Riding the ever-reliable Uptown Girl, reigning Spring Tour champion Coyle proved fastest in an 18-way decider to clinch the first major win of the 2014 season in Sunday’s €2,500 feature class.

By Concorde, Linzi Johnston’s 13-year-old mare Uptown Girl has a consistent track record. Purchased as a five-year-old from Scotland, the mare has been ridden by Coyle since 2011 and they make a competitive duo.

The mare’s win was a perfect boost for her owner, who was recovering at home from a recent accident. She broke her back in a recent charity parachute jump.

“I was watching the class online but unfortunately our internet speed isn’t the best and my screen froze just as Daniel went into the ring. I didn’t actually know that Daniel had won until one of the girls at the show rang me,” she said afterwards.

Contributing to Coyle’s two consecutive Spring Tour championship titles, Uptown Girl also made a winning debut last season, before going on to have five outright victories in the league.

“I’m always very happy to win the first one,” Coyle said after his win. “I had two younger horses in the class but I knew that Uptown Girl was the one that I had there to win it. I actually chose the longer option on the second last turn as I thought I had enough done and it worked out, but it’s getting harder every year to pull it off.”

With both Coyle and the mare marked as the ones to beat in the past two years, the rider admitted that there was some pressure on the pair to perform.

“It is actually a lot more pressure with Uptown Girl to come out and win but sometimes I think it’s better to be under that bit of pressure, it keeps you focused,” he said.

Resident course designer Stuart Clarke set the challenge for the 38 starting combinations and used some clever course building to whittle down the numbers for the clocked round. Olive Clarke was the fifth rider to take on the shortened and raised course and her mount Kofi Annan was the first to deliver a second fault-free performance. Their time of 42.93 seconds would prove good enough for eventual fifth place.

Clarke took up the reins on the 10-year-old Colander-sired gelding last September and quickly recorded a number of placings in the 2013 Autumn Grand Prix league.

Clarke’s lead, however, proved short-lived because Emily Turkington was quick to best her time. Double-handed going into the jump-off, Turkington’s first attempt against the clock was well judged, with Willem stopping the clock at 40.85 with nothing to add. The 11-year-old Corland gelding was campaigned for most of last year by Mark Kinsella, with Turkington taking over the ride at the end of the season.

Junior riders were well-represented on the day, with both Anna Carway and Killian Norris keen to make a good debut in the senior division. Norris, riding the 13-year-old Ard Ohio-sired Kilrainey High Destination, picked up four faults early in the course but the time of 43.01 was quick enough to secure eventual eighth place.

Carway made it through to the jump-off with two rides. Having already tackled the course once with Ajaccio, the junior rider knew what to do to produce a faultless performance with Winner, stopping the clock in 42.78. By Ohorn, the 11-year-old gelding Winner is a new ride for Carway and previously jumped on the international circuit with Italian rider Alessandro Columbo.

Conor McEneaney supplied the next clear round with Moonlite Cavalier. McEneaney has produced the eight-year-old Cavalier Royale stallion through the young horse classes and this time aimed for a steady clear, which he duly delivered in 43.28 to give him sixth place.

Turkington returned with her second mount, Allihies Diamond Boy, and upped the pace once again by completing in 41.20. This put the northern rider into the comfortable position of holding both first and second place with only a handful of competitors remaining.

However the last combination to go, Coyle and Uptown Girl, had the measure of the time to beat her. Cutting every corner, Coyle managed to find nearly two seconds to spare to clinch victory in 38.99.

Earlier in the day, Derek McConnell took the honours in the opening 1.20m Spring Tour League. Riding Valerie Farrell’s Pembrook Life On Mars, McConnell set an unbeatable target of a double clear in 28.34 in the two-phase class.

April McCrea took the runner-up position with the nine-year-old Baby Blossom as the only other combination to make it home inside 30 seconds.

They recorded a faultless round in 29.29. Tom Hearne secured the yellow rosette with Grainne Bennett’s eight-year-old mare Vechta’s Locket. Showing the form that would see them feature later in the day were Conor McEneaney and Anna Carway. McEneaney took fourth place with Moonlite Cavalier, while Carway and Winner shared fifth place with Taylor Vard and Littlewood Lancer.

Zoe McElliot came out in front in the 1.30m class, riding the 13-year-old Tara Clover gelding Knockatee Lad. With only five of the 15 competitors keeping a clean sheet over two rounds, McElliot was the fastest in 29.21.

Mark Kinsella slotted into second place with the Heartbreaker-sired Hearts Are Trumps, coming home in 30.10 with nothing to add, while Declan Egan took third spot with Tzargazer.

Emily Turkington finished fourth with Legend, while Derek McConnell continued his earlier run of good form by going clear with his own Oakpark Clover.