TEAM Ireland’s top run of form soared further again last week, with the Underwriting Exchange Irish show jumping team securing victory at the four-star show in Thunderbird Show Park outside Vancouver, Canada.
It was the all-Ulster team dubbed all week at Thunderbird as ‘Three Coyles and a Swail’ that was selected to represent the country in Canada on Sunday.
Conor Swail doubled up as coach for the day and aggregated just four faults from his two rounds while Daniel Coyle - leading rider at this venue for the second consecutive week - delivered a stunning clear in the first round and didn’t need to return as his older brother, Jordan, produced a tremendous double clear.
The team was completed by the Coyle brothers’ cousin, Christian.
Ireland were drawn first with Swail the perfect pathfinder, producing a clear round on My Lady Lavista, the 11-year-old old mare he has been riding for a year for Cherokee Show Horses. Jordan Coyle followed up in style with Elan Farm’s imposing Chaccolino making short work of the 1.55m course.
Christian Coyle capitalised on his long-awaited first opportunity to represent his country, guiding Extravaganza Semilly, owned by Alexis Bodo, to just four faults. Thanks to a flawless round from his ‘little cousin’ Daniel and Ariel Grange’s Farrel, who was part of Ireland’s 2019-winning team, were the discard.
Jordan Coyle and Chaccolino on the way to jumping a double clear for Ireland \ @tbird/Kim Gaudry Photography
That had Ireland on zero faults at the half-way point. Mexico were just one jumping mistake behind, with Canada back in eighth but as the former fell away, the hometown heroes ramped up the pressure.
However, this was a very experienced Irish team and after Swail and My Lady Lavista dropped an early pole, they upped the revs in case time would be a factor and still navigated the rest of the course cleanly. Ali Ramsay went clear for Canada to ramp up the pressure but a completely unflustered Jordan Coyle and Chaccolino registered their second blemish-free outing of the day.
Extravaganza Semilly had four faults early but Christian Coyle did a brilliant job of getting the mare around without adding to that tally, and that was to prove critical, as with Mario Deslauriers unable to go clear, Ireland’s victory was assured.
After the airing of Amhrán na bhFiann, the celebrations quickly got under way and manager Michael Blake had to show an impressive burst of speed off the podium to avoid a champagne drowning.
Flawless
“I could say I chose them because they’re the only ones here, but actually I chose them because they’re all very good,” Blake said afterwards. “Conor and Daniel have been on every winning team here, which have been quite a few. We’ve won the last three runnings and a few before that. So this, to be honest, is one of our favourite shows.
“I asked Jordan to come here and I said, ‘Come here today and show me what you can do.’ And it was flawless, it was perfect ... Christian, it’s his first time to get a run out and to be on a winning team first time out, he did two very good rounds.”
Daniel Coyle reflected on a perfect ending to a dream fortnight.
“I’ve had a great two weeks here,” the Olympian said. “I’ve been leading rider both weeks. I have two horses here that are in great form and this was also a big part of it. We wanted to win today with my brother and cousin on the team. Conor’s been my mentor and best man for years now so it’s nice we can all win together. Farrel hasn’t jumped a Nations Cup in six years so it’s pretty impressive for him to come back to this level.”
Swail was very pleased with My Lady Lavista, making her team competition bow.
“She’s one of the horses that are on the top of my string and I felt it was a good fit for her,” Swail said. “She’s had a lot of good results lately and it was a good time to step her up and try and compete for Ireland. I thought she did that very well.”
A beaming Christian Coyle was attempting to soak it all in, grateful for the chance to be involved and to have a ride of the calibre of the 11-year-old Extravaganza Semilly.
“I was just delighted to get an opportunity and I must thank Michael for that,” Christian said. “I was confident going in that I could jump a clear round and I had an early rail and then she dug deep to stay on four so I was delighted.”
Daniel does it
Ardmore native Daniel Coyle also completed a double with Incredible prior to his Nations Cup heroics.
On Wednesday they won the four-star 1.50m Welcome Qualifier at the British Columbia venue. Second to go in the competition, Coyle and the 12-year-old gelding blitzed to a clear in 63.10 seconds. It was a standard that survived 25 assaults.
The same day Swail also scored at four-star level. Indeed, the Down native registered a personal 1-2 with Casturano seeing off Clonterm Obolensky. The experienced Darragh Cross man was first and last of the 19 participants into the ring and his time of 70.02 as the pathfinder was quite brilliant.
It survived allcomers until he returned with Casturano at the very end and, armed with new information and a very quick horse, they sliced more than two and a half seconds off the long-standing mark to win in 67.48.
Then on Friday, Coyle and Incredible topped a five-horse jump-off in the 1.55m four-star Grand Prix, just ahead of Swail with Casturano. Laois native James Chawke and Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z were fifth. The previous day Chawke and Daido had been just a half-second off victory in the four-star jump-off competition, denied by a career-best performance by Corinna Z, who was steered to glory by ecstatic Canadian, Kara Chad.
Coyle and Ariel Grange’s son of Clinton have put together a hugely impressive 43% clear round rate at 1.50m or higher in 54 starts since joining forces a year and a half ago, and they maintained that level of accuracy, quickly enough, to deny Swail.
In Saturday’s feature, Swail and Clonterm Obolensky were runners-up for the second time, finding only McKayla Langmeier (USA) and Chadina too strong in the 1.50m jump-off.