Coyle climbs to the top
Daniel Coyle jumps the sole double clear to scoop his first five-star grand prix despite a downpour, just ahead of his nation’s team manager, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa
MONSOON-like conditions hit Palm Beach for the $384,000 (£277,100) grand prix on Saturday night, but Ireland’s Daniel Coyle (Cita) battled through with great tenacity to claim his first five-star grand prix victory.
Six of the 40 starters went clear over World Equestrian Games (WEG) designer Alan Wade’s track, but it was only the 23-year-old and the 12-yearold Holstein mare (Casall x Pik Ramiro) who could jump clean for a second time.
“I suppose I had a big advantage tonight,” said Daniel of his penultimate jump-off position. “My plan was to be clear no matter what because there weren’t any at that time, so it worked out well for me.
“You have to forget about the rain; forget about the conditions and try to get on with the job that you’re trying to do.
“But this win is really exciting,” added Daniel, who has climbed up the world rankings since his move across the Atlantic two years ago and now sits 41st. “It probably hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Ireland’s showjumping team manager Rodrigo Pessoa was runner-up. The Brazilian had a rail down in the double on the forward-going Chaganus.
“Going at the beginning of the jump-off, you have to take a bit of a risk because there are still really good riders to come,” said Rodrigo.
“I’ve had a few problems at this particular type of fence with him — the combination of vertical and oxer. I thought that was a bit dangerous, but I had to risk it and try not to leave the door open.”
“Chaganus is a real trier, and he’s very careful. He has a big heart. The only thing that was difficult with him was that he was a little tense, and then in the ring he got a bit quick. So that’s why I started slowly with him during WEF [Winter Equestrian Festival] here and doing some smaller classes and figuring out the bridle.
“For a couple of weeks now, he’s been going well. He’s been improving every time.”
Another Brazilian, Rodrigo Lambre, finished third on Coleman, helping to cement his bid for a slot on his nation’s WEG squad. Ben Maher and Winning Good were best of the Brits in 12th with four faults in round one.
TIENNA DOES IT HER WAY
DANIEL COYLE had already racked up a win on Wednesday with the 10-year-old Canadian sport horse mare Tienna (For Pleasure x Polydox). He beat his team-mate Shane Sweetnam with Cyklon 1083 by 0.2sec.
“She’s a home-bred, which makes it a little more special for [owner] Ariel Grange,” said Daniel of the mare he previously rode in under-25 competitions.
“She’s always been one of my favourites but she’s a chestnut mare, and one thing I’ve found out that I should have known already is that she’s a typical chestnut mare. She really likes to go her own way. If you get involved with her way of going too much, she really doesn’t like it. If that’s the way she likes to go and the way she likes to win, then of course, that’s it.”
Great Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire, fresh from Nations Cup success the previous week, took sixth with Lady Maria BH, with Emily Moffitt ninth on It’s Real Love VD Smis Z. H&H
‘She’s a typical chestnut mare — if you get too involved she doesn’t like it’ DANIEL COYLE ON TIENNA