DERRY’s Daniel Coyle landed two victories, including the the $145,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, at the four-star show in Vancouver, Canada, last weekend.

Coyle’s victory in the feature class came aboard the nine-year-old gelding Farrel, who produced two electrifying clear rounds to win the first of 14 legs in the 2019/2020 North American League season.

Coyle and Ariel Grange’s VDL Cardento-sired gelding were one of five of the starting 40 to go clear in the first round and return for the jump-off. Second to go against the clock, he took all the risks and broke the beam in 37.32 seconds to land victory and $47,850.

“I think, give him another year’s time, and he will be a real, real top horse—not that he isn’t right now, but he’s still a little green. This was a real track today, and he proved himself to be a horse for the future, I could not be happer,” Coyle said afterwards.

“There was lots of good horse and good riders, with Beezie (Madden) and Harrie (Smolders) there at the end. My biggest problem today was having the behind me. I suppose sometimes that’s good, whenever there is a bit more pressure on from the beginning, you have to try and get it done earlier and make it everyone else’s job to beat you, and that’s exactly what happened today.

“All my horses are on great form and I am looking forward to the next few months.

“In the jump off, usually he jumps better, which is strange, but when you start galloping, he starts to look a little quicker and jump a little higher. I know that from the last few years that I’ve had him.

“That third jump did come down a lot, and I really rode him at it, and he jumped it probably as good as he could that second time. When you know them a little more, it’s a lot easier, especially when they’re younger jumping this level,” Coyle added.

USA’s Kelli Cruciotti finished second with the only other double clear round aboard Hadja Van Orshof, the horse she rode at April’s World Cup Finals in Paris. The combination broke the beam in 42.26 seconds.

Dutchman Smolders, who missed out on the European Championships in Rotterdam last week, was closest to Coyle’s time with Hocus Pocus de Muze, but finished four faults (37.41) in third place, just ahead of Madden and her championship mount Darry Lou, who also finished on four faults in 38.34 seconds.

First to go in the jump-off, USA’s Richard Spooner suffered a run-out with Calypso v/d Zuuthoeve and subsequently finished with 10 faults in fifth place.

The victory moved Coyle to the top of the east coast sub league standings of the North American League with 20 points, while Cruciotti took over an early lead in the west coast standings with 17 points.

Cita on form

It was an Irish one-two-three in Wednesday’s 1.50m jump-off class when Coyle guided 13-year-old mare Cita to victory, and also took the runner-up place aboard Farrel. Seven made it through to the jump-off and Coyle’s time of 36.88 seconds a was good enough to win and earn $24,750.

He then added $15,000 to his earnings when guiding Farrel to a clear in 37.48 seconds. Conor Swail made it an Irish whitewash when third aboard GK Coco Chanel in a time of 38.64 seconds.

The following day, Swail finished second in the 1.40m Table A aboard Gamble, with a clear round in 62.90 seconds. Victory went to American Karl Cook.