FOLLOWING podium finishes in the opening two Longines FEI Nations Cup’s of 2018 in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Ocala, Florida in the USA, last weekend, the Irish show jumping team will be back in Nations Cup action next Saturday, March 3rd, at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, USA.

Ireland are bidding for their third Wellington Nations Cup victory in-a-row, having won at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre in 2016 when managed by Robert Splaine and again in 2017 with Irish development team manger Michael Blake at the helm.

Michael Blake has named the following six-man squad for the four-star Wellington Nations Cup, from which he will select his team of four riders on the eve of the competition:

Meath's Cian O’Connor with Clenur – owned by Armin Himmelreich

Offaly's Darragh Kenny with Team de Coquerie – owned by Vlock Show Stables LLC

Tipperary's Denis Lynch with RMF Cadeau De Muze – owned by Rushy Marsh Farm LLC

Kilkenny's Richie Moloney with Carrabis Z – owned by Equinimity LLC

Limerick's Paul O’Shea with Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu – owned by Skara Glen’s Stables

Cork's Shane Sweetnam with Indra Van De Oude Heihoef – owned by The Blue Buckle Group

Rodrigo Pessoa’s first outing of the 2018 season as team manager will come at Ireland’s first points-scoring Nations Cup in Europe Division 1 at Samorin (SVK) in April, followed by La Baule (FRA), Falsterbo (SWE), Hickstead (GBR) and Ireland's home Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show in August where the Aga Khan trophy will be up for grabs.