Mark Todd, the double Olympic champion who won at Blarney Castle last year, has never found his way into the winner's enclosure at Punchestown, although he has come close on several occasions. But the New Zealander has a double handful for the IFG international, which gets underway at Punchestown today.

Todd, who last weekend finished second at Badminton for the fourth time, has returned to the Irish fixture with Regal Scot and Diamond Hall Red, both of which he ran in the two-star at Punchestown 12 months ago. Regal Scot, which finished third in the Punchestown line-up last year, went on to win at the German three-star CIC at Bonn-Rodderburg two months later and Todd rates the New Zealand-bred horse very highly.

This time round Todd has upgraded the pair to the IFG three-star, which has attracted an impressive international field as a qualifying run for next year's Olympic Games in Sydney.

The starting list for the IFG three-star includes a number of horses re-routed from last weekend's fixture at Badminton. Most surprising is the inclusion of Australia's Kibah Sandstone, which stopped at the middle of the Lake two thirds of the way round the course and then shed his jockey Matt Ryan into the water.

Late entries are taken at the discretion of the organising committee, but there is usually some resistance to accepting horses that have completed so much of the cross-country track, particularly when the horrendous ground conditions on Badminton's steeplechase caused so many problems.

The footing on the Badminton chase caused Swedish airline pilot Paula Tornquist to withdraw her World Equestrian Games bronze medal ride SAS Monaghan after completing the first section of roads and tracks. The 13-year-old Irish export, which is due into the Punchestown dressage arena just before the lunch break tomorrow, must start as one of the favourites for the IFG honours.

Ireland's hopes rest firmly on the shoulders of Sasha Harrison, best of the home side in fifth place last year with All Love Du Fenaud. But Mark Kyle could also put in a good challenge, drawn last of the 66 three-star runners with the big grey Irish Patriot, which fell at the Badminton Footbridge last weekend before diverting to Punchestown.

The three-star action opens in the dressage arena at nine o'clock this morning with two of the Badminton field, America's Quest which fell at the sixth in Badminton with Abigail Lufkin, followed by New Zealand's Win For Me, which unseated Catriona McLeod after a bad mistake coming out of the BHS Picnic Area, fence four.

The two-star class also gets underway this morning, with Susan Shortt first into the arena on Kings Highway.