Five-star win for Daniel Coyle at Washington International Horse Show

Derry’s Daniel Coyle has made a winning start at the five-star Washington International Horse Show in the United States, guiding the Ariel Grange-owned mare Legacy to victory in Thursday’s $75,000 Welcome Stake.

Daniel Coyle and Legacy: (Photo: Shawn McMillen)

“The first class is usually a smaller class, which makes it a little easier for everybody to get introduced to the ring and the crowd, obviously,” remarked Coyle of his first trip around the Show Place Arena. “Sometimes it can be daunting going straight into a big class like that, but it worked out for me tonight.”

Twenty-eight starters represented 10 countries in the star-studded field, where nine combinations managed to jump fault-free across Bernardo Cabral’s (POR) first round track to advance to the jump-off. Katie Dinan (USA) produced the first double clear with Atika des Hauts Vents in 30.80 seconds. Next in the ring, Coyle shaved more than three seconds off the time, blazing through the timers in 27.42 seconds. Hunter Holloway (USA) and Pepita con Spita, came the closest with a clear effort in 30.32 seconds, but in the end it was Coyle and Legacy who finished on top. Holloway ended in second, and Dinan was third.

“Actually, the jump-off was only six fences, and an indoor arena is usually quite short,” explained Coyle. “I would say probably the turn back to the double combination and the second to last fence is where it came up good for me.”

Coyle has had the ride on Legacy for four years. She was purchased with major championship classes in mind, and she’s lived up to those expectations. Last year, Coyle and the 12-year-old Zangersheide mare (Chippendale Z x Bon Ami) made their championship debut for Ireland at the European Championships with a top 10 finish and were also selected for this year’s World Championships.

“She’s been incredible to me,” said Coyle of the superstar owned by Ariel Grange. “She knows the ropes now, and we’ve sort of gelled together over the last four years, and hopefully we continue to. She’s funny because she’s always trying so hard. At a new place sometimes you’re not sure how much effort she’s going to put in. Her main thing is she doesn’t want to knock the jumps down.”
Limerick’s Paul O’Shea was also among the prizes, taking sixth place with the Tequestrian Farms-owned Imerald Van’t Voorhof. O’Shea added a fifth place finish in the $36,600 Accumulator class with Carasina HD, where Co Down’s Conor Swail finished third with the 10-year-old gelding Theo.