EQUESTRIAN:Team Ireland's hopes of remaining top of the Nations Cup league got the best possible boost with a one-two in the feature speed class on the opening day of the Polish fixture in Poznan yesterday, writes Grania Willis.  

Captain Shane Carey claimed the win on Cashla Bay in a time of 62.45 seconds, while Cian O'Connor, third in the morning's young horse class with Conahy Clover, slotted Markopoulo into the runner-up spot when crossing the line over two seconds adrift of his team-mate.

Both the Army rider and O'Connor will be lining out in this afternoon's Nations Cup, for which Ireland have been drawn second to jump.

Team manager Robert Splaine has put Carey in as pathfinder on Killossery, followed by Ryan Crumley with Baltimore. O'Connor starts at number three with Complete, while Commandant Gerry Flynn goes in the all-important number four slot with Mo Chroi.

The Polish clash, the fourth in the season-long series, has attracted 14 teams and Ireland could potentially pick up 15 valuable points for a win.

Ireland opened the season with a second-place finish on the American circuit in Wellington, Florida in mid-March, but met with mixed fortune last month when, on the same day, there were victory celebrations in Linz, Austria and disappointment in Copenhagen when the A-team failed to make the cut for the second round.

After suffering demotion at the end of last season, Team Ireland need to be at the head of affairs at the finish of the 20-round second division series at Buenos Aires in November to guarantee promotion back into the Samsung Super League.

With 25 points, Ireland top the standings, 6.5 points ahead of closest rivals Italy, and a good result this afternoon is vital if the advantage is to be maintained.