Jordan Coyle recorded the biggest win of his career to-date in the early hours of Sunday morning, when he came out on top in the Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix at Leon in Mexico with the 10-year-old gelding Eristov.
Just two of the 21 starters managed to jump clear in the opening round, with Derry-born Coyle drawn first to go in the jump-off.
Coyle crossed the line clear in 40.37 seconds to put the pressure on Mexico’s Salvador Onate and Big Red, who were fresh off a win in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Guadalajara just two weeks prior.
Onate would have to settle for second place on this occasion after a clear in 41.96 failed to beat the target set by Coyle.
Federico Fernandez and Davidoff finished third, having recorded just a single time fault in the first round.
"My horse is naturally very fast," Coyle said. "Going first, I wasn’t sure what to do, as I’m new to Mexico [and this show circuit]. I went as fast as I could go, and it worked. On a day like this, I don’t think there are many horses in the world that are as good as him [Eristov] This is without a doubt my biggest win so far."
The result has moved Coyle up to 16th place on the FEI World Cup North American Western Sub-League, with one more round remaining at Live Oak in Florida before the 2019 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden.
