The Irish rider Daniel Coyle won the Porsche Grand Prix at the CSI3* A Coruña.
The Irish rider Daniel Coyle won the Porsche Grand Prix at the CSI3* A Coruña.
The Porsche Grand Prix brought a brilliant close to the second day of the CSI3* A Coruña, which is taking place at the Casas Novas Equestrian Center alongside the European Championship. The competition ended with an exciting jump-off, where Irish rider Daniel Coyle claimed victory riding “Daydream.”
After the Porsche Grand Prix trophy ceremony, Daniel Coyle took the winner’s lap driving a Macan, a model from the sponsoring brand. That was his prize for winning the most important event of the CSI3* A Coruña. The competition featured a long course with 1.55-meter-high jumps, and among the 32 combinations, six advanced to the jump-off.
Among those qualified for the jump-off was a local Spanish rider from A Coruña, Javier González Fraga, who held his own against Olympic medalists aboard his horse “Sonic JGF,” a stallion he bred himself in Galicia. A knockdown in the decisive round placed them fourth in the final standings.
Three riders completed the jump-off without penalties, with Daniel Coyle posting the fastest time. The Irishman, who also won Wednesday’s opening qualifier for the European Championship, delivered a spectacular round with his mare “Daydream,” stopping the clock at 38.56 seconds — the winning time.
Second place went to Belgian rider of Egyptian origin, Abdel Saïd, who clocked in at 39.13 seconds with “Calvaro,” while the reigning Olympic champion, German rider Christian Kukuk, took third riding “Chageorge” with a time of 41.89 seconds.
Two Spanish riders, Carolina Aresu with “Loretta H” and Pello Elorduy with “Flonflon,” completed the initial round without knockdowns but were unable to compete in the jump-off due to incurring one time fault each for exceeding the allowed time.
Julia Bosch, CEO of Porsche Ibérica, presented the trophy to Daniel Coyle and later handed him the keys to his new Porsche Macan, with which he took the victory lap.
There was also an additional Caser Grupo Helvetia trophy for the best-placed Spanish rider in the Grand Prix, awarded to Javier González Fraga for his fantastic fourth place. The prize was presented by Eduardo Riesgo, Director of the Western Territorial Broker Network.
Movistar Trophy
Saturday’s program at Casas Novas was dedicated exclusively to the CSI3*, with two competitions. The first was the Movistar Trophy, a speed class contested by 24 combinations over 1.45-meter obstacles. Nine of them completed the course without penalties.
The Movistar Trophy saw Spanish riders dominate the top spots, with three taking the top positions in the final standings. The undeniable winner was Álava’s Álvaro González de Zárate. The technical director of Heras Horses & Events in Cantabria guided the young 8-year-old “Cornet Esmeray PS” with excellent pace and lines, which gave him an almost four-second lead over his closest rival, Julio Arias, finishing in 61.20 seconds.
The Asturian rider Julio Arias came second with the gray “Carambola,” clocking in at 65.09, while Pello Elorduy and “Champenoise de Rampan” were third with 65.64.
Three other Spanish riders also completed the course fault-free: Armando Trapote with “Matilda,” Iván Serrano with “Porsche 911 M,” and Carolina Aresu with “Adje T.”
María Muñoz Ortega, Director of Major Clients and Multinationals, Industry, Services and Retail at Telefónica España, presented the Movistar Trophy to the winner, accompanied by Álvaro Arrieta.
All equestrian fans who cannot attend Casas Novas this weekend will be able to enjoy the CSI3* competitions for free at www.clipmyhorse.tv, and the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship events at www.fei.tv.