UPPER MARLBORO, Md.--Daniel Coyle and Aaron Vale won the first two five star open jumper classes on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Washington International Horse Show.
Aaron Vale on Grays Inn (Photo by Erin Gilmore)Irish Olympian Coyle on Farrel won the $63,000 Welcome Stake CSI5*-W, while Vale on Gray’s Inn was fastest in the $63,000 Stars and Stripes Speed Final CSI5*-W for the win.
Course designer Colm Quinn of Ireland) set the track for the opening five-star class of the week, the Welcome Stake, and 11 of the 20 starters went clean.
Just second to go in the jump-off, Coyle set a blazing time to beat of 35.23 seconds that was never matched.
The closest to Coyle's time was Mark Bluman of Israel on Landon de Nyze,, who finished in 36.30 seconds, and Rene Dittmer of Germany on Cody 139, was third in 37.55 seconds.
“There's only one way to attack this, and it's from the beginning and hope I get away with it,” Coyle said. “At least then it gives them something to challenge. Everything came up the way I wanted it to.”
“MOST horses are a lot harder to turn, but with an old partner like this, he already knows if I lean one way, he's away before me," said Coyle. "What makes you fast, especially in a small indoor like this is turning back to the fences. And I think tonight, from the third to the fourth jump, that was a real spot where I earned a lot of time.”
Daniel Coyle on Farrel (Photo by Erin Gilmore)Coyle started riding Farrel in 2018, and this was their 23rd FEI ranking class victory.
“Farrel is so handy in these small arenas, and we haven't done indoors in a few years like this at the top level, so it's nice to kick it off with a win,” he said. “He's a real partner of mine, and we can go anywhere together.”
In the $63,000 Speed Final, Vale on Grey;s Inn also went early and set a time to beat of 57.04 that was uncatchable.
Sean Jobin of Canada on Grande Dame DK placed second in 58.43 seconds, over a second and a half slower, and Daniel Bluman of Israel on Gemma W was third in 58.50.
Most remarkable, however, was that JJ Torrano, at just 16 years old, on Dora du Valon placed fifth in 60.12.
This was Torano's first five star competition, and he rode with his signature coolness to place in the top five among 20 of the top riders in the world.
"It was a little more nerve-racking than usual because it was my first five star," said Torano. "But i have a lot of faith in Dora, and I've jumped that height before."
At 16, Torano can compete in 3, 4 and 5 star competitions but not in those grand prix classes.
He will be able to compete in all grand prix and in Nations Cup competitions on Jan. 1 2026.
“It was a course I liked for my horse tonight,” said Vale. “I didn't really take any chances that I thought he couldn't do, you know? Had I wanted to go faster, there was a place or two maybe I could have taken one less stride, but I did what I thought was pretty comfortable for him, and it was enough tonight.”
Gray’s Inn became part of Vale’s string of horses after his wife Mallory had competed the horse to the three-star level.
He has become an all-around valuable partner that can compete in grand prix classes and win in classes such as the 106,000€ five-star speed competition in St. Gallen, Switzerland, this past summer.
“He’s just an effective horse,” said Vale. “He’s a winner at lots of levels and is just nice to have in our barn.”
“Washington's been one of my favorite shows since I was a junior,” he said. “It's an important fall show in the U.S. There is great prize money and a nice ambiance to it. The red coolers are beautiful, so it's always nice to win one of those!”
