Ageless Farrel defies the odds to secure triumph for Ardmore's Daniel Coyle
Despite narrowly missing out on the President's Cup gold, the Derry rider praises his companion’s heart and incredible recovery
Conor Swail was the toast of San Miguel de Allende at the weekend, winning both international classes, at five-star and two-star level to bring his tally of victories for the week in Mexico to three.
Two of those were at five-star level and he completed the Grand Prix double into the bargain. The three wins were provided by different horses and a fourth bagged two podiums. It was utter domination.
His close friend, Ardmore man and former protégé Daniel Coyle was in similar form in Upper Marlboro, bagging a five-star win as well as a pair of Grands Prix silver medals, with Shane Sweetnam’s third just behind his Olympic teammate in the World Cup class moving the Cork man to the top of the North American League.
The five-star jumper division kicked off at the 2026 Washington International Horse Show, presented by MARS Equestrian, in ideal fashion for Coyle on Thursday, as the Olympian guided Farrel (Ariel Grange) to top spot in the Welcome Stake.
A total of 11 qualified for the tiebreaker after Colm Quinn’s initial test and Farrel’s low centre of gravity proved ideal in the tight and twisty turns on his first indoor outing in many years. His electric time of 35.23 was more than a second clear of Israel’s Mark Bluman, with Landon de Nyze
It was a 23rd FEI ranking win for Farrel, the now 16-year-old that missed four years of action through injury, before a barely credible recovery that has allowed him to enjoy an Indian Summer.
Coyle was understandably overjoyed by his success in a class he has previously won with another Grange-owned legend, his now-retired super mare, Legacy.
“Farrel is so handy in these small arenas, and we haven’t done indoors in a few years like this at the top level, so it’s nice to kick it off with a win,” he acknowledged. “He’s a real partner of mine, and we can go anywhere together.
“Most horses are a lot harder to turn, but with an old partner like this, he already knows if I lean one way, he’s away before me. What makes you fast, especially in a small indoor like this is turning back to the fences. And I think tonight, from the third to the fourth jump, that was a real spot where I earned a lot of time.
“There’s only one way to attack this, and it’s from the beginning and hope I get away with it,” he revealed of his plan. “At least then it gives them something to challenge. Everything came up the way I wanted it to.”
Coyle revealed that winning the FEI Jumping World Cup was a major target and the pair went close to securing the President’s Cup, with the Co Derry athlete feeling like he didn’t make the best of the opportunity, albeit they did come away with the silver medal.
This was five and a half years after Farrel won a World Cup leg in Ocala. The pair, who first joined forces when the gelding was seven, had won a World Cup before that, in Langley, in 2019.
As third pair in the definitive round, they made it very interesting with a time of 37.13 thanks to some breathtaking turns but Coyle felt they could have done better and he was proved correct, as Lillie Keenan and Kick On shaved of 0.44 seconds and kept the rails in place to emerge triumphant.
“My plan didn’t go according to plan at all,” admitted Coyle. “Already from the third to fourth jump, I tried to leave in seven strides and didn’t make it, same as Lillie, but also to the last fence. Farrel was very, very handy and very, very fast. I was still quite fast, but I knew I left the door open a little bit.”
It was not long after winning in Ocala that Farrel developed a cyst on his stifle, which shuffled him into a premature retirement. Grange, keen for the gelding to live out his life in comfort, opted for him to have surgery and gradually, the diminutive, spirited winner told them he wasn’t done yet. Having won regularly in the past year or so, and also been part of Ireland’s Aga Khan Cup runner-up team at the RDS this year, he is as competitive as ever.
“He loves the sport more than people. I thought if I could get him back to doing some speed classes, it would be a miracle, but to have him at the top of the sport is unbelievable. I’m really, really lucky to have him.”
Coyle partnered his Lothlorien patron’s very promising eight-year-old Nord Face to second in the two-star Grand Prix also. There was no matching the 32.22 registered by JJ Torano (USA) with I Am Inge in the jump-off but a fantastic double clear and a speed time of 33.37 was an impressive return.