Simpson motors to four-star win, Coyle nets North Salem double
In the week where Jessica Kürten oversaw her first Nations Cup victory as Ireland’s jumping manager, in dramatic fashion in Bedizzole, Team Karlswood led a memorable few days for Team Ireland at the Deutsches Spring-und Dressur-Derby show in Hamburg, with five-star victories for the apprentice Tom Wachman on the opening day of international action, and the master, Cian O’Connor 24 hours later.
David Simpson was a four-star winner at the German show, having the added thrill of motoring around the arena in Harley-Davidson on his victory lap while in America, while his Derry compatriot, Jordan Coyle was triumphant on the double at the four-star show in North Salem, including in yesterday’s Grand Prix.
It was Simpson who began the positive results in Hamburg on Wednesday, finishing second of 52 combinations in a four-star 1.45m speed class, the opening four-star Derby qualifier.
The man from the Oak Leaf county had had an early sighter with the eight-year-old Billy Whiskey, and that was to prove extremely beneficial as he returned with his far more experienced stallion, the 11-year-old Pjotr van de Kruishoeve.
They were unable to supplant Kristaps Neretnieks from the top of the ladder, the Latvian having set a lightning quick time of 76.15 with the 16-year-old Quintair, but clear in 78.30 edged just ahead of Guy Williams (GBR) and BH Gringos Legacy for a strong start to the event.
The next class in the Springstadion was the opening competition of the Al Shira’aa Five-Star Tour, a two-phase 1.45m contest.
Neretnieks was a strong contender once more among the 59 contestants. This time though, it was Tom Wachman and Obora’s Laura (above) that had set an unbeatable time having left all the obstacles in place, their mark of 26.41 a staggering illustration of their synchronicity and blinding speed, as well as the good counsel offered by O’Connor.
Neretnieks gave it all he could on his Olympic mount Valour, but despite being better than 57 other combinations, their 28.06 was nowhere near grasping a momentous victory from the young Tipperary rider and the 11-year-old mare owned by Coolmore Showjumping.
“My mare jumped brilliantly, I’m so happy,” the delighted 21-old declared after winning win the CPA Lichtkonzept GmbH & Co.KG Prize.
“The course was great too. We started with a few jumps to get into it, and then I was able to use her canter stride and her agility. She can turn very quickly.
“Cian is very good at walking the course, and we made a detailed plan together before the jumping. (He) is so experienced and knows exactly how to ride each course.”
O’Connor would earn his own reward very quickly. Thursday began with Waterford rider, Commandant Geoff Curran just missing out on a four-star podium on the Paul Douglas-bred, Jess Stallard & Minister for Defence-owned DHF Alliance (ISH) in a 1.45m speed class that served as a Grand Prix qualifier, but once more, there was better to come, as world No 23 O’Connor nabbed the €20,000 first prize in the 1.55m two-round class, the week’s first qualifier for the five-star Grand Prix.
The Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG Prize–Championat of Hamburg was a dramatic affair, with more twists and turns than the most testing of jump-off courses.
When Edouard Schmitz and Gamin van’t Naastveldhof went clear in Round B for a cumulative tally of 0 faults in a time of 45.47, it looked as if victory would be beyond O’Connor and Genghis Khan (below), and the other Irish qualifier, Max Wachman, with Tipperary.
Of course O’Connor is in his element in such settings and the Olympic medallist found the margins to make the difference, eking out the necessary improvements and setting a time of 45.20.
His pupil, the elder Wachman sibling (23), had still to throw his dart however, and it was almost a bullseye, but Tipperary had one rail down when stopping the timers on 44.47. That dropped them down to eighth, and it was O’Connor completing a great Karslwood double, and a double too for the Coolmore ownership group. Surprisingly, it was a first ever triumph in Hamburg for the 46-year-old Kildare-born, Meath-based legend of Irish show jumping.
“Even in the first round, you had to keep an eye on the time to position yourself optimally for the second round,” O’Connor explained when revealing his strategy . “There was a longer gallop stretch after the plank, but otherwise everything flowed quite smoothly. You had to approach the last jump a bit more calmly. If you nailed the penultimate jump, you could ride one stride less to the final one – and I managed to do that.”
He only has Genghis Khan on loan so is clearly making it pay – with the talented son of Kannan clearly benefiting from such expert tutelage.
“He’s actually Tom’s horse, but I’ll be riding him a bit this summer. He finished second twice in Mexico in April, so this was the next step forward. He’s going back to his home stable in Belgium this evening, and tomorrow he can finally go out to pasture.”
