STILLWATER, N.Y.--Christian Coyle of Ireland on Ma Pomme won the $25,000 Saratoga Grand Prix for the fifth time on Saturday, June 21 at Saratoga Horse Shows.
Christian Coyle on Ma Pomme (Photo by Jess Windhurst)There were 11 in the jump-off, and Coyle was the fastest of three clean for his fifth grand prix victory in three years with the same horse at Saratoga Horse Shows.
The other two clean were both ridden by Mimi Gochman.
Coyle was clean in 36.728 seconds, and Gochman on Iron Maiden was second in 37.282 seconds and third on Lumiere BH in 39.346 seconds.
Christian Coyle and Ma Pomme de Tamerville have now gone five for five, winning every grand prix they have competed in at Saratoga Horse Shows.
Coyle went in the middle of 11 in the jump-off and was able to see Gochman ride her first horse over the jump-off course, designed by Ken Krome.
While he was “as quick and neat” as possible after the first line, he did have to add a stride in one line while Gochman left out a stride.
“My horse is naturally fast,” said Coyle. “She doesn’t spend a lot of time in the air, and she’s quick with her legs. She’s always going, and she kind of lands running. She was great there today.”
After riding “Pomme” for a year, Coyle purchased the mare himself.
She has become a part of the family and has a place at his farm forever, even when she lets herself out of her stall and is found grazing in the garden.
She isn’t a typical “chestnut mare” and is sweet, clever, and good with Coyle’s daughters, who stand on a ladder to feed her treats over the stall door.
“SHE'S GOING nowhere,” he said. “She the best, and she will be my broodmare when she’s done showing.”
Through embryo transfer, Coyle has already started breeding her and is hoping to have a foal by Cumano, the world champion ridden by Jos Lansink.
“She is well bred, but she's got the heart of a lion, and she's a real fighter,” he said of the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Deauville Van T&L.. “I'm thinking with Cumano, if you breed maybe a little bit more scope and a huge canter, if she could put the rest to it, then it would be awesome. I would be over the moon regardless, if I could get something.”
Gochman has only ridden Lumiere BH for four months, and it was her first competition with Iron Maiden, who formerly jumped at the five-star level with Colombian Olympian Roberto Teran.
“That was a really exciting result for him,” she said of Iron Maiden. “We're just trying to get to know him. There are definitely some things that I need to work on, but I think that we have a good future ahead of us. I'm really excited."
“Lumiere has a really big stride, and I need to learn where and when I can leave out, but he was amazing,” she said. “He's very quick for such a big horse, and I have to figure him out a little bit more. He's very careful, and he tries very hard. I'm very excited for his future too.”
