Jordan Coyle shines on the opening day of the 4* Summer Showcase aboard For Gold

The exciting talent converged on the Longines Tops International Arena for day one of the Summer Festival 2: Summer Showcase. It was a strong showing for the Netherlands on the first day of action but it was Irish rider Jordan Coyle who secured the top spot in Friday’s 4* Grand Prix Qualifier. 

Winner of Summer Festival 1’s 4* Grand Prix, Khaled Almobty entered the arena aboard his mount Spacecake. The Saudi Arabian rider masterfully navigated the course, taking a risk with a big jump over the last fence. The crowd cheered as he crossed the finish line, posting the first clear round of the class.  

Riding on home turf, Niels Tacken opted for a strategic round with Cordis Totalis Z. Tacken delivered the second clear of the class thus far aboard the 11 year old bay gelding. Next up was American show jumping icon Laura Kraut and Confu. Kraut expertly piloted Confu through the course, stopping the clock at 74.53 seconds and jumping tentatively into second place. 

Jordan Coyle of Ireland was next to go. Having already claimed a victory today in the CSI2* Big Tour 1.45m class, Coyle was on the hunt for another win. Riding full gas across the gorgeous grass arena, he stopped the clock at 65.45 seconds, taking the lead with his 13 year old bay gelding For Gold. When asked about his win, Coyle explained that he had a good feeling in the arena, saying “It’s always nice to win. I think he jumped very well today.” He went on to say, “It’s my first time competing in Europe other than the Dublin Horse Show. It’s really fantastic here. I would like to win all the classes this weekend. I actually have some very good horses here. So fingers crossed!”

French rider Cyrine Cherif delivered a controlled and rhythmic round with I'am Moerhoeve's Princess Z, coming home on a clean sheet. Kevin Jochems of the Netherlandswas next to go. The Dutch rider mastered the course aboard his mount Name It, stopping the clock at 71.38 seconds, enough to secure third place. Bartram Allen of Ireland looked confident and relaxed as he entered the arena with Caprisco, delivering a smooth, clear round. 

Local hero Henk van de Pol sailed through the course with B Captain Norman, coming home clean. Fellow Dutchman Harrie Smolders was next up. The Dutch sensation made quick work of the course aboard Springfield 21, securing a top five finish.

Great Britain's Robert Murphy and Catch-Me van Berkenbroeck delivered a clear round but were not quite able to catch the lightning fast Coyle, stopping the clock at 79.27 seconds. Italy’s Emmanuele Gaudina and Julius.D were in top form as they raced across the expansive grass arena. Despite four faults on course, the Italian rider stopped the clock at an impressive 68.54 seconds. 

Dutch rider Wout-Jan van der Schans delivered a flawless round and came home clear with the 11 year old A.S Damascene. Last to go was fellow Dutch rider Manon Hees aboard her mount Picco. The pair rode clear and smooth, securing another clear round for the Netherlands. 

As day one wrapped up, spectators and riders gathered in the Place du Concours to celebrate the first day of competition. Spirits were high as the Longnes Tops International Arena prepared for the next two days of Summer Festival 2. Join us for what is shaping up to be a thrilling weekend of competition in Valkenswaard.

CSI1* Grand Prix Qualification 1.35m

Dutch Aniek Diks from Vorstenbosch in Brabant always performs well at Longines Tops International Arena and this morning she was in typical top form. In the CSI1* Grand Prix Qualification 1.35m class she was the fastest, riding the eight-year-old BWP gelding Qointreau van't Hoogeinde (Stakkato x Echo van ‘t Spieveld) across the finish line in 57.18 seconds. This gelding was also very successful at the Summer Festival 1 a fortnight ago with a victory and two third places including in the 1* Grand Prix. Aniek had nothing but praise for her horse: “He gave me a very good feeling! He is so extremely fast by nature that you don't have to put in much effort.” Ralph Slaats from Waalre was in the lead for a long time but saw his hopes of winning go up in smoke when Diks, as the second-to-last starter, managed to improve on  time. As a result, he had to settle for second place with a time of 58.52 seconds aboard Forbio VH Moeshof (SF, Numero Uno x Capital). Sweden's Ida Svensson came third with the Italian-bred 17-year-old mare Aplux.

CSIYH1* Two Phase Special 1.30m/1.35m

The Young Horses were the first in the impeccable grass arena this morning for the CSIYH1* Two Phase Special 1.30m/1.35m class for 6 and 7 year old horses. Top rider Sanne Thijssen took the top spot on the podium after a beautiful, fast round with her seven-year-old KWPN gelding Monfaut Gumo MP (Comme Il Faut 5 x Numero Uno). During the round, the 25-year-old from Sevenum felt she was not fast enough, “I had a very good feeling, but I thought I was not fast enough for the win. However, it turned out to be enough. Gumo feels best on grass and especially on such nice grass like here in Valkenswaard.” Danish rider Christian Svendgaard finished second aboard Capitano d'Augustijn Z (Zang, H&M Cabrio van de Heffinck x Winningmood), making him the best six-year-old in this exciting competition. Maikel van der Vleuten came in third with the seven-year-old Horizontal (Casall x Quick Star), a breeding product of Tops Stables.

CSI1* Two Phase 1.20m
The Dutch proved unbeatable on the first morning of Summer Festival 2: Summer Showcase at the Longines Tops International Arena. The CSI1* Two Phase 1.20m class saw yet another Dutch rider, Piet Raijmakers Jr, take the top spot. The rider from Asten rode as the second-to-last combination, with Van Schijndel's Hanibal (KWPN, Van Schijndel's Rascin) through the course at a breakneck pace, stopping the clock at 29.23 seconds. Raijmakers was happy with his mount Hanibal: “Hanibal did it again! My feeling as always was very good. Hanibal actually always does it. He hasn't run one show this year where he hasn't won at least one class and here in Valkenswaard he actually always wins something.” Raijmakers Jr's good performance relegated South Africa’s Karin Kruger to second place. She rode her second phase in 30.66 seconds with her 12-year-old BWP mare My Dimont van het Bildeken (Diamant de Semilly x Burggraaf). Vronie van de Rijt (NED) finished in third place with Neil Diamo d'Art (BWP, Andiamo Z x Narcos II) with a time of 31.03 seconds.

CSI4* Two Phase 1.45m

Koen Vereecke claimed first place in the CSI4* Two Phase 1.45m riding Oilily de Muze. The Belgian rider narrowly claimed victory, coming home just 0.01 seconds faster than second placed Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann of Germany riding High Level 6. Vereecke was not expecting a win on day one, saying, “my feeling was good. I said in advance that I just wanted to ride a quiet but smooth lap because it is the first day. Anyway, it went very well and a victory is always nice. So I hope I can be here more often doing the winner’s interviews this weekend.” Roberto Teran Tafur rounded out the top three. The Columbian rider delivered a smooth, clear round aboard his mount Iron Maiden. Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen of Denmark riding Lolita ES and the USA’s Laura Kraut aboard Tres Bien Z completed the top five.

CSI2* Medium Tour 1.40m

The 2* Medium Tour 1.40m competition was won by Nadja Peter Steiner with her 10-year-old gelding Harry KM. The 39-year-old rider, who was born in Switzerland but lives in France, took an early lead when she managed to set a superfast time of 30.27 seconds as the 11th starter. Nadja was pleased with her horse Harry: “He is always top fit and gives his very best. He is an amazing horse and it is also an amazing feeling to have won here.” Dutch Yoni van Santvoort managed to come closest to Steiner's time. She stopped the clock at 30.72 with her 9-year-old KWPN mare Kathleen S (Eldorado van de Zeshoek x No Ski), earning second place. Third place went to Iñigo Lopez De La Osa Franco (MON) who had saddled the SF stallion Golden Diamond (Diamant de Semilly x Deauville van t L.) in this competition and galloped across the finish line in 32.21 seconds.