WHILE it is disappointing not to be welcoming an Irish medal to the RDS, there will be a number of Olympic medallists arriving to Ballsbridge next week, including the all-conquering British team which includes Ben Maher who collected gold in Paris last week.

The silver medallists, USA, are also fielding a team for the new Underwriting Exchange-sponsored Aga Khan Nations Cup, and on that team will be the Olympic veterans Laura Kraut and McLain Ward who were so influential in Paris. The flying Frenchmen will also be in full flight after taking an emotional bronze medal on home soil.

The introduction of the €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix has no doubt attracted a higher calibre of riders to the show which, understandably, is not the easiest to get to from mainland Europe for the riders. Sweden’s world number one Henrik von Eckermann, will come to the RDS to compete in both the Aga Khan and the Grand Prix. While his superstar horse King Edward will take a break following a disappointing Olympics for them, he travels with his next two best horses, Iliana and Glamour Girl.

While von Eckermann is the only rider from Paris to lineout, it is a strong Swedish team with last year’s European team gold medallist Wilma Hellström, Petronella Andersson, Amanda Landeblad and Erica Swartz Ryan. If you are thinking Ryan sounds like a very Irish name, you would be correct as Erica is the wife of Irish international Thomas Ryan.

Another husband-and-wife combination is of course the aforementioned von Eckermann and Janika Sprunger, who will ride in Dublin for Switzerland. Defending champions at this venue, the Swiss team will feel they have something to prove after crashing out of the Olympic Games in the first round and they have fielded a really strong team of Steve Guerdat - who won individual silver on Tuesday in Paris - Martin Fuchs and Edouard Schmitz who were all part of the winning team 12 months ago, as well as Sprunger and Barbara Schnieper.

For the USA, their last win in the Aga Khan came in 2017 when Kraut was part of the team. This year, she and Ward are joined by three relatively younger riders in Lucy Davis, Nick Dello Joio and Aaron Vale.

The Olympic champions, Britain, are sending nine riders to Dublin while the five team riders include Maher, who is expected to ride Point Break, the horse he was initially to ride in Paris before swapping to Dallas Vegas Batilly. Point Break was in fact in Paris before the first veterinary inspection but Maher later revealed he was home and in the paddock before the competition started.

Also on the British team is Dublin regular Tim Gredley, youngster Jodie Hall McAteer, Matthew Sampson – who has been on fire on the North American circuit – and Joseph Stockdale who was in the unenviable position of alternate rider in Paris.

The only member of the Olympic bronze medal-winning French team to travel to Dublin is Olivier Perreau. It is a long time since France won the Aga Khan after they did it back-to-back in 2002 and 2003. The remaining teams taking part in the Nations Cup are Belgium and The Netherlands, the latter who agonisingly missed out on the bronze medal at the Olympics by 0.57 of a second.

Daniel Coyle is in the form of his life and is expected to be part of the Aga Khan squad with Incredible \ FEI/Shannon Brinkman

Irish chances

And then of course there is the home nation of Ireland who, after finishing second last year, will be looking to retain the trophy they last won in 2022.

Michael Blake has named his squad as Cian O’Connor, Daniel Coyle, Darragh Kenny, Denis Lynch and Mark McAuley.

Fresh from the Olympic Games, Cian O’Connor will ride the wonderfully talented nine-year-old Fancy de Kergane, who has had amazing performances for Ireland this year so far in Nations Cup competitions.

Daniel Coyle’s mount was unconfirmed at the time of going to print, with a whisper that his Olympic horse, Ariel Grange’s 14-year-old mare Legacy, might come to Dublin for the home fans to see.

Darragh Kenny is expected to ride Cartello VDL, who was also in Paris as the alternate rider and was not used, while Denis Lynch will be mounted on Vistogrand who was part of that winning Aachen team last month, jumping clear in the second round.

Finally, Mark McAuley takes the lovely Irish Sport Horse mare GRS Lady Amaro. The Amaretto Darco mare was bred by his uncle Denis Hickey.

Blake is expected to name his team of four at some stage next week. Ireland have taken a total of 11 podium place finishes in team competitions this year including high profile wins in Ocala and Aachen.

It of course has been a difficult time for Michael Blake who is burying his aunt, Edna O’Brien today (Saturday) in his native Co Clare and the collective equestrian community has the extended Blake family in their thoughts.

Mark McAuley and GRS Lady Amaro were runners up in the Geneva Rolex Grand Prix and come to Dublin with fresh legs \ Tomas Holcbecher

Irish individuals

In terms of individual riders, there are not as many invites available as in previous years with the move to Rolex, but there will still be plenty of Irish representation – 17 athletes in total, including the team riders. Among them will be the 2014 Grand Prix winner Bertram Allen who was disappointingly ruled out of Paris at the last minute due to an injury to his horse Pacino Amiro.

Richard Howley has been enjoying fine form as of late, and having made his Aga Khan debut last year with HHS Calais, Mikey Pender is back in Ballsbridge with that horse and another Irish-bred in HHS Fortune who is a speed machine.

Meanwhile, the hero of the Nations Cup two years ago, Conor Swail returns to Dublin with Count Me In – the horse who secured victory for Ireland. Swail admitted the gelding lost form last year but they are back at their best and will be wanting to hear that national anthem in their honour. Swail will also ride the talented Casturano and Theo 160.

Young Irish guns

Young rider Niamh McEvoy wowed the fans in 2022 when finishing 10th in the Grand Prix and, fresh from a team gold medal at the European Champions for Young Riders last month, McEvoy qualified for the five-star internationals this year through the 1.50m Plusvital Premier Series.

She is listed as riding her European mount Jasmim Da Hermida and Jardon DN in Dublin, opting to leave the mare Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick at home on this occasion.

McEvoy will of course be busy too in the national classes as show rider for Ballypatrick Stables.

Niamh McEvoy and Jasmin da Hermida were part of the gold medal-winning young rider team at the FEI European Championships \ Tomas Holcbecher

Also on that young rider European team with McEvoy was Francis Derwin Jnr and Max Wachman who have both received an invite to the five-star competition. Wachman was on that winning Aga Khan team in 2022 so is well accustomed to that main arena. Perhaps his eyes will be on a shot at the five-star Grand Prix with the lovely grey Irish-bred gelding Kilkenny. For Derwin, he comes here with two European medals having also won the individual silver aboard Flexi K.

The second rider to qualify through the Premier Series was Nicholas Connors and his horse Fornett D’Emeraude.

Grand Prix winner

The Grand Prix of Ireland this year becomes part of the Rolex Series, which brings together six Rolex Grand Prix events.

Where is the eye drawn when looking for a winner of the €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix? Well the defending champion - Francois Xavier Boudant riding Brazyl Du Mezel – is back again for another go. So too is the 2022 winner, Edouard Schmitz.

McLain Ward won the Dublin Grand Prix in 2010 with Antares and he brings two wonderful horses this year in Callas and Contagious who have both jumped big classes; I wouldn’t bet against him to do something special on Sunday afternoon.

Cian O’Connor, another former winner, is expected to ride Fermoy who will be fresh for this. Steve Guerdat will be in top form after redeeiming himself to win an individual silver medal at the Olympics this week and he is always a big fan of a Rolex show; he will have former Spruce Meadows Grand Prix winner Venard de Cerisy in Dublin.

Any one of the Irish riders could pull it off on home soil – nothing will spur them on more than that crazy Irish crowd screaming from the Anglesea Stand, which will not be there next year. Bring it on!