DERRY’S Daniel Coyle and his incredible equine partner Legacy have done it again, winning a second five-star 1.60m FEI Jumping World Cup class in-a-row - this time at the five-star World Cup show in Amsterdam in The Netherlands on Sunday. This came after the pair won the 11th round of the series in Leipzig (GER) the previous weekend.

Coyle and Legacy put in an amazing performance in Amsterdam, with a breathtaking second round against the clock, with turns and angles to rival many top 128 ponies! The footage of the class included shots of Daniel’s support team, including Legacy’s owner Ariel Grange, and it was clear that even they were in disbelief at the super-fast jump-off round!

“Legacy is just getting better and better. Everybody can ride good rounds and jump-off rounds, but not every horse can jump like that. She has been a horse of a career for me already and today she has proven it even more,” Coyle said afterwards.

Forty combinations started in the first round, with just seven of those jumping clear within the time allowed to make it into the jump-off. Only four of them managed to keep all the fences intact second time out, with Coyle and Legacy finishing in a lightning-quick 35.45 seconds.

This was almost three seconds faster than runner-up, home favourite Willem Greve (NED) on Highway TN N.O.P., who clocked 38.33 seconds, which had already knocked more than two seconds off the time of previous leader, fellow countryman Jur Vrieling (NED) on Griffin van de Heffinck, who placed third on 40.40 seconds.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch and Vistogrand had also made it through to the jump-off and was last to go. In a bid to beat Coyle’s time, Lynch had two fences down and finished in seventh place.

Coyle is the second Irish rider so far this season to win two World Cup Grands Prix in-a-row, as Sligo’s Richard Howley also secured back-to-back wins in October.

Competitive

As 29-year-old Coyle becomes known as very competitive against the clock, he gave an insight into this: “I think it goes back to doing ponies at home against my brother and everybody else, even the likes of Richard Howley. We grew up racing against each other in ponies and I was always chasing them and they were always well ahead of me, but it’s good to see now I can have some revenge.”

Coyle was delighted that many of his support team were in Amsterdam to share the experience:

“There have been a lot of people involved in my career, Ariel’s career and Legacy’s career – but they have never all been in the same place… But they were all in Amsterdam; anyone who has made a difference in my career was there! Especially when things have been going so well recently, with last week’s World Cup win, as well as winning the London Grand Prix and taking third in the World Cup class there, they probably didn’t think it was possible to do it again!

“Legacy’s owner Ariel Grange, Jeroen Dubbledam and Anneliese Vorselmans are some of the team, who were with me in Amsterdam; trying to name everyone is not possible – the others know who they are!

“We have a huge year this year – the World Cup finals and the Olympics and for sure we will be looking at both of them. Legacy is in the prime of her life, she has got better as she has got older and maybe so have I,” Coyle continued.

Derry's Daniel Coyle and Legacy, pictured with owner Ariel Grange after winning the FEI Jumping World Cup at Amsterdam \ FEI

What next

“I’m not sure if we will ever get the chance to be involved with a horse like Legacy again. Thank you to Greg Debie for looking after her always. We now look forward to turning our attention to Lothlorien South in Ocala, Florida, for the next two months.

“I will be heading to Ocala on Thursday, as there is a National Grand Prix there at the weekend, which has a prize fund of $100,000 – pretty good for a national competition! After that, I will either compete at three-star level there or go to the five-star in Wellington.

“I have two new horses to get going this year, so it will be a good opportunity to spend some time with them. At this stage, I’m not sure where Legacy will go to next,” Coyle concluded.

Irish Horse Board Director General Alison Corbally said: “Many congratulations to Daniel Coyle and winning owner Ariel Grange on a superb World Cup win for the second week in-a-row.

“Irish riders have started 2024 just as they finished 2023, with a host of top performances at five-star level and we wish them continued success for the rest of the year.”

There are just two more rounds of the FEI World Cup Western European League, in Bordeaux (FRA) and Gothenburg (SWE) before the 2023/2024 FEI World Cup Finals take place in Riyadh (KSA) in April, boasting a prize fund of €1.3 million.

Irish successes

Meanwhile, other Irish riders and horses also made their mark in Amsterdam.

On Friday, the 11-year-old mare MGH Candy Girl (ISH) (Sligo Candy Boy (ISH) x Kilnamac Holly (ISH)[TIH] x Cruising (ISH)[TIH]), bred by Timothy Kelleher in Co Cork and ridden by Britain’s Matt Sampson, scored an impressive win in the five-star 1.40m Speed class, finishing one-hundredth of a second ahead of Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli (SWE) and Dyrka du Carry. Denis Lynch and Cristello came seventh.

Michael Duffy on Cantano 32 placed 10th in the day’s five-star 1.45m Two-Phase class, while Lynch rode Vistogrand into ninth place in the 1.50m Jump-off class.

Saturday saw Sampson and MGH Candy Girl (ISH) claim another win, when they were unbeatable in the 1.45m Speed class, finishing a second and-a-half ahead of Germany’s Jana Wargers with Chacco’s Lady 2, while Lynch placed third riding Cornets Iberio.

On Sunday, Duffy partnered Claptonn Mouche to place fifth in the 1.50m Jump-Off class.