Galwegian bags first five-star in Bordeaux World Cup as Coyle brothers prosper in Florida
Former maths teacher, Jessica Burke secured her maiden five-star show jumping success at an exalted level, bagging the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup class in Bordeaux on Saturday with her rising star, Good Star du Bary.
It was a week in which the Coyle siblings, Jordan and Daniel, had a wonderful time in Florida, with the older brother scoring at five-star level in Wellington, while the new World No 9 was a dual winner, who narrowly missed out on replicating the Grand Prix double of the previous weekend, in Ocala.
But there was no question who stole the headlines from an Irish perspective, as Burke was the talk of the country following her stunning triumph over a world-class field in France.
The win moves her up to seventh on the Western European League table, which more or less assures her of a spot in the lucrative final in Fort Worth, next April.
To make things even better for the one-time teacher at Calsanctius College in Oranmore, her chief backer, Liam Nicholas was in attendance as he celebrated a major personal milestone, and the Gort native also had family in friends in attendance.
You could call it fate, but there is no escaping performance and Burke and the Nicholas-owned Good Star du Bary certainly delivered the perfect one.
The synchronicity between this pair has been evident as they developed through last year’s international programme especially and show jumping’s Galway Girl was coolness personified as the last athlete of only four combos to participate in the jump-off after the initial 13-obstacle test claimed a host of casualties.
Yann Royant’s decisive examination proved even stiffer. None of the first three pairs were equal to it and the standard to beat was a four-faulter on 35.72, with Daniel Deusser (GER) in pole position with Otello de Guldenboom.
The 34-year-old Irish representative had a decision to make, and she went all-in on making sure of a faultless round. There wasn’t a moment’s doubt either as her French-bred 10-year-old grey lived up to his name, popping each obstacle perfectly to take the considerable spoils of €69,000 – and the possibility of so much more in a couple of months’ time.
The emotion was evident in her quivering delivering, as Burke articulately explained the significance of this occasion after she swapped the classroom for full-time show jumping a little more than seven years ago.
“It’s my first World Cup and my first five-star win,” she said on FEI TV afterwards.
“My horse is only ten, but he has just six World Cups now. Five times (he had) one down, but today we were clear. To have patience and wait for your day to come is very hard, so the fact that it has come, I don’t think it has sunk in yet to be honest
“Bordeaux is a lucky place for me. I was here only once before two years ago and I won leading rider. This horse has been so close all the time. I was hoping for a top-five finish but I didn’t think I could win so I ‘m delighted.
“He’s the best horse I’ve ever ridden. I always knew he could do anything and he’s so special.
“His owner Liam, it’s his 60th birthday this weekend, he’s here with all his family. A lot of my family are here and my best friend from school years ago. It’s a bit emotional.
“I only have one horse at this level at the moment and when it’s one very good one, he makes my life very easy. In the warm-up he’s just relaxed and then he lights up with the crowd.”
Jordan Coyle has been making a big impact internationally in the past couple of years and he added to his five-star haul when grabbing five-star speed spoils on King Kannan GP at Wellington International on Friday night Irish time, navigating the 1.50m course without blemish in 58 seconds flat.
That was almost a second clear of Mark Bluman (COL) on Phelina de Septon, with Richie Vogel (GER) and Iron Dames Abou-Chaker NRW in third.
The Ardmore athlete and his 11-year-old chestnut gelding are turning into a feared combination when gears are required and it was an eighth international victory for King Kannan, while the elder Coyle closed in on a century of triumphs following his first on the circuit in 2015, moving to 97.
A total of 37 of those wins have come at the highest level, and 13 of them have arrived in the past year, illustrating clearly why he is rising up the Longines world rankings, on the edge of the top 30.
Daniel is the highest-ranked Irish show jumper, however, and he marked his return to the top 10 by winning a four-star speed class as the action continued in Ocala, steering Calippo 57 to success on Wednesday night, Irish time.
The Derry man’s hot run of form in conjunction with the Ariel Grange string at Lothlorien Farm has moved him back up to No 9 among the elite riders and he showed why once more at the famed Florida venue.
Coyle and this dashing 10-year-old bay gelding made light of the 1.45m track, jumping a blemish-free round in 64.49 to hold off Chilean Samuel Parot with Tiffany de Olid, who were next best in 64.72.
And he nearly topped that by completing a remarkable double-double, falling narrowly short of matching the previous weekend’s four- and two-star Grand Prix return at the World Equestrian Center.
No horse has given more success than Farrel and few have given him as much pleasure, given his successful return to elite jumping after two years in retirement due to injury.
The 16-year-old delivered in last week’s four-star Grand Prix and with his flame-haired pilot, was among the septet progressing to the jump-off in Week IV.
But despite posting the quickest time of 45.70, which would have earned victory, they rubbed one rail for four faults which knocked them back to third as Briton Jessica Mendoza took the chief honours with a time of 45.87 on In The Air.
Shane Sweetnam, whose daughter Olivia (USA) was triumphant at four-star level for the first time in her nascent career three days ago despite being only a year older than Farrel, also returned for the decider with Gilona Ao but it wasn’t to be for the Cork native, who had to settle for sixth after recording 15 faults.
Daniel Coyle did top the honours with his new mount Urville Z in the two-star Grand Prix on Sunday, however, just as they managed seven days before. They were amongst nine through to the jump-off but with the quickest rivals having been unable to leave all the fences intact, focused on accuracy to deliver once more with a clear in 35.52.
“I can’t say enough good things about her,” said Daniel. “She’s done two Grands Prix and won both of them. If I can ride her well, she’s going to catch the jumps, which is a really nice feeling. It’s special because she rarely has a fence down, and if there is one, it’s my fault. Even in the warm-up, she doesn’t miss a fence, and at home she hasn’t touched a rail. She’s so special.”
PHOTO CREDITS
Jessica Burke: FEI/Artiste-Associé Photographes
Jordan Coyle: WEF/Cassidy Klein
Daniel Coyle: WEC/Andrew Ryback Photography