After winning the CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix at Thunderbird Show Park in 2018, Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Cita returned to their winning ways with a facile victory Saturday evening in the CSIO5* $36,500 tbird Cup in Langley.
The week marked the first outing for the 13-year-old Holsteiner mare since September. The penultimate pair to contest the six-horse jump-off, Coyle and Cita posted a time that could not be beaten, crossing the timers of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened 1.50m track in 38.03 seconds. First to go in the jump-off, Karrie Rufer (USA) and Georgine d’Auvray EC finished second (39.93 seconds), and Jordan Coyle (IRL) and Picador were third (40.85 seconds).
Patricio Pasquel (MEX), winner of Friday’s $235,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix, had Coyle’s time with Pomerol, but the duo pulled a rail halfway through the track to finish fifth.
“If you asked her for everything, she’ll always give it to you,” Coyle said of Cita, “but I knew I had Patricio behind me, and he was going to be very fast. I said, ‘Okay, I’ll be as fast as I can,’ but at the same time, she has to have a lot of fun. She’s that age. She’s not that old, but she’s older, and if a horse that’s older doesn’t enjoy herself, she’s not going to have much time left.”
Coyle identified his mount’s stride and their track between the jump-off’s first two fences as the keys to victory.
“I had [Irish Chef d’Equipe] Michael Blake at the gate, and he said that I could do eight strides on a straight [path] from [fences] one to two,” Coyle explained. “Once I had that done, the rest of the round was just about being neat and tidy. [Cita] is incredibly quick anyway. She has such a big stride for a smaller horse. I didn’t really see Karrie and wasn’t sure if beat her, but I’m happy!”
Thunderbird Show Park COO Chris Pack, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Val Mica and owner Ariel Grange, of Lothlorien Farm, present the winning cooler to Daniel Coyle and Cita. Photo by tbird/Cealy Tetley.
Knowing his mount’s talent, Coyle is carefully mapping out Cita’s return to a 100-percent fitness level.
“I didn’t expect her to come back so quickly the way she has,” he said. “She feels incredible and probably as good as she has in the last year. I won’t push her too much now.”
Menezes Wins $36,500 CSI2* Jump for Uryadi’s Village Grand Prix
Besting a 15-horse jump-off, Eduardo Menezes (BRA) took home the victory with Ennebel van het Posthuijs in the CSI2* Jump for Uryadi’s Village Grand Prix.
But that wasn’t close to being his biggest victory of the day.
Menezes contributed to more than $100,000 being raised for Uryadi’s Village, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support vulnerable children, particularly orphans and children with special needs, around the globe in countries like Ethiopia. The organization is spearheaded by Jennifer Crooks, a former international show jumper who, together with her husband Mike, has adopted 13 children, many with special needs.
“My son Matteo has Down Syndrome,” Menezes explained, “and what [Jennifer] does is unbelievable. It’s really breathtaking. I can’t talk to her without getting emotional.”
The Jump for Uryadi’s Village Grand Prix has a charitable component. Each time the first fence—the Uryadi’s Village jump—was cleared, a pledge was made to the organization. An anonymous Canadian donor also agreed to match donations up to $50,000. By day’s end, a record amount of fundraising took place.
Menezes, however, supported Uryadi’s Village long before entering the arena. He has sponsored two children through the Uryadi’s Village program. One child was adopted, so he sponsored another, this time a little girl in Ethiopia.
“We were involved as soon as we knew about it,” Menezes said. “We love the program. For me, it’s an opportunity. Jennifer and [the people involved with the organization] are not ordinary people. We’ve tried to help as much as we could, and we for sure will be there as much as we can.”
Menezes’ winning mount is a new partner for him. He acquired the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare at the end of 2018 and is excited about her future.
[When I got her], she had no experience,” Menezes explained. “Basically, these have been the first classes that she’s done at this height. She’s just fantastic and has great character. She’s like having a pet—a big one!”
For more information, visit Thunderbird Show Park’s website at tbird.ca.
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