THE Irish senior show jumping team have qualified for the 2012 FEI Nations' Cup Superleague, finishing fourth in the overall standings after the final 2011 leg at Rotterdam in the Netherlands today (Friday).
Both the USA and Denmark, who ended at the bottom of the table, will be relegated from the world's top eight teams and replaced by the top two nations in the FEI Promotional League.
Ireland finished seventh in Rotterdam on 29 faults today, with Germany and Britain battling it out for first place in a jump-off after tying on ten faults apiece, Germany's Ludger Beerbaum finally beating Britain's Ben Maher to claim not just the Netherlands Nations' Cup but also the 2011 Superleague title.
Afterwards Team Ireland Equestrian's show jumping manager Robert Splaine said: "It was an extremely tough Nations' Cup but I am very pleased we finished in fourth place in the 2011 Superleague rankings, and pleased with our overall performance. I'd like to thank the riders and the owners for their contribution to Irish show jumping at the highest level, and also Joe Walsh and Horse Sport Ireland, whose support was extremely important throughout the year.
"Today, unlike any other team present, we had two championship horses still in their stables - Denis Lynch's 'Lantinus', and Billy Twomey's 'Tinka's Serenade' - and everything going well, they will both be in Madrid next month for the European Championships, where we have our opportunity of gaining Olympic qualification."
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSIO5* ROTTERDAM NETHERLANDS AUGUST 23-28 2011
NATIONS CUP OF THE NETHERLANDS
Table A in two Rounds (Art. 264.9.2.1 + Annex VIII, Art. 6)
Height: 1m60
Friday, August 26 2011
1) GERMANY 10 faults (0 faults in jump-off)
2) GT. BRITAIN 10 faults (4 faults in jump-off)
3) FRANCE 12 faults
=4) NETHERLANDS 17 faults
=4) BELGIUM 17 faults
6) USA 18 faults
7) IRELAND 29 faults
Niall Talbot/Nicos De La Cense 5/5
Alexander Butler/Will Wimble Elim/NS
Denis Lynch/Abbervail van het Dingeshof 5/6
Billy Twomey/ Romanov 4/4
8) DENMARK 33 faults
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| Robert Splaine |