Daniel Coyle & Urville Z Are Unstoppable in $65,000 Budweiser Grand Prix CSI2*

Ocala, FL – The $65,000 Budweiser Grand Prix CSI2* opened international competition on Sunday as 38 horse-and-rider combinations representing 11 nations competed for the win. In the end, it was Ireland’s Daniel Coyle who piloted his brand-new partner, Urville Z (Ukato x Crown Z), owned by Ariel Grange, to her second consecutive grand prix victory.

Peter Grant (CAN) laid the grand prix tracks for Sunday’s classes, and the two-star proved to be quite the challenge with a tight time allowed and several delicate lines. Nine combinations managed to jump clear in the first round to return for the jump-off.

Jad Dana (LBN) was the first to return with Leonidas and was quick in 35.71 seconds, but had an unlucky rail at the plank fence.

Nicholas Dello Joio (USA) was next and delivered a clear round riding Meralex Farm, Inc.’s nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding Elvis de L’othain Z (Elvis Ter Putte x Quidam De Revel) in 36.58 seconds to put the pressure on the rest.

Next in was Daniel Coyle, who has been on quite a streak, and his new partner, Urville Z, has been racking up podium finishes. “I can’t say enough good things about her,” Coyle expressed. “She’s done two grands prix and won both of them. If I can ride her well, she’s going to catch the jumps, which is a really nice feeling. It’s special because she rarely has a fence down, and if there is one, it’s my fault,” he laughed. “Even in the warmup, she doesn’t miss a fence, and at home she hasn’t touched a rail. She’s so special.”

Coyle returned with the careful 13-year-old Zangersheide mare and hoped to continue the streak. “I was lucky enough to have Jad Dana in front of me because Jad is always fast, and unfortunately, he had a fence down. Unfortunate for him, but it left the door open for me. I didn’t have to go too crazy in the jump-off, just enough.”

With a clean time of 35.52 seconds, the pair rose to the top of the leaderboard and couldn’t be caught.

Urville Z will get a nice break next week while Coyle sets his sights on the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala, where he was third last year with Incredible. “The World Cup™ last year was its first year here. There was a very fast jump-off, a packed house, and a lot of people. It was very exciting, so I hope for the same again this year,” he shared. “But the show here is just phenomenal, and even for a horse like Urville, who’s kind of new to me and new to the levels in the two-stars, and to have Farrel in the four-stars, you can just do anything here. I’m lucky, and I can’t wait for next week.” 

Samantha Schaefer (USA), winner of the CSI2* Speed class earlier in the week with James Bond HX (Douglas x Cash), continued that momentum on Sunday. She piloted the 12-year-old KWPN gelding to a speedy, clear round in 36.38 seconds to take over second place, putting Dello Joio into third.

$65,000 Budweiser Grand Prix CSI2* Results 

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes! 

This event is made possible through the support of our generous sponsors and marketing partners, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau.