During the penultimate day of competition on May 25 for the first week of the HITS-On-The-Hudson series, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement as spectators and exhibitors alike prepared for the first Saturday grand prix. After a successful start to the week at HITS Hudson Valley in which he took all three top finishes in Thursday’s $25,000 Alliant Private Client Cup, Jordan Coyle (IRL) doubled down on his wins, this time taking the victory in the $75,000 John Deere Grand Prix.
Bringing forth four mounts for Saturday’s main event, Coyle once again gave himself top odds. At the finale of the first round, he was set to return on two of his entries. However, with a field of 10 advancing to the jump-off, he still had his work cut out for him. As all but two of the short course contenders produced a double clear effort, success in the class simply came down to a fast time, which is one thing Coyle does incredibly well.
“I actually just got her at the end of the Florida circuit,” Coyle commented of Jorisca, the Falkirk Farm’s 10-year-old KWPN mare (Dantos x Larino). “She’s a little bit more experienced than some of my other horses and her turns were incredibly smooth today.”
The mare’s experience paid off, placing them at the top of the leaderboard with an unbeatable time of 39.4 seconds. As he often does, Coyle once again went up against himself, this time with his nine-year-old KWPN mare (Le Tot de Semilly x Indoctro), Keep Me With You N.C., and fell just short of his winning time as he stopped the clock in 39.6 seconds.
“In the last six months she has really come along unbelievably and I really believe in her,” described Coyle of Keep Me With You N.C. “Her self-awareness is unparalleled and I really think a lot of her. I have not truly ever gone against the clock with her, but I knew that the minute I pressed the ‘go’ button, it would be very fast.”
As a top-tier international athlete, Coyle has competed across the globe, but he makes it a point to incorporate HITS into his schedule.
“This is my local show and I always do very well here,” he stated. “While I do always come because of that, now what the management has done here is unbelievable. At this rate this is going to become one of the best shows in America.”
With a time of 40.2 seconds, Francois LaMontagne (CAN) quickly clocked the third and final victory gallop spot aboard his own 16-year-old Belgian Sport Horse mare (Luccianno x Kashmir van Schuttershof), Chanel Du Calvaire. For a full list of results, please visit www.showmanagementsystem.com.