THERE was an Irish whitewash in the first Global Champions League (GCL) individual competition at the five-star fixture at Miami Beach, when they claimed four of the top five places in the 24-strong 1.60m speed class last Friday. Derry’s Jordan Coyle claimed the top spot with the 15-year-old gelding For Gold, owned by the rider and Falkirk Farm, jumping clear in 68.52 seconds. Mayo’s Ciaran Nallon and the 10-year-old Casalla Blue PS finished just over two seconds behind to fill the runner-up position in 70.81, while Meath’s Cian O’Connor rode Kentucky TN into fourth place (78.64) and current world number seven Cork’s Shane Sweetnam on Pegina vd Bisschop placed fifth, recording the fastest time of the class, but incurring four faults. Thibault Philippaerts (BEL) and Lyandro MDB divided the Irish in third place (77.77). There were only four clear rounds in the class.
Five-star action moved to the incredible venue of Miami Beach for the opening leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) last week, with a number of Irish riders shining in the sun across classes from Friday until Sunday.
Daniel Kerins got off the mark for Ireland to win Friday’s two-star Open 1.40m speed class riding Copernicus, when they jumped clear in a time of 56.67.
Lovely
The first of the GCL team competitions, a 1.60m speed class, took place on Friday afternoon. Best of the Irish here was Susan Fitzpatrick, who rode Lovely Stassi PS on the Scandinavian Vikings team, who sat fourth after the first round, with Fitzpatrick eighth individually. Meanwhile, Max Wachman on Fancy de Kergane and Michael Pender on the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare HHS Los Angeles (Le Roi x China Cavalier by Cavalier Royale), bred by Marion Hughes, placed ninth for their New York Empire team. After the second round, the Scandinavian Vikings were fifth and New York Empire finished in 10th place. Madrid In Motion, consisting of Maikel Van Der Vleuten on both Beauville Z NOP and Quastor VD Heffinck, Victor Bettendorf on Atchoum de la Roque Z and Jack Whitaker on Izara des Dames, won the class as the only team to finish on a zero score.
As this was the first leg of the league, the current overall team standings are the same as the placings on the day.
Top five
Coyle and For Gold took another top five placing on Sunday, when fourth in the five-star Champagne Barons de Rothschild 1.45m speed class. The start list of 25 produced 14 clear rounds within the time, with Coyle stopping the clock in 60.88. Jerome Guery (BEL) on Careca LS Elite won the class in a time of 59.42, followed by Erynn Ballard (CAN) on Coconet in second (60.26) and Kaitlin Campbell (USA) on Cosm Hesed in third (60.72).
O’Connor flew the flag for Ireland in the 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Miami Beach on Sunday afternoon. Thirty-six world-class combinations lined up to take on the challenging course, 13 of whom jumped clear in the first round to secure a place in the jump-off - this included three Irish men, namely O’Connor, Pender and Nallon. Six horses and riders managed to jump without fault for a second time, with O’Connor riding Kentucky TN into a fantastic fourth place with a double clear in a jump-off time of 46.53 to claim a very nice prize of €35,000. Pender and HHS Los Angeles finished in ninth place, just ahead of Nallon on Casalla Blue PS in 10th.
The podium places went to Katrin Eckermann (GER) on Iron Dames Dialou Blue PS (44.15), who, for the third time, took the winner’s prize of €115,500; Jack Whitaker (GBR) on Izara des Dames (45.68), who claimed the runner-up spot and €70,000 and Piergiorgio Bucci (ITA) on Pallieter vd N. Ranch, who placed third in 46.06 for €52,500. As this was the first round, O’Connor sits fourth in the overall standings.