MAJOR League Show Jumping moved to Tryon International in North Carolina, USA over the weekend, running alongside the venue’s Fall 5 show, with Derry’s Daniel Coyle and Cork’s Shane Sweetnam flying the flag for Ireland.
Friday night saw Coyle on the DIHP Roadrunners team, who won the $200,000 1.50m MLSJ Team competition, with Nick Granat (CAN) designing a challenging course for the fifth leg of the series. Eight teams of three lined up to do battle, with no team finishing the first round on a zero score.
Four teams proceeded to jump again, namely The Trelawny Trailblazers, Team KPF, Northern Lights and DIHP Roadrunners. This time, three of the four teams recorded clear rounds, with time being the deciding factor.
Team KPF and the Trelawny Trailblazers then jumped off to see which of them would take the bronze medal, while Northern Lights and the DIHP Roadrunners contested the gold and silver positions.
Charlotte Jacobs (USA) for the Trailblazers jumped off against Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) of Team KPF for the bronze medal position and, when she rolled a pole, Pessoa and Team KPF secured the final podium position.
Northern Lights’ rider Tanner Korotkin (USA) stopped the clock in 40.58 seconds in the team’s quest for gold, so the pressure was on the Roadrunners’ Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Gaby De Courcel, a relatively new partnership.
Teammates Coyle and McLain Ward (USA) watched from the sidelines, as Ballard rode a fast and accurate round, crossing the line in 39.69 seconds to claim victory for the DIHP Roadrunners.
Afterwards, Ballard said: “I really had to give it my all. But in that situation, you’re better to lose trying to win than you are missing your moment to be the fastest one. I had luck on my side and I had Gaby on my side. She gave me everything she had.”
Ballard was also glad to have Ward in her corner and added: “I don’t know if McLain would be giving me the same tips if he was riding against me, but certainly it’s great for me that on this team he’s riding with me.”
Ward commented: “I’ve been very proud to be a part of this team from the beginning. They’ve been great supporters of the League, the whole idea of this type of sport, and it’s something I’m very pleased to be a part of.”
Coyle also values the team format and said: “I find this a great class when you’re on a great team and do two rounds every week. It’s a big advantage.”
DIHP Roadrunners team manager Alex Wilson was also pleased with the win, saying: “Normally we are a second half team. We always start off slow and build towards the end. This year, we really put our foot forward at the beginning and hopefully we continue that form when we get to our home turf in the desert.”
This is the Roadrunners’ second win on the Season six campaign and the team are currently in the lead in the team standings on 250 points. Team KPF sits second on 195, ahead of Maccabi United in third on 176.
Grand Prix
The $340,000 1.60m MLSJ Grand Prix was held on Saturday and saw 37 starters, including six of the world’s top-10 riders. Nick Granat’s demanding track included 13 obstacles and 17 jumping efforts, and only six combinations managed to finish without fault in the first round, with just three doing so in the jump-off. It was a battle of the big names and McLain Ward (USA) proved best with High Star Hero setting a time of 42.68 seconds, which no one else could catch. Ward was celebrating his 51st birthday and won the 51st Major League Show Jumping five-star Grand Prix.
Christian Kukuk (GER) rode Akarad Tivoli Z into second place in 44.3, ahead of Mark Bluman (ISR) on Genial de B’Neville in third (49.52). Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz finished just off the podium in fourth, when picking up four faults second time out, but still pocketed $34,000 for their efforts.
In the individual standings, Sweetnam currently sits second on 88 points, just behind Kent Farrington (USA) on 91.
Ward was complimentary of the course and his fellow competitors, saying: “I thought it was a proper five-star Grand Prix anywhere in the world. You have a very top-heavy group here. You have six of the top 10 in the world. Number one, two and three in the world.”
Placings
The opening five-star class on Wednesday, a 1.45m speed class, saw 87 combinations on the start list, 11 of whom jumped clear within the time allowed. Daniel Coyle was among them, riding Farrel into eighth place in a time of 65.2. Richard Vogel (GER) was the clear winner with Quizas van’T Hulsbos, when they set an unbeatable time of 55.73.
On Thursday, World number three Sweetnam finished on the podium in the $181,170 1.55m Grand Prix qualifier with the 11-year-old mare Pia Maria H. The class saw a start list of 37 taking on Nick Granat’s track, with 13 jumping clear in the first round to make it into the jump-off. Just four completed double clear rounds, with Sweetnam and his mount finishing third in a time of 38.09. Vogel claimed another win, this time riding Diatasio and stopping the clock in 36.82. Nicholas Dello Joio (USA) on Cornet’s Cambridge slotted into second in 37.62. Darragh Kenny and Zero K placed ninth in the class after picking up faults in the jump-off.
The show also hosted some two-star classes and Sweetnam placed eighth and ninth in Wednesday’s 1.40m warm-up class with Mirage GG and Jakarta van het Gravenhof respectively. Meanwhile, Coyle rode Calippo 57 into third place in Saturday’s two-star $40,000 Grand Prix in a jump-off time of 34.64. Mark Bluman (ISR) took the win with Inside of My Heart just over a second ahead in 33.53. The class saw 19 of the 73 starters proceed to the jump-off, where an impressive 12 completed without fault.