Daniel Coyle has become the first Irish rider to win the five-star Grand Prix of Rotterdam since 1964, after a brilliant performance saw him claim victory aboard Carlyle.
Fourteen of the 45 starters made it into the jump-off and six of those had gone clear in the second round when Coyle entered the arena as last to go.
The Derry man is always among the favourites when it comes to beating the clock, and he was at his brilliant best as he crossed the line clear in 36.69 seconds to take victory.
Kevin Jochems (NED) with Cornetboy took second place in 37.20 seconds, while Frenchman Julien Epaillard took third place with Caracole de la Roque (37.49 seconds).Speaking after his victory, Coyle admitted:
“To be honest, we weren’t the most hopeful heading into the competition. With this horse, you don’t really know beforehand what you’re going to get. But last Thursday he did very well and so I decided to also ride him in the Grand Prix. And he did his very best for me today.”
