JORDAN Coyle was the leading international rider at the 2023 Dublin Horse Show and he looks on course to claim that title once again after winning both feature five-star classes on the opening days of the Show.

The Derry-born world number 35 won Thursday’s 1.60m Cashel Palace Hotel Stakes with Chaccolino, and completed another Irish five-star double at the RDS, as Tom Wachman secured the top spot in the Anglesea Speed Stakes with Hawaii. The latter triumph served as a real confidence-booster to Wachman, who made his Aga Khan Cup debut in the Main Arena on Friday.

The €56,800 Cashel Palace Stakes competition attracted the cream of the human and equine crop and the jump-off certainly delivered top sport, although Irish Olympians Shane Sweetnam and Darragh Kenny were left cursing themselves, as they drifted marginally over the time allowed of 74 seconds while jumping clear.

Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z were just 0.33 seconds on the wrong side when incurring their one fault, while Kenny and Eddy Blue, who finished seventh at the European Championships and contributed handsomely to Ireland’s fourth in the team event, were almost a second too slow. That left them in seventh and eighth positions respectively.

Six combinations managed to leave all the fences intact inside the time, ensuring there was plenty for the Irish supporters to get excited about, even with Trevor Breen deciding to withdraw from the jump-off with Highland President, eyes firmly on Sunday’s €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix. Second to go against the clock, Coyle and Chaccolino set an unbeatable time of 37.19. Cian O’Connor and Iron Man had looked very good first time around but in bidding to go through the gears, they had two fences down to end in fourth. Mexico’s Carlos Hank Guerreiro also had eight faults with H5 Origi Horta but slower, to complete the top five.

It was left to USA’s McLain Ward to attempt to prevent the raising of the Tricolour and the American, who had a show to remember 12 months ago, had a good stab at it.

Imperial HBF was one of only three horses to register a double clear, but the time of 38.56 slotted the Stars and Stripes duo into the runner-up position. Former Irish chef d’equipe Rodrigo Pessoa finished third with Major Tom.

“When you come to the show, the Grand Prix is the main reason that most people are here. We have qualified now, which was the aim, and we will try and focus on that, but we got everything today,” Coyle said afterwards.

“Chaccolino is a very good horse and he takes it all in his stride, so going fast, I don’t think upsets him and I wouldn’t be worried about Sunday having to do that. Today, the first three jumps were fast, but the rest was actually very normal. The amount of clear rounds Chaccolino is jumping at the minute is unbelievable. So, let’s hope it continues.”

Home success

Wachman maintained the five-star success of the home athletes in dramatic fashion in the earlier Anglesea Speed Stakes. Riding Hawaii, he was the last of the 33 combinations to enter the main arena. It was Swiss athlete, Bryan Balsiger who held the lead as they made their bid for glory. Denis Lynch and Katja were in front for a couple of minutes, after going clear in 70.10, but Balsiger improved upon that quickly with Fais Toi Belle du Seigneur Pleville, stopping the clock on 69.65.

Wachman had been studying the action as it unfolded, however, and the Tipperary native eked out the tiniest of margins to score with a time of 69.51. It was a second five-star success with the nine-year-old mare this year and left the 20-year-old man buoyant as he looked forward to jumping in Friday’s Nations Cup.

“She’s a super mare,” said Wachman of Coolmore Showjumping’s talented mare. “She’s only nine. She’s very fast and competitive. She also had a five-star win in La Baule, so I was delighted to get the win today on home soil. The show here is really special.