Newly appointed Irish Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine was in buoyant mood today ahead of the $75,000 Nations Cup sponsored by CN which kicks off at Palm Beach Equestrian Club at 7pm Florida-time tomorrow, Friday.
Splaine has yet to see and sign the contract for the job of Irish team manager but, after almost two years of turmoil in Irish show jumping, there is a real sense of putting some closure on a very difficult era, and it would seem unlikely that anything will be allowed to stand in the way of letting him get on with the job. The popular 52 year old from Cork is still competing internationally himself and, just last weekend, won two classes on the Spanish Sunshine Tour in Vejar de la Frontera, including Saturday’s Mini Grand Prix in which he steered his top ride, the stallion Coolcorron Cool Diamond, to victory. He returned home on Sunday night and then attended his job interview on Monday before flying out to the US on Tuesday morning, and like anyone arriving at the Wellington venue for the first time, was amazed by what he found. “It’s nothing short of extraordinary” he said today, “the scale of this fixture is huge, but the set-up is really excellent”.
With his team defending the Nations Cup title after victory in 2005, Splaine might be feeling under pressure but, if he is, then he’s not showing it. During a press interview this afternoon he was asked by an American journalist if he was concerned about his side’s prospects, since the bar has been significantly raised this time around in terms of quality of horses and riders but, in reply, he just looked her in the eye and said “don’t ever under-estimate us - we always fight all the way to the line.”
“I’m thrilled to say that we have Kevin Babington back in action with Carling King who is a bit of hero for us. This horse is loved in Ireland and it’s great to see him fit and jumping again” he said. The Irish-bred gelding has been out of action for quite some time due to injury and has been badly missed so his return is a real boost. The new team manager has five riders to choose from, but Babington and Dublin-based Conor Swail were the only two he was prepared to confirm for tomorrow’s class. “Conor will be riding Poncho who is relatively inexperienced at this level but he has done a lot in Europe and he should do well” Splaine explained.
The team competition was all the talk around the ring-side today but another hot topic was the riders representing the Ukraine. Former Belgian team members Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe and Gregory Wathelet have both transferred allegiance and are now flying the Ukrainian flag, and this country may well become a force to be reckoned with as Katarina Offel, who partners the brilliant Nike, is always competitive and, adding further further fuel to the fire, former Swiss star Steve Guerdat is also joining the Ukrainian crew. “We have a wonderful sponsor - Alexander Onyshchenko - and we are all very excited about it” said Jean-Claude today. Mr. Onyshchenko is understood to be involved in a large Ukrainian gas company.
US team manager George Morris knows that there are high expectations for the home side - “we’ll be putting our best foot forward” he said, “but you know there are no guarantees in this game, you cannot predict the result. We will be taking tomorrow’s competition as seriously as if it was the World Equestrian Games though” he added.
“Nations Cup competitions are where it’s all at - at high performance level that is. That’s my job, my focus, winning Nations Cups and, after that, next most important is doing well in Grand Prix classes” he pointed out. “For me Canada is the top team for tomorrow, they have almost their WEG team here, the Irish have great riders, the British have Nick Skelton, Robert Smith and Tim Gredley so they are very strong too and you can’t under-estimate the Brazilians. The British and US looks strongest on paper” he added.
George says he is very happy with the rapport he has established with his team members since taking over as manager. “It’s all about mutual respect - I respect their horsemanship and horse management and I think they respect me because of my age - I’m in my late 60’s - and also because of what I have done in the sport myself. Sometimes riders have individual issues and agendas but mine is an overview and yet I find them very sympathetic when I have to asked them to put their personal agendas to one side. I have to report first to the American people, secondly to the Federation and only then to the individual riders - that’s how I see it” he explained.
He is thinking ahead all the time, planning out the busy 2006 season. “We will have the team selection trials here in Wellington in two weeks and that will be the first part of the countdown to WEG. What happens here in Wellington is preparatory, and we are hoping to have a squad of ten and five reserves after the trials have been completed. We will have two tours for the Samsung Super League. The first tour will go to La Baule and Aachen and they will be the strongest contenders for WEG. The second tour will go to Rome, Lucerne and Rotterdam and some of the riders from the B tour may be moved up the order depending on how they do. After Lucerne we will pick out five for WEG - by June 15th I should have my list” he said.
Reflecting on the riders he has available to him he stated “our weakness is that we don’t have a bigger A list. We have plenty on the Grade B list and Grade C list but for a country this size and with the kind of money we have, I believe we should have a lot more top-level riders coming through. It seems to me that there is a lack of personal ambition amongst many of our riders, it’s becoming part of the US culture now - not enough people with enough drive to do what it takes to make it to the top”. Strong words from a man who has been there and clearly knows the kind of dedication and determination that is required.
US team member Beezie Madden was not lacking any of the required ingredients when winning today’s $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup leg with Authentic. She has had the 11 year-old horse since he was just three years of age and she knows him well. “He likes to go fast. He has a lot of blood - his mother was a thoroughbred - and he’s very adjustable and easy to ride. He’s careful, fast, scopey and there is nothing he doesn’t think he can take on. When he competed in the Olympic Games as a nine year old he had a great attitude and he’s more mentally strong now than he was then,” she pointed out. And what team does she think will present the strongest challenge to a home side victory tomorrow? “The Canadians look good to me, and the British are a threat but you can never count out the Irish” she said.
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