One of the blue riband events of the sporting year getting under way now shortly at the RDS. The four riders and four horses who will carry the hopes of a nation are:
Darragh Kenny and Imothep
Bertram Allen and Molly Malone V
Cian O’Connor and Quidam’s Cherie
Dermott Lennon and Loughview Lou Lou
Are Skelts or the Whitaker brothers riding for my beloved Team Great Britain this year, Manuel?
Did Cian O’Connor ever win COTY?
Fuck off.
After Round 1 
:
Shocked at Germany’s ineptitude so far, mind.
Splendid clear round from Darragh Kenny and Imothep to open Round 2 for Eire.
Imothep is “a flamboyant little character”, according to Robert Hall.
It would be remiss of me to not to mention the sad death of John Hall during the year.
The Aga Khan just isn’t the same this year without his dulcet tones behind the mike.
A huge loss to all of us who love the Horse Show.
No Nick Skelton in the GB team 
Ben Maher opens up Round 2 with 4 faults
Vincent Voorn goes clear to give the Dutch the lead.
[QUOTE=“The Scouse Cafu, post: 996500, member: 2660”]Splendid clear round from Darragh Kenny and Imothep to open Round 2 for Eire.
Imothep is “a flamboyant little character”, according to Robert Hall.
It would be remiss of me to not to mention the sad death of John Hall during the year.
The Aga Khan just isn’t the same this year without his dulcet tones behind the mike.
A huge loss to all of us who love the Horse Show.[/QUOTE]
Has Brian McSharry also gone to the great big RDS Arena in the sky?
Jessica Springsteen is having one of them Glory Days with a double clear round
Haven’t a clue but I never heard that he died so i presume he’s hanging on in there somewhere.
Clear round for Jessica Springsteen for the USA in the arena which her father has graced so many times. She was born to jump.
Ah balls. Joe Clee has knocked another one for us. Our title is slipping away.
It has been a black day for German showjumping. They just aren’t producing the type of horses they used to. A root and branch analysis of the game there is clearly needed.
Two clear rounds to start off Round 2 for Eire but Cian O’Connor’s horse went all delinquent on him and knocked down two fences.
That guy that had the two refusals is the Carsten Janker of German showjumping.
Not so, my friend, not so. That was Ludger Beerbaum, the 1992 Olympic champion, no less. But Ludger is a pale shadow of himself these days. He reminds me of a 40 year old Lothar Matthaus hobbling around at Euro 2000. Either that or he’s been living up to his name in the pubs of Dublin over the past few nights.
8 faults for Spencer Roe
Our title is gone, I think. 
The Dutch have imploded.
It’s surely between ourselves and the Yanks now.
My sources tell me Jessica Springsteen narrowly beat off competition from the daughters of David Lee Roth of Van Halen and the rapper from House of Pain to take her place on the US team.
Royal Dublin Horse Show trivia: When Shamrock Rovers played at the RDS Arena between 1990 and 1996, each competing horse had to have a tetanus injection before entering the arena, in order to prevent picking up an infection.
Scotty Brash can only manage 4 faults.
Our Aga Khan trophy is gone.
Dublin is a Lucky Town for Jessica Springsteen and the United States of America.