Jordan Coyle of Derry, Northern Ireland, raced to a win in the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grand Prix, presented by Johnson Horse Transportation, on Saturday, July 29, during the fourth week of competition at the six-week Vermont Summer Festival running through August 13 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.
Six horse-rider combinations advanced to the jump-off over a track set by Canadian course designer and 1976 Olympic individual silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt. When Jean Sheptoff of Littleton, MA, opted to withdraw Coconut Z from the jump-off, five were left to battle it out for victory. Coyle secured the win by nearly three seconds, stopping the clock in 33.85 seconds riding Escalette, owned by Elan Farm.
“Before the jump-off, I told Chelsea Dwinell, who helps me at the horse shows, ‘there’s only five clear. I am going to try and win it’,” said Coyle, 24, who returned third in the jump-off order. “The worst I was going to be was fifth, so it was nice to not have too much pressure.”