Victory for Daniel Coyle and new mount Donjo

IRELAND’S Daniel Coyle delivered a victory that may have surprised even himself at the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show on Monday.

Coyle had not ridden Ariel Grange and Tiffany Foster’s 11-year-old Donjo until this week, but it was never apparent as they convincingly took the Old Lodge Stud 1.50m jump-off class.

Last to go in a 10-horse jump-off, they faced a daunting target of 33.11 seconds set by Britain’s William Whitaker and RMF Echo. But they made light work of it, crossing the finish line in 31.14 seconds to secure a £7,200 top prize, with Australia’s Rowan Willis taking third aboard Cartouch III.

“I was lucky enough to be last to go. Everybody was trying to go really fast, and I was in the lucky position that I knew what I had to do,” Coyle said.

Speaking about the chesnut gelding, who was double clear and sixth in the Dublin Grand Prix in 2017 under Tobias Meyer, Coyle said: “I don’t really know the horse. I rode him here for the first time, and he has been brilliant all week. I am very happy with him.”

Coyle rides for Ariel Grange’s Lothlorian Farm and is based between Wellington, Florida and Caledon in Canada. “I ride for some Canadian people, and they had the horse with a different rider and the partnership wasn’t going well. I said I was coming over here for Christmas. I said I could jump the horse here, and it was decided to give it a go.

“It fell into place more than it was thought of. From what I can tell this week, he has been very grumpy in the stable, which is very strange, because out of the stable he is like a gentle giant. And I think that’s a little bit of his character when you are riding him as well.”

Irish placed

Coyle and Donjo had already taken a runner-up placing in Sunday’s 1.45m speed class when clear in 59.51 seconds, just ahead of Billy Twomey with his own and Sue Davies’ Lady Lou (0/ 59.70), while Tipperary’s Shane Breen slotted into fourth place with Breen Equestrian’s Clintofino (0/ 59.99).

Richard Howley also picked up a runner-up place in Sunday’s 1.50m jump-off with Sarah Borthwick and HK Horses’ nine-year-old chesnut Arlo de Blondel. The combination were among 10 clears to make it through to the jump-off, where their clear in 30.94 seconds was good enough for second place behind Britain’s Holly Smith and Denver (0/0 29.66).

Breen took the runner-up slot in Saturday’s thrilling 1.25m Ride and Drive class when teaming up with Mark Hallion who drove the Land Rover Discovery. For his part, Breen rode Paul Carberry’s nine-year-old Brandonview First Edition. Well-known on the Irish circuit, the Douglas Cavalier-sired ISH has won multiple Grand Prix classes on Irish soil and Breen will now take over the reins from former National Hunt jockey Carberry.