OCALA, Fla.--Daniel Coyle of Ireland on an exciting new mount, Incredible, won the FEI Jumping World Cup tat Live Oak International in Ocala on Sunday, March 17.
Daniel Coyle on Incredible (Photo by Allen Macmillan)“I’ve had a really, really good experience with the World Cup already, but I think this is the first year I’ve ever won three in one season,” Coyle said, “so I’m really, really happy about that.”
Coyle, a veteran of the 2023 World Cup Finals in Omaha, changed his routine this year and divided his season between the North American League and Western European League.
On his championship mount Legacy, he won Western legs at both Leipzig, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
He then made it three-in-a-row when returning stateside for the final NAL leg of the season with Incredible, a horse he only started riding in January.
"Every time I go in the ring, I'm finding something new in Incredible," Coyle said. "It's great that I can find that out while competing at the top of the sport."
"HE WAS incredible before I got him, and it's good to know that I was a good rider before, he was a good horse before, and today I can say that we are also very good together."
Kent Farrington on Toulayna (Photo by Allen Macmillan)Olaf Petersen Jr. of Germany set a stiff track in Ocala, characterized by its connectedness and uniquely designed fences, and just four were able to go clean and advance to a competitive jump-off.
Jessica Leto on Cimbura returned first and had a rail down for four faults. followed by Dermott Lennon of Ireland on Millview Cicero, who also had four faults when his horse slipped just before takeoff while turning back tightly on an oxer.
Always fiercely competitive, Kent Farrington on the athletic mare Toulayna had the first clean jump-off round to take the lead.
That left only Coyle to jump, and with a target to chase went clean in the winning time of 40.37 seconds.
Farrington was second in 42.58 seconds, with Lennon third with four faults in 44.05.
Leto was fourth, and Alex Matz of Coatesville, Pa., on Cashew CR was fifth, fastest of the four faulters.
“I didn’t get to see anyone else go. The six strides down the first line got very long for me, but that probably made the whole ride faster,” Coyle said. “He jumped a little high coming in to the double, and that’s something I need to know going forward. Then I was really risky back to the second to last fence. Thankfully, he helped me out there, and at the last fence, he gave me a great jump. I’m delighted.”
Coyle’s mentor, Olympic and World champion Jeroen Dubbeldam of The Netherlands scouted Incredibly well for Coyle, who was looking to add a horse to his string to support Legacy at the top of the sport.
Incredible had produced some nice results with Eric Ten Cate of The Netherlands, jumping strong rounds throughout the EEF Series in Drammen, Norway and Ebreichsdorf, Austria.
“Incredible wasn’t so much in the spotlight. He had already done some Nations Cup classes and done some really good things, but his rider didn’t get the chance to go to the big shows every week,” Coyle said. “Jeroen said, ‘We should try him.’ Immediately we saw that he would fit with us, and he could really help Legacy. He has done that and more.
"I'm really, really happy," he said. "I have somebody like Ariel Grange who can step up and buy the horses and somebody like Jeroen as a mentor who can actually find the horses for me.
"It's hard to to scout horses when you're concentrating on riding the horses that you have. We have a really good team right now."
Coyle ends the season on top of the NAL standings with 75 points.
Daniel Bluman if Israel is second with 43 points, while Shane Sweetnam of Ireland is third with 41 points.
The 2024 FEI Jumping World Cup Final takes place April 16-20 in Riyadh, KSA.
