February 13, 2025 – Ocala, FL – World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) welcomed a world-class field of horses and riders on Thursday, February 13, to compete in the $117,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix Qualifier CSI5*-W, part of the first five-star event of the 2025 season during the Winter Spectacular Show Series. A familiar face in the winner’s circle at WEC – Ocala, Daniel Coyle (IRL) rode Farrel, owned by Ariel Grange, to victory. This five-star week culminates with the $300,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala on Saturday evening, February 15.
The Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix Qualifier had 47 entries – including 10 Olympians and the reigning individual Olympic gold medalist, Christian Kukuk (GER) – and 19 were clear in the first round to advance to the jump-off over a course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR). There were nine clear rounds in the jump-off, and three chose not to return.
Following a common theme for the 2025 WEC – Ocala circuit of grand prix qualifiers, a large field was clear to jump-off. “There are so many good horses and riders here this year, and in every qualifier, there are a lot of players,” said Daniel Coyle. “It was not a surprise. They had built the course very well. At the end of the course, four fences in a row in a related line usually causes more problems than it did, but I think Bernardo did a great job today.”
U.S. Olympic team gold medalist Laura Kraut set the early pace to beat in the jump-off at 40.91 seconds with the quick and handy Dorado 212, a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Diarado’s Boy x Chacco-Blue) owned by St. Bride’s Farm. Their time would hold up for third place.
With a chance at the oxer across the middle of the ring, British rider Charlie Jones and Capitale 6, owned by Morning Star Sporthorses LLC, just squeaked into second place with a time of 40.72 seconds.
Jones made the move from Great Britain to California to work for Lindsay Maxwell four years ago. After meeting his girlfriend Bretton Chad, a top show jumper for Canada, he moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they run a training and sales business. Two years ago, Jones rode Capitale 6, known as “Speedy Pete” in the barn, for owner Karrie Rufer. When health issues kept Rufer out of the show ring, Jones kept the ride.
“I fell in love with him, and I wanted to buy him, and she came to me and told me I didn’t need to buy him because I could just keep riding him,” said Jones of the 14-year-old Holsteiner stallion (San Patrignano Cassini x For Pleasure).
Jones saw Kraut go in the jump-off but did not make his jump-off plan based on other rides. “I just have to let him gallop,” he explained. “He can have a really big stride or a short one depending on what you’re doing because he’s so adjustable. I just set in the gallop, did the seven strides from one to two and then I had a really long shot over to the oxer which put me in that fast rhythm, and I just stayed in it. Daniel got me to the last — he had more pace to the last jump.”
This was the fifth five-star competition for Capitale 6 and Jones, who was beaming following the class. “This is my best five-star result to date, and it means everything to me because this is what I want to do,” he expressed.
As the final combination in the jump-off, Coyle knew he had nothing to lose. He and Farrel were tidy through the turns, but it was the gallop to the final Lugano Diamonds vertical that earned them the win.
Coyle went in the jump-off with his first horse Incredible, which he described as “big, long, rangey, and scopey,” and he felt that “it would be hard for me to keep up with Farrel because he is the smallest horse out there, and he is not the fastest horse.”
However, Coyle used Farrel’s handiness throughout the jump-off course until the final jump. “Going across the center, I’m sure there were people who did less strides, but the one thing he’s good at is turning tight to the fences. I tried to get them that way and thankfully I did,” he noted.
“I went back to my old habits,” admitted Coyle of his ride to the last fence. “I had eye surgery recently and usually when the jump is that far away, you’d better not look. At the last fence, I didn’t look at all. I just galloped as fast as I could and tried to pick up the distance near the end. Thankfully it worked out. I’ve been doing that my whole life, but now I can see a little better.”
Coyle plans to ride Incredible in Saturday night’s grand prix but is pleased that Farrel continues to feel in fighting form at 15 years old. Farrel returned to competition in 2024 following a more than three-year break after the COVID pandemic and an injury.
“He doesn’t think he’s 15 years old,” said Coyle of the KWPN gelding by Cardento x Stakkato. “Last year already he was starting to show that he can do it, and most importantly, he wants to do it.”
Competition at WEC – Ocala this week continues on Friday, February 14, at 3 p.m. in the $62,500 1.50m Winning Round CSI5*-W. International riders will compete in the $62,500 1.50m Speed CSI5*-W on Saturday, February 15, at 1 p.m., and the highlight class of the week, the $300,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala, will start at 7 p.m. on Saturday. General admission tickets for Saturday are still available for purchase HERE. More information on the week’s events can be found HERE.