Tara Dunne

JORDAN Coyle claimed victory in last Saturday afternoon’s €2,000 Cavan Indoor Championships 1.35m jump-off with Carnoneybridge Challenger.

Playing pathfinder in timed decider, Coyle put down a marker for his eight rivals which couldn’t be matched clocking 43.04 seconds.

Attracting a huge start list, 75 combinations had lined out to take on the Klaus Holle-designed course. The German course designer however had set a difficult challenge with the time allowed playing a factor as well as technical lines. In the end the course yielded only 12 clear rounds with three of these deciding to withdraw from the jump-off.

Coyle, commenting on the course said: “It was quite big and quite difficult due to the technicality. It took a fair bit of jumping.”

Owned by Gerard Doherty, Carnoneybridge Challenger is by Hermes de Reve out of a Burgraaf-sired dam. The Cavan Indoor Championships proved to be a good advertisement for Hermes de Reve as a sire with his progeny winning the Indoor Derby, the five-year-old Cavan Classic and this class.

Previously campaigned up to 1.20m by young rider Eileen McKinney, Coyle only took up the reins on the seven-year-old Carnoneybridge Challenger in July. The pair have had a meteoric rise through the grades also featuring at the last show at this venue when finishing third in the 1.35 Mini Grand Prix.

Talented

Coyle said: “He has done very little and he has kind of surprised us all with how talented he actually is. I’m aiming him at the Autumn League Grand Prix in Eglinton and then we will come back to Cavan in November for the six and seven-year-old class.”

James Hogg took the runner-up position on the day with Almost Persuaded. Another rider with an early draw, Hogg put in a faultless round but couldn’t quite come within striking distance of Coyle’s time when across the line over a second in arrears, recording 44.99.

Produced by Hogg, Almost Persuaded is by Ard VDL Douglas and has been a consistent performer throughout her career. The eight-year-old mare has been consistent through the Irish Studbook Showjumping Series finishing third in the 2014 seven-year-old league and has successfully made the step up to 1.40m this season with a placing in the leg of the National Grand Prix League at Cavan back in May.

Gerard Clarke and Rafiki proved next fastest on the day when logging a time of 45.32. Coming at the later stages of the clocked round, Clarke put in a solid effort with the 12-year-old son of Simba to secure the yellow rosette.

Double clear

Stacey Babes supplied the final double clear of the evening with the Amoroso Van De Helle-sired Arena Z. Babes sacrificed speed for accuracy and put in a foot perfect round aboard the eight-year-old mare albeit in a sedate time of 53.08.

Philip Horgan had made a decent attempt at the time, completing in 45.79 but incurred a single error to finish on four faults with Cavalier Cruiser.

Horgan has been active in the 1.35m leagues over the summer with the t10-year-old Cavalier Two For Joy-sired gelding, featuring regularly in Munster as well as finishing as the runner-up on the day in the Leinster Summer Tour final.

Sven Hadley completed the top six with the Hadley Sport Horse’s owned Carla having a single pole down in 47.42.