. He does not have the ability of Quibel and it shows with two fences down in each round.

The Irish side of Edward Doyle, Jessica Kurten, Cian O’Connor and Denis Lynch finished fourth in the Rome leg of the Samsung Nations Cup and now stand fourth in the overall ratings. That leg was won after a jumpoff between Britain’s John Whitaker and American William Simpson with Whitaker’s clear decisive.

The Samsung Nations Cup bandwagon rolls on to St.Gallen in Switzerland this weekend giving the teams little time to try to reorganise since the Rome leg and team manager Robert Splaine has little room, or time, for manoeuvering.

One must admire the enterprise and ambition of Denis Lynch. This is his first year consistently on the Irish international side but he has already proved his worth to the team in a big way. With the announcement by Jessica Kurten that she will not be available to compete in the Olympic Games, he has volunteered to go to Beijing as an individual.

Kurten’s reluctance to travel to the Olympics is shared by many international riders. The equestrian segment of the Games will be staged at Hong Kong and at that time of year the humidity in Hong Kong is almost unbearable for riders and horses from the northern hemisphere.

For this reason many people are having deep and second thoughts about committing to the Games with a horse. So far, vets do not predict the effect on the horses, but assume it will be far more severe than that of the horses that competed in the Mexico Olympics.

Denis Lynch has signalled that he would be prepared to go to Hong Kong and take his chance and with the success he has had this season in Grand Prix events on the continent who can blame his ambition. Let’s hope he gets the go ahead from the powers that be as he will have as good a chance as any with Lantinus, a horse that has shown huge ability recently.