Daniel Coyle Wins in International Ring

Daniel Coyle and Fortis Fortuna (Photo: © Spruce Meadows Media Services)

Calgary, AB, Canada – The AON Cup 1.50m was the first competition held in the International Ring on Wednesday featuring 49 starters over Santiago Varela’s (ESP) one round speed course. Fifteen entries were able to clear the course without fault, while eleven others finished on time faults.The fastest clear track belonged to Ireland’s Daniel Coyle aboard Susan and Ariel Grange’s Fortis Fortuna in 60.50 seconds. Their time pushed Conor Swail (IRL) and Ilan Ferder’s Kanisso into second on their time of 60.66 seconds.

Richard Spooner (USA) jumped to third place in 62.28 seconds riding Little Valley Farm’s Cornancer. Alberto Michan (MEX) guided Ilan Ferder’s Ujade Ste Hermelle to fourth place in 62.79 seconds, and Richie Moloney (IRL) rounded out the top five with a time of 64.46 riding Equinimity LLC’s Ypaja Yando.

Daniel Coyle has earned multiple wins on different horses throughout the Summer Series at Spruce Meadows, but this was his first big win in the International Ring. He and Fortis Fortuna also won last week’s Friends of the Meadows U25 Cup in Meadows on the Green, but this victory was special for the 21-year-old rider.

“It was fabulous. It is always brilliant to win an international competition, especially in that International Ring,” Coyle remarked. “Last week, I said that I was going to jump a 1.50m on that horse after the she won the U25, and I did and it did not go well. So I decided to do one more and she won it. She was very good; she should have a bright future that one.”

Fortis Fortuna is an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Quidam de Revel x Carthago) that is stepping up to the top level along with her young rider. Second place finisher Conor Swail, who Coyle works with closely at Ariel and Susan Grange’s Lothlorien Farm, previously rode the mare. The two Irish riders were in a league of their own on Wednesday, finishing well ahead of their other competitors.

Coyle detailed, “In the warm-up, Conor still had his other horse Cita to jump, and she is very fast and has won a bunch of classes here. I said to him, ‘I think you have it won, unless I beat you.’ And I did! We never really got a chance to talk about the course, so I did that one all on my own. I am very happy. I would say Conor and I had very similar rounds, but my horse was just that small bit faster than his horse, and that is where the difference was.”

Daniel Coyle lifts the winning trophy with Christine Lithgow, President & CEO, AON.(Photo: © Spruce Meadows Media Services)

Speaking about the experience of jumping in the impressive atmosphere of Spruce Meadows’ International Ring for horse and rider, Coyle added, “For a young horse, it is brilliant for their experience. For an older horse that has done it for a while, they go in there and the atmosphere is different and the horse can sense that, and so can I obviously. There is always more pressure on, and some horses rise to it and some horses don’t. It is a fabulous ring; it is one of the best rings in the world, and there is always a crowd here. It is a lovely place to jump.”

Earlier in the day, Coyle also topped the Jayman Cup FEI 1.40m competition in the All Canada Ring, guiding Susan Grange’s Somerset to victory.

The ‘North American’ Tournament, presented by Rolex, continues on Thursday featuring the ATCO Cup 1.50m, the Sun Life Financial ‘Reach for the Sun’ 1.50m, and the Progress Energy Cup 1.55m.

For a complete tournament schedule and full results, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.

Final Results: AON Cup 1.50m
1 FORTIS FORTUNA Belgian Sport Horse / M / 11 / Quidam de Revel x Carthago DANIEL COYLE (IRL) Susan & Ariel Grange: 0/60.50
2 KANISSO Oldenburg / G / 11 / Kannan x Quick Star CONOR SWAIL (IRL) Ilan Ferder: 0/60.66
3 CORNANCER Westphalian / M / 10 / Cornet Oblensky x Lancer II RICHARD SPOONER (USA) Little Valley Farm: 0/62.28
4 UJADE STE HERMELLE Selle Francais / M / 8 / Diamant de Semilly x Paladin des Ifs ALBERTO MICHAN (MEX) Ilan Ferder: 0/62.79
5 YPAJA YANDO Finnish Warmblood / G / 9 / / Quinar x Lasino RICHIE MOLONEY (IRL) Equinimity LLC: 0/64.46
6 CANDELA Oldenburg / M / 11 / Cornet Obolensky x Dinard L PATRICIO PASQUEL (MEX) Patricio Pasquel: 0/65.03
7 CAYETANA Selle Francais / M / 10 / Robin II x Krishna de la Bride NIKOLAJ HEIN RUUS (DEN) Gerardo Pasquel: 0/65.55
8 QUESTER DE VIRTON Selle Francais / G / 12 / Kashmir Van T Schuttershof x Aiglon Rouge MEREDITH DARST (USA) Meredith Darst LLC: 0/66.26
9 CORNISHMAN Oldenburg / G / 10 / Cornet Obolensky x Argentinus BRETTON CHAD (CAN) Stone Ridge Farms LLC: 0/67.15
10 WANNICK WH Dutch Warmblood / S / 13 / Heartbreaker x Joost CHRISTINE MCCREA (USA) Candy Tribble: 0/67.75
11 BRUGAL VDL Dutch Warmblood / S / 10 / Indorado x Guidam JONATHAN MCCREA (USA) Candy Tribble: 0/68.19
12 AL CALYPSO Hanoverian / G / 14 / Askari x Calypso II MANUEL FERNANDEZ HACHE (DOM) Aristides & Maribel Fernandez Zucco: 0/69.26