IT has now been confirmed that no fewer than nine Irish riders will line up for this week's Badminton International Horse Trials from a field of 85 starters. The competition is Britain’s largest outdoor sporting event, with over 250,000 spectators expected to attend. The competition's conclusion will be televised live on BBC on Monday afternoon.

When the original accepted list was published eight Irish combinations had made the start list based on their world rankings, but one other combination - Capt Geoff Curran and Balladeer Alfred - have been called up from the waiting list, making a total of nine riders.

Twenty year-old Camilla Speirs from Kildare who makes her debut at Badminton will be one of the youngest riders competing, with her horse 'Portersize Just a Jiff'.

Speirs said today: “It's really great to have been a part of Horse Sport Ireland's High Performance programme at such a relatively young age, and I think it has prepared me very well for my first appearance at Badminton, which is one of the biggest challenges any rider can face. Nevertheless I'm really looking forward to it and I'm sure it will be a terrific experience for Portersize Just a Jiff too!"

The list in full is:

Capt. Geoff Curran; Balladeer Alfred
Mark Kyle; Step in Time
Austin O’ Connor; Pocket Rocket
Sasha Pemble; I’ve Been Dunn
Liz Power; Kilpatrick River
Michael Ryan; Old Road
Patricia Ryan; Fernhill Clover Mist
Camilla Speirs; Portersize Just A Jiff
Sam Watson; Horseware Bushman.

The competition starts with the dressage phase on Friday, and which will continue into Saturday, The Cross Country takes place on Sunday with the event concluding with Show Jumping on Monday.

Irish riders will be available for interview from the venue from Thursday by contacting the Horse Sport Ireland press office.

The Irish team will be overseen by Horse Sport Ireland’s High Performance Manager Ginny Elliot, who is a four time Olympic medallist. Dressage Trainer Ferdi Eilberg, Show Jumping Trainer Michael Quirke and Team Vet Marcus Swail will also be on hand to assist the Irish riders.

Camilla Speirs