THERE just seems to be no stopping Derry’s Daniel Coyle at present. After winning two FEI Jumping World Cup classes in a row, at Leipzig and Amsterdam, many would be content to take a break, but not Coyle; he hopped back across the Atlantic and got straight back on the horse, literally.

Coyle’s World Cup-winning horse, Legacy, is having a well-deserved break though, so Coyle went to the Winter Spectacular V at the World Equestrian Center, Ocala, Florida, with two other mounts, Quintin and Farrel, both also owned by Legacy’s owner, Ariel Grange.

Coyle’s focus was the $100,000 Wheels Up Grand Prix, which he had told The Irish Field last week “is a huge prize fund for a National Grand Prix!”

Others clearly thought the same and the 30 starters represented nine different nations. The prize fund wasn’t going to be easily won though, as FEI Level IV course designer, Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) was setting the tracks.

Palacios’ Grand Prix course was challenging, with just nine combinations managing to jump clear in the first round. The line up for the jump-off included some of the fastest horses and riders in the sport, with Coyle and both his mounts in the mix.

Coyle said of the track: “It was a great course. I talked to Leopoldo before we started. He’s the best course builder there is. The most difficult for sure, but most people like that. He wanted nine clears and I think there were exactly nine, so he was right on it.”

Quintin was first into the jump-off for Coyle and the 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Quaprice Bois Margot x Thamara) flew round at an open gallop, managing some nice turns in the process, to finish in a time of 38.358 seconds.

Daniel Coyle and Quintin were second in the Wheels Up Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala on Sunday \ Andrew Ryback Photography

That remained as the leading time, until Coyle brought his second mount, Farrel, into the arena.

“I was lucky. I was able to go first on Quintin. He has a bigger stride, but Farrel is fast in a different way, he’s handy, neat and tidy in the way he jumps. I knew I had a good round on Quintin, but I knew I could do a whole lot more with Farrel, and I took quite a few risks,” Coyle said afterwards.

Speedy

Farrel is also a 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Cardento 933 x Becherry) and Coyle rode him round the course clear in a very speedy time of 37.638 seconds to take the win, with Quintin in second.

Coyle may have secured a one-two, but New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley did his best not to be outdone, as he also had two mounts in the jump-off, Valentine Car (Son of Juan Car x Sofia Car) and Champion League (Cador 5 x Charisma). Wordley stopped the clock in 38.927 seconds with 15-year-old American Warmblood gelding Valentine Car and was about half a second slower with Champion League in 39.454 seconds, which gave him a third and a fourth place at the finish.

“We go to lots of different shows, but there is nowhere in the world like this place (Ocala). It’s just mind-blowing from the first minute you step in the door, to somewhere you go get coffee, to a warm-up arena, to an indoor arena, to the stables, you could go on and on. Anybody who hasn’t been here, I just suggest you come here, because it’s the only way you’ll understand,” Coyle stated.

Week XII (March 20-24) at Ocala will see a five-star and Longines League of Nations™ qualifying event being held, which Coyle is looking forward to.

“I think the [Longines League of Nations™] will change this place. The people that come here will take a different perspective away from it. Legacy just got back here, so she’ll have a little break and she’ll start to work her way up and, hopefully, if everything goes well, we can get selected to jump in the [Longines League of Nations qualifier].”