On Friday, it was Simpson’s turn to get his nose in front, in the second four-star qualifier for the Derby in Klein Flottbek with Pjotr van de Kruishoeve (below).
The 11-year-old won a Hickstead Derby three years ago, so it didn’t come as a big surprise that he would be comfortable in what is such a unique test and the pair were comfortable winners. That there were 15 clear rounds probably did raise an eyebrow but it was so easy for the Irish duo, that they did so in a time of 90.82, which was 2.39 seconds faster than that recorded by Guy Williams (GBR) and Crumbgraft.
Simpson enjoyed trying out his new toy around the Springstadion but the 37-year got a better thrill out of the winning round.
“The Harley-Davidson bit was definitely fun, but the Derby course with Pjotr was even better,” said a laughing Simpson.
“I practically grew up with Hickstead. I’ve known this Derby since I was a child. That’s why I perhaps have even a little more respect for Hamburg. But a derby like the one in Hamburg or Hickstead is never easy. It requires a lot of preparation, a really very good horse – and in the end, everything simply has to come together on the day itself.”
On Friday, Alex Butler made the podium in the four-star Grand Prix won by Belgian Mike van Olst with Comme Faut Odth Z. They blazed through the tiebreaker in 42.95, while Butler, riding Ti Amo BZ, also went clear, completing the jump-off course in 43.90 seconds.
In all, there were four Irish qualifiers for the defining round but Longford’s Derek McCoppin and Capital Levebu (13th), Kilkenny’s Tim Brennan and Diadema della Caccia (9th), and Curran with DHF Alliance (7th) all had a rail down. Butler was accurate and quick with his 15-year-old, however, to bag the bronze.
Jordan Coyle’s four-star double in North Salem felt like a touch of redemption, after the Ardmore pilot felt he had left a couple behind him the previous week.
He started off when topping the field of 35 in Friday’s Welcome Stakes. Alan Wade set a technical 16-jump effort over the 1.50m course and after 13 combinations passed the initial examination, it was Coyle and Ford Gold that rocketed to the top of the leaderboard, timing 35.87 for the win.
“The horse was amazing,” Coyle said. “We came here with this class in mind for him. He’s always a very fast horse in the jump-off, so we kind of just do our own thing and leave it up to everyone else. I was lucky today; everybody was pretty close there.”
The highlight arrived on Sunday and this time, Coyle piloted Ariso (above) to glory in the $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix, presented by Old Salem Farm. They were the first to finish double clear and the time of 34.65 seconds could not be bettered over the 1.55m test.
“Ariso probably should have won both the Welcome and the Grand Prix last week, to be honest,” Coyle said. “I didn’t want to let him down today, so for sure, I was just trying to be on my game.
“I didn’t change my plan at all after watching some of the others go. (The B element in the combination) was one jump I could count on him not knocking down, especially in a jump-off. He’s been doing these types of jump-offs for a while now, so he kind of knows what he’s doing. As long as I can stay out of his way, like today, he’s always going to be really good.
“This place has always been really lucky to me,” he added. “I started here when I first came to America; I spent a year riding here. Now, it’s nice to come back and be as competitive as we are every time we’re here. Going forward into the summer, we’ll have a week off, and then I’ll be heading to Rome for the five-star Nations Cup.”
In Madrid, Ciarán Nallon was a silver medallist in the opening individual competition of the Longines Global Champions League on Friday. Nallon had a great time in Riesenbeck last week but that was at two-star level.
This was a considerable step up for the young Mayo athlete, but he was utterly composed, in conjunction with Casalla Blue PS in what was also a qualifier for Sunday’s prestigious Grand Prix at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
A five-star 1.60m speed class, the Trofeo Mahou was a real test for the young Mayo pilot but he and Beerbaum Stables’ 10-year-old mare were well up to the demands, among only three pairings to leave every fence untouched and clocking 84.17 seconds.
No one could land a glove on Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and the 17-year-old Vestmalle des Cotis, who broke 80 seconds but Nallon posted a second-place return that continued the huge impression he is making since the turn of the year.
Denis Lynch has been a long-time supporter of the Global Champions Tour and Brooklyn Heights has brought some great success along the way. The 17-year-old clearly still has the appetite and ability to perform at this elite level, splitting the 10-year-old Chabrello PS, with Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) in the stirrups, and nine-year-old Ely des Rosiers Z, the mount of Nathan Budd (BEL), in Saturday’s 1.45m two-phase class.
The jumping examination was never going to be a problem for such an experienced horse and there were plenty of gears too, as Brooklyn Heights and Lynch stopped the clock in 27.18 seconds, only four-tenths behind Gaudiano and a tiny two-hundredths faster than Budd.
Six of the world’s top 10-ranked riders signed up to the five-star Royal Windsor Horse Show, with world champion Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) and Olympic gold medallist Christian Kukuk (GER) an illustration of the calibre competing.
The cohort also included World No 17 Daniel Coyle, who brought a team of horses from Ariel Grange’s Lothlorien Farm to the Castle venue, and podiumed in The Sheikha Fatima Bint Hazza Al Nahyan Challenge Stakes on Saturday, guiding the exciting 10-year-old Daydream to the bronze medal in the five-star jump-off class.
With 14 combinations progressing to the decider and the competition reading like a who’s who of the sport, the guns needed to blaze and the younger Coyle certainly did not hold back, going clear a second time in 36.67 seconds. That was just five-hundredths of a second off runner-up Steve Guerdat (SUI) with Hadj de Bliniere. Matthew Sampson (GBR), with Latte Macchiato, were almost two seconds quicker however, to register the victory.
Coyle would follow up by making the jump-off in the King’s Cup on the vastly more experienced Farrel and though recording a strong result in sixth, it had to be hugely frustrating for the Derry man, as he and his 16-year-old partner were the quickest in the tiebreaker (33.38), but had one rail down.
That enabled home favourite, Ben Maher to take the spoils with Ginger-Blue stopping the timers in 33.83 but crucially without blemish.
On Sunday, Daniel and Daydream were third once more in the Manama Rose Show Stakes, a five-star speed class. The in-form combination were sixth into the arena so with that in mind, going clear in 60.29 was impressive. Victor Bettendorf (LUX) was triumphant on Atchoum de la Roque Z.
Tabitha Kyle guided her venerable mare Desterly to second in the three-star Grand Prix in Eindhoven. Italy’s Army rider, Giampiero Garofalo and Querido Van’T Ruytershof were victorious, going clear in the jump-off in a time of 43.50.
Kyle (19), now based in her father Mark’s native Wicklow and a European Junior Championship winner in her maiden campaign in a Green Jacket last year, went agonisingly close to bettering Garofalo’s mark with her 18-year-old partner as they clocked 43.83 for a major rosette and €12,000 in prize money.
The annual Balmoral Horse Show provided a number of two-star international classes and another Karlswood crewman, Frano Derwin steered Parvati Aeg to victory in Thursday’s Winning Round Classic, with two clear rounds and a defining time of 43.52. Francis Connors was third on the John Warner-bred Carrigshawn Vendi Royal (ISH).
Finally, there was sadness for Simon McCarthy, who announced the death of his talismanic mare Gotcha.
The 15-year-old had provided the Cork native with a number of international wins right up to five-star level, in North America and Europe.
“It’s with the heaviest heart that I have to share the sudden and tragic passing of my incredible partner, Gotcha,” McCarthy announced on social media.
“For the last five years, Gotcha wasn’t just the head of our stables — she was the heart of it. She was the biggest personality in the barn, and without question the most influential horse in my career. The hole she has left behind is impossible to put into words.
“I am absolutely devastated. Horses give us pieces of themselves every single day, but Gotcha gave me everything she had every time we walked into the ring together. She taught me lessons no person ever could, carried me through some of the most important moments of my life, and brought a kind of joy that only a horse like her can bring.
“Thank you, Gotcha, for the memories, the partnership, the fights, the wins, and the unconditional trust. Thank you for shaping me into the rider and person I am today. You touched far more hearts than just my own, and you will never be forgotten.”
BREEDING
DHF ALLIANCE (ISH) – 2015 Mare by Ard Vdl Douglas (KWPN) out of Rosie Bee (ISH) by Lux Z (HANN). Breeder: Paul Douglas, Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. Owner: Jess Stallard & Minister for Defence. Rider: Commandant Geoff Curran (IRL).
CARRIGSHAWN VENDI ROYAL (ISH) – 2015 b/br mare by Dondoctrol Ryal K (KWPN) out of Carrigshawn Vendi (ISH) by ARS Vivendi (HOLST). Breeder: Jack Warner, Co Wexford. Owner: Francis, Jenny & Kate Connors. Rider: Francis Connors (IRL)
PHOTOS
Wachman/O’Connor/Simpson: sportfotos-lafrentz.de
Jordan Coyle: OSF / SEL Photography