The final competition at the 2023 London International Horse Show saw a victory for Ireland, as Derry’s Daniel Coyle and the 13-year-old mare Legacy came out on top in last night’s (Monday) five-star London Grand Prix.
Coyle and Legacy had finished third in Sunday’s World Cup in London, and they were in unbeatable form 24 hours later to claim the top prize of just over €31,000 in the curtain-closing Grand Prix. Coyle’s jump-off clear in 34.82 seconds, saw him finish .08 of a second ahead of Britain’s Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue.
A delighted Coyle said: “It is amazing to have won The London Grand Prix tonight and I did it for everyone in my team. I could not have done it without them behind me. It is totally unbelievable, although I wish I had also won yesterday as well. I was hungry for the win coming into this competition so it is brilliant to have achieved it, Legacy was amazing – she deserved it.”
Speaking of his closest rivals, he continued: “These guys are pushing the limits. Ben had a great win yesterday and it was well deserved. Ben gave me a bit of a fright again tonight, as he is such a fast rider – he is an Olympic gold medalist after all. I am just delighted to be amongst these great riders and honoured to be riding with them. We always watched the London International Horse Show whilst growing up at home; my brother is also a rider so it is amazing to be competing here, let alone winning. This show contains a huge amount of history and it is great to be a part of it.”
Tipperary’s Shane Breen also made it into the jump-off and went on to finish in eighth place with Cato Boy.