Federation's list of recommendations for this summer's Games in Barcelona.

An injury incurred by her mount Watersmeet while competing at the Rolex Horse Trials in Kentucky forced her hand into withdrawing an application for consideration by the selection committee.

Her steed had suffered muscle spasms during the steeplechase and did not recover sufficiently enough to compete over the weekend in the final qualifying event at Checkmate in Canada.

"She would have been a good addition to the squad,'' said BEF president Mary Frances Gaglio yesterday. "But we have full confidence in the ability of the riders that have qualified.'' With only four riders reaching the standard, selection of the team appears a mere formality. Peter Gray, Mary Jane Tumbridge, Nicola DeSousa and Dennis Cherry should all be `shoo-ins' for what would be the first four-member squad the federation has been able to put forward to the Bermuda Olympic Association. The list is expected to be presented following a BEF executive committee meeting tomorrow.

In order to be considered, riders had to complete all phases of a CCI Three-Star Three Day Event with no more than 80 jumping penalties in the cross-country round.

Blackman had been expected to compete alongside Gray, Tumbridge and Gary Roque, who also suffered some bad luck.

A long shot to begin with, Roque needed a first-rate performance out of his ride, but fell short of the mark as, following a good dressage and clear cross-country, his horse Casemates aggravated an old leg injury and was unable to continue.

Such was not the case for Tumbridge or Gray who both qualified their second horses.

With Pan American silver medal mount Bermuda's Pizzazz already set for Spain, Tumbridge rode Bermuda's Option to 21st out of 40 riders. Standing 18th after the dressage she slipped to 28th in the cross-country before bouncing back in the show-jumping phase for a total of 208.8 faults.

Two-time Olympian Gray fared even better, with only 117 faults on his new horse Heino and winding up 18th overall. Heino joins Anton who met the requirement at last year's Pan American Championships.

The United States-based duo of Tumbridge and Gray are expected to travel to England early next month to team up with Cherry and DeSousa for about five weeks before jetting off to Barcelona on July 18.

TIMES TO REMEMBER -- Carol Ann Blackman at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.