Thermal, California, USA – December 03, 2022 – Irish riders continued their winning streak Saturday morning at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) as Daniel Coyle (IRL) topped the $40,000 La Quinta Resort & Club Grand Prix CSI 2* with Ariel Grange’s Jeffrey Jarden.
The first-round course, set by Michel Vaillancourt (CAN), saw 10 clear rounds, of which Coyle laid down the quickest jump-off time by only a small margin. Clocking in at 37.30 seconds, Jeffrey Jarden took his first FEI win, though the 8-year-old gelding (Bustique x Warrant) has come close to a win with Coyle in the irons.
“We bought him last year at the Hendrix auction and I only started riding him a few months ago,” Coyle said of his winning mount. “I went to a three-star in Kentucky and my first horse wasn’t performing very well so I decided to jump [Jeffrey] in the Grand Prix and we got third place. So I thought maybe this horse is better than we first originally thought. From that point forward he’s been great in every FEI class he’s been in.”
Ashlee Bond (ISR) and Chill Ma (Crunch 3 x Alcatraz), owned by Ilan Ferder, took second-place honors, doing so after penalty-free jump-off performance in 37.58 seconds.
Jordan Coyle (IRL) finished in third with Costa Diam (Componist Champblanc x Allegretto), owned by Elan Farm, matching the clean scorecard of the top two combinations while securing the bronze in 38.91 seconds.
“We didn’t try him,” Coyle continued regarding his and Grange’s decision to purchase the horse. “We just watched and connected to this horse and she bought him. He’s been brilliant.”
This is Coyle’s first trip out to DIHP, and so far the results and the experience have been great. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to come because usually at this time we take a little break,” he explained. “But I have a few more horses here and I really like [DIHP] and Major League. The shows are a real contender with the world. I’ll definitely come back here because I like it here. The weather is good and it’s very relaxing.”
Final Results – $40,000 La Quinta Resort & Club Grand Prix CSI 2*
1) Daniel Coyle (IRL) & Jeffrey Jarden – 0 / 0 – 37.30
2) Ashlee Bond (ISR) & Chill Ma – 0 / 0 – 37.58
3) Jordan Coyle (IRL) & Costa Diam – 0 / 0 – 38.91
Source: Press Release by Tori Bilas for Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © ESI Photography
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Categories: CSI 2*, English, Jumper News Ireland
