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Coyle
6th At Gothenburg - Qualifies For World Cup Final |
IRELAND'S
Trevor Coyle tonight (Saturday) secured his place in the April Show
Jumping World Cup Final in Las Vegas with a sixth place in the final
qualifying competition of the season at Gothenburg, Sweden, earning
himself a vital ten points, which now places him at 14th in the
World Cup Rankings. Only 18 riders from Western Europe, plus the
reigning World Cup holder, Rodrigo Pessoa, can compete for the Cup.
Coyle
last qualified for the World Cup in 1999, when he impressively finished
in Second Place at the Final with the Irish-bred stallion <Cruising>.
Until recently, however, he has held a low profile on the international
jumping scene, but this season bounced back into the limelight with
a string of new horses owned by the Beverley Farm Stud
in California, the most prominent being Fleur, whom Coyle piloted
to 6th Place in today's last qualifier for the Cup Final.
Worryingly,
Coyle failed to improve upon his equal-16th place in the World Cup
rankings at both Dortmund (Germany) and 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands)
earlier this month, apparently due to an injury sustained by his
top horse, Fleur, and even more worryingly, failed to even make
it into the Top 40 at yesterday's pre-World Cup Qