Ireland’s showjumpers have made the cut for the final at the FEI European Championships in Germany tomorrow after a nail-biting afternoon at Aachen that shook up the leaderboard.
While the Irish quartet of Bertram Allen, Greg Broderick, Cian O’Connor and Denis Lynch dropped one place to hold ninth position, Germany were usurped at the top of the standings by both France and the Netherlands.
Ireland also dropped a place in their bid to qualify for the Rio Olympics, but are just one fence adrift of two of their closest rivals, Denmark and Spain, with Switzerland also vulnerable in sixth place. The British team completed the day in fourth position and now seem poised to claim one of the Rio slots. Ireland must finish in the top three of the non-Olympic qualified nations, and are now in fifth place in that category.
Bertram Allen opened the team competition for Ireland on Molly Malone, clipping a single fence to come home on four faults.
Greg Broderick and the Irish Sport Horse MHS Going Global finished with an unexpected eight faults, but Olympic Bronze medallist Cian O’Connor lifted the Irish game with a zero fault round on the nine-year-old stallion Good Luck.
Anchorman Denis Lynch had a perfect clear with All Star 5 until the very last fence, which fell for four faults, leaving the team on a combined total for the day of eight faults, with Greg Broderick the discard score.
The top ten teams now face Friday’s final on a completely new course of jumps, and carrying their first two days’ penalties with them.
