TWO Irish riders took home their fair share of the prize fund from the five-star $750,000 Grand Prix, part of the Rolex Series, at Wellington International, with Derry’s Jordan Coyle on Chaccolino finishing just off the podium in fourth place, followed by Wexford’s Bertram Allen on Qonquest De Rigo in fifth.
The highlight of Saturday’s schedule saw 40 starters doing battle for the generous prize fund, with just eight combinations keeping all the poles standing in the first round. This led to a competitive jump-off, with only four able to repeat their clear round.
Coyle and Chaccolino were among those, jumping double clear in a jump-off time of 40.44 for fourth place, earning them $75,000, while Allen on Qonquest De Rigo picked up four faults against the clock, but still managed to place fifth when just a fraction slower than Coyle in 40.45 for a pleasing $45,000 prize.
Jordan’s younger brother, Daniel Coyle on Legacy also made it into the jump-off and finished eighth, just ahead of Offaly’s Darragh Kenny on Eddy Blue in ninth – denied the chance to jump again, when incurring a single time penalty in round one.
The class was won by German Olympic champion Christian Kukuk on Checker 47 in a jump-off time of 39.20, with Laura Kraut (USA) on Bisquetta in second and Ashlee Bond (ISR) and Donatello 141 completing the podium in third. “This is a story you can’t imagine,” said Kukuk who spent the morning welcoming his first child to the world. “This day is always going to be a very special memory for her birthday. I am the happiest man on the planet tonight.”
Impressive
Twelve weeks of top-class show jumping competition drew to a close at the weekend, as the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International in Florida concluded. There haa been plenty of Irish representatives throughout the series and the final week was no different.
Wednesday’s five-star $1,000 1.40m class saw Daniel Coyle get off the mark with Legacy to place seventh with a clear round in 79.08. The class was won by Harry Charles (GBR) on Sherlock in a speedy 71.57. Conor Swail rode My Lady Lavista into 10th place (79.73) and also took 11th with Casturano (80.78).
Coyle followed up with a fourth place in the five-star $32,000 1.45m jump-off class on board Farrel, when double clear in 30.97 – within half a second of the winner Nayel Nassar (EGY) on Dorado De Riverland (30.48).
In the day’s $2,500 1.35m Open Jumper class, Paul O’Shea on Manglar LS La Silla placed third when double clear in 33.93, with Swail on Clonterm Obolensky in ninth (36.69) and Michael Hutchinson on Crystal King in 10th (36.87).
Thursday began with the two-star $12,000 1.45m class, in which Cork’s Simon McCarthy placed second with Gotcha, jumping clear in 59.13.
On the podium
The five-star $116,100 WEF Challenge Round 12 saw two Irish in the top five, with Daniel Coyle on Legacy finishing on the podium in third, when double clear in a jump-off time of 38.8 seconds, followed by Darragh Kenny on Zero K in fifth in 40.42. Ben Maher (GBR) rode Point Break to win the class in 37.6, with Kent Farrington (USA) on Toulayna just pipping Coyle to second place (38.75). Andrew Bourns finished in the top 10 of the $2,000 1.30m Open Jumper class, when placing 10th with a double clear in 41.8.
The $6,000 1.40m Open Jumper class saw a good performance from the Irish representatives when Michael Duffy on Balouwinsky placed fifth, followed by Daniel Kerins on Malou Blue PS in seventh and Kevin Gallagher on Saskia’s Boy in ninth. Meanwhile, Senan Hayes’ dreams came true when he won the day’s six-year-old Young Jumper class on board Dreams Come True HSS! He was swiftly followed by O’Shea, who won the seven-year-old equivalent on Dragonfly.
Jonathan Corrigan made a good start to Friday, when he placed fourth in the two-star $32,000 1.45m Qualifier with Tricolor MB, jumping double clear in a jump-off time of 40.56.
The five-star $62,500 1.50m Classic saw Meath’s Cian O’Connor ride Canbella Blue PS to a podium place with a clear round in 63.63 to claim third. The class was won by Abdel Said (BEL) on Calvaro (62.71), followed by Richard Vogel (GER) and Levi Noesar in second (63.37). Kenny on Amsterdam 27 placed seventh, with Swail on My Lady Lavista in ninth.
Jenny Rankin placed 10th in the $6,000 1.40m Open Jumper class with Big Beauty Z, while Hayes on Dreams Come True HSS were fifth in the day’s six-year-old class.
Sunday’s two-star $62,500 Grand Prix saw two Irish riders on the podium, when Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy on Sevilla Van De Berghoeve Z, owned by Greg Broderick, finished as runners-up with a double clear in a jump-off time of 36.81, followed by McCarthy on Gotcha, owned by Rock Ridge Farms, in third (37.27). The win went to Alise Oken (USA) on Lady Lex (36.32).