Billy Twomey, hero of last year's Aga Khan Cup, came so close to bringing off a superb coup at the RDS yesterday, but was pipped by a Dutchman in one class and by a fence in another.
Twomey, whose double clear round 12 months ago with Luidam clinched victory for the home side in the Nations Cup, looked set to claim first blood for Ireland in the opening speed class, but the clock left him three-quarters of a second adrift of the target set by Holland's Mathijs van Asten. Britain's Robert Whitaker tried his best to demote the top two, but was fractionally off the pace for third.
Denied in the opener, Twomey had the advantage of a last-to-go draw in the feature Irish Sports Council Classic yesterday afternoon. With 14 through to the timed decider, Cork-born Twomey was chasing the 47.39 seconds set by American Beezie Madden.
Well up on the clock this time, he looked home and hosed as he turned to the last two fences, but Anastasia clipped the front rail off the second last and the time of 46.8 was suddenly irrelevant. One rail cost Twomey both the class and €5,600 in prizemoney as he plummeted to seventh, leaving the winner's purse to Madden.
Twomey will be calling on the mare for tomorrow's Aga Khan, as the stallion Luidam is still lacking match practice after a lengthy lay-off. "We were just a whisker off winning that class", he said yesterday, "and we'll be trying our best for the Cup."
With one American win already in the bag, chef d'equipe George Morris is hopeful of another in tomorrow's Nations Cup, despite the loss of McLain Ward, who broke a collarbone in a fall at Hickstead last week.
"We've got a very strong group without him, but I'd rather have him too," said Morris, who was on the winning team in Dublin in 1958 and won the Grand Prix for good measure.
Team Ireland is also missing a vital cog, following Jessica Kürten's withdrawal 10 days ago.
"If she phoned us today we'd move mountains to get her in," chairman of selectors Taylor Vard said yesterday. "We need her." Ireland, currently last in the Samsung Super League rankings, needs to pick up points tomorrow if the spectre of relegation is to be held at bay.