WELLINGTON, Fla.--Ireland's Jordan Coyle on For Gold won over fellow Irishman Conor Swail on Gamble in the150,000, CSI4* 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Final on Saturday, March 23 at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Jordan Coyle on For Gold (Photo by SportfotIreland has built an incredibly good and deep cadre of top international riders.
While Coyle and Swail were winning at the four star level, the Irish team of Darragh Kenny, Daniel Coyle, Cian O'Connor and Shane Sweetnam was winning at the sport's top level in the League of Nations at Ocala, and a month earlier an entirely different Irish team of Richard Howley, Michael Pender, Mark McAuley and Denis Lynch placed second to Germany at the League of Nations in Abu Dhabi.
From a starting field of 44 that had qualified for the final, Coyle won in a 13-horse jump-off with less than a second to spare over courses designed by Andy Christiansen of Ecuador.
“Winning anything here at WEF is pretty good," said Coyle. "To be honest, that was one of the only times I ever went into the arena in a big competition and felt like I was one of the favorites. He felt very fast tonight, and I have come to know him very well."
“I thought Conor was for sure going to beat me going to that last jump,” said Coyle. “He’s beat me plenty before, but luckily today it's been the other way around. This is the first Saturday night that I've won. I've been trying for a while, so it's pretty nice.”
SWAIL traveled from California to finish his winter season in Wellington and returned last in the jump-off on Gamble to finish clean in 39.84 seconds., not quite enough to beat Coyle’s time of 39.69 seconds.
“What Gamble does better than most horses is he turns extremely well, and I knew I was able to get inside that vertical after the double of verticals,” said Swail. “Everything came up well for me. WEF is where all the high level competition is, and if you're coming here and winning anything above 1.50m, you've really earned it. I'm glad that I'm able to come and show everybody that I am competitive.”
Abigail Mc Ardle, clean in 40.95 seconds on Olympia van het Eikenhof, placed third.
McArdle found the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood as an 8-year-old year when the mare caught her attention while ridden by an amateur in the U.S.
“I'm very happy to be here in this company,” said Mc Ardle, who is based in Wellington this season with a barn of 30 horses ranging from her international mounts to client-owned jumpers. “This is our first night class. We have taken it pretty slow, but she has a great brain, a lot of scope and is easy; everything you want in the horse.”
The 1.50m Championship Jumper Series took place weekly throughout WEF.
Canada’s Erynn Ballard won the overall title after consistent results throughout the season.
Earlier in the week, Taylor Cawley, 16 of Wellington, won the WEF Equitation Championship on Thursday evening in the international ring.
Cawley was the only rider to post scores in the 90s in both rounds riding Oki d’Eclipse.
Blake Rowan, 17, of Little Compton, R.I.,, on Ironman and J.J. Torano,13, of Mohrsville, Pa.,, on Favorite Edition Z made their debuts in the WEF Equitation Championship, finishing second and third respectively.
Torano, the son of grand prix and hunter derby winner Jimmy Torano, is doing exceptionally well at a young age in equitation and junior hunters.
Cawley is the daughter of Molly Ashe Cawley and the granddaughter of Sue Ashe.
“The first year I did the Equitation Challenge, I was on a very green horse and I myself was very green,' Said Cawley "The second year I did it I was a little more advanced on a green horse. This year I was lucky to have the experience and be on a more experienced horse as well.
“I think that experience paid off really well,” said Cawley, who trains with Stacia Madden at Beacon Hill Show Stables. “You have to be focused on what you’re doing and know your horse and yourself. Oki is big and doesn’t know where his feet are all the time but he’s super fun to ride, and I’ve been bringing him up along with the whole team. This is his first championship under the lights and it paid off really well.”
