Irish Top Four in $135,000 Old Salem Grand Prix

Several entries from Ireland secured the top four placings in Sunday’s $135,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix Presented by The Kincade Group/UBS Financial Services, Inc., which welcomed 34 horse-and-rider combinations representing seven countries to close out the first week of competition at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows. One of only six to post a double-clear score, Jordan Coyle flew ahead of his fellow competitors aboard Keep Me With You N.C. to win in 34.67 seconds.

Darragh Kenny (IRL) claimed second and third, respectively, with Amsterdam 27 (pictures) and Zero K. (SEL Photography)

One of the premier stops on the American hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows host competitions for riders of all levels and ages, ranging from young children on ponies to Olympic veterans aboard their grand prix mounts. Week 1 (May 6-11) was USEF ‘National-6’ rated for hunters and jumpers and designated FEI CSI3*; Week 2 (May 13-18) is USEF ‘Premier-6’ rated and designated FEI CSI4*.

Course designer Alan Wade set a technical 16-effort course at 1.55m for the $135,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix, narrowing the field of 34 entries to 11 in the jump-off. Pathfinder Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) set the time to beat at 38.74 seconds with Faquitol-S, only for Coyle to gallop well ahead in 34.67 seconds aboard Falkirk Farm LLC’s 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare and ultimately clinch the win.

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“My strategy was to just let her go a little bit,” Coyle said. “She’s incredibly fast when I do that, and I try to just stay off her and go with it. I think there are some really good days to come with this horse.”

Coyle’s fellow Irishmen Darragh Kenny and Philip McGuane also caught Sternlicht’s time, but fell at least 1.66 seconds short of Coyle’s. “When Darragh returns later in the order, it’s not often that he doesn’t go for it, but to be honest, I think he surrendered himself on his second horse,” Coyle said. “I don’t think he gave it 110 percent like we normally do, but he was also with a very good horse. He’s probably thinking of very good days to come, too.”

Kenny rounded out the podium with his two mounts, earning second aboard Vlock Show Stables LLC’s 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding Amsterdam 27 (0/0/36.33) (formerly ridden by Mario Deslauriers) and third aboard Oakland Training & Sales LLC’s 11-year-old Danish Warmblood mare Zero K (0/0/36.80). McGuane took fourth place with Orphea HQ, Evergate Stables LLC’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (0/0/37.28), while Sternlicht and Starlight 1 Farms LLC’s 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding ultimately landed in fifth. (Canadians placed 6th – Mario Deslauriers riding Costa Quick PS, and 8th – Tiffany Foster on Electrique.)

“We got very lucky in buying this horse,” Coyle said of Keep Me With You N.C. “I don’t think that you can buy horses like this very often. We’re going to try to keep her for as long as we can. There might come a day when I’m going to be very upset to lose her, but for now, we’re very proud to have her. She won the final grand prix in Ocala, and then this was always the next event for her. After this, she’ll have a few weeks off, and then we’ll take her to Spruce Meadows for some training in the smaller classes. Maybe in the fall, we’ll work up to something else like this.”

Results here.