Bidding to earn good early points in this year’s Furusiyya Nations Cup League, Irish senior show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has named a very strong team for the opening Division I round at Lummen in two weeks’ time. It includes Cian O’Connor on his good Grand Prix performer in Florida, Good Luck; Bertram Allen with the mare that earned us an Olympic place Molly Molone; Denis Lynch with his World Cup mount All Star; Greg Broderick on the well-rested Irish-bred Going Global and Waterford’s Anthony Condon with Aristio that did so well for him on the Sunshine Tour since Christmas.

With Ireland not having a full team in Rio, the concentration will clearly be on having a good run in the Nations Cup League. Lummen is the first of our four points-gaining rounds. The others will be at St Gallen (Switzerland) in June, and both Falsterbo (Sweden) and Dublin, which both happen in July this year.

In the meantime, there was no luck at all for our three Irish contenders in the opening leg of the Global Champions Tour on the beach at Miami, Florida, last weekend. Denis Lynch, Bertram Allen and Conor Swail all went out in the first round of a dazzling event that was won to Jan Tops’ satisfaction by his wife Edwina on Lintea Tequila.

This weekend the series moves to Mexico City where it is hoped our Irish contingent will be more acclimatised.

There were better results for the green on the European circuit last weekend. Shane Breen won a jump-off at Lummen three-star on Guidam van het Achterhoek ahead of an 85-starter field. Scoring a speed win with the Irish-bred Cruise On Clover by Cruising out of a Clover Hill dam was Thomas Ryan in Arezzo. Also at the Italian venue, Lt. David Power had his first international podium finish when placing third in another speed with Drumiller Lough (ISH).