A Tradition of Champions
St Patrick’s Day World Cup win for Daniel Coyle – Dermott Lennon third
Derry’s Daniel Coyle and the 11-year-old gelding Incredible have raced to victory in this evening’s (Sunday) $200,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Grand Prix at Ocala in Florida, USA.
Just four of the 32 starters made it into the jump-off, with Coyle taking victory with a blistering clear round in 40.37 as last to go. He overtook Kent Farrington (USA) who had held the lead with Toulayna (42.58). It was a St Patrick’s Day to remember for the Irish, as Co Down’s Dermott Lennon took third place for Ireland with the Harry Marshall-bred Millview Cicero (ISH).
“I’ve had a really, really good experience with the World Cup already, but I think this is the first year I’ve ever won three [in one season],” Coyle expressed, “so I’m really, really happy about that.”
Coyle, a veteran of the 2022 World Cup Finals in Herning (DEN), changed up his routine this year and elected to divide his season between the North American League and Western European League. Aboard his championship mount Legacy, he won WEL legs at both Leipzig (GER) and Amsterdam (NED). He then made it three-in-a-row when returning stateside for the final NAL leg of the season with Incredible, a horse he only started riding in January.
“Every time I go in the ring, I’m finding something new [in Incredible]. It’s great that I can find that out while competing at the top of the sport,” Coyle said.
“He was incredible before I got him, and it’s good to know that I was a good rider before, he was a good horse before, and today I can say that we are also very good together.”
Coyle’s mentor, Olympic and World champion Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED) scouted Incredible for Coyle, who was looking to add a horse to his string to support Legacy at the top of the sport. Incredible had produced some nice results with Eric Ten Cate (NED), jumping strong rounds throughout the Longines EEF Series in Drammen (NOR) and Ebreichsdorf (AUT).
“[Incredible] wasn’t so much in the spotlight. He had already done some Nations Cup [events] and done some really good things, but his rider didn’t get the chance to go to the big shows every week,” Coyle said. “Jeroen said, ‘We should try him.’ Immediately we saw that he would fit with us, and he could really help Legacy. He has done that and more.
“I’m really, really happy,” he added. “I have somebody like Ariel [Grange] who can step up and buy the horses and somebody like Jeroen as a mentor who can actually find the horses for me.
“It’s hard to to scout horses when you’re concentrating on riding the horses that you have…We have a really good team right now.”
It has been a fantastic World Cup season for the Irish who won four of the eight qualifiers in North America. Robert Blanchette won the opening qualifier in Sacramento, while Shane Sweetnam came out on top in Lexington. Conor Swail added another Irish victory in Las Vegas before Coyle’s St Patrick’s Day win in Ocala.
BREEDING
Millview Cicero (ISH) – 2014 gelding by Cicero Z Van Paemal (BWP) out of Royal Dutch (KWPN) by Oklund (KWPN). Breeder: Harry Marshall. Owner: Bronte Stables Ltd. Rider: Dermott Lennon (IRL)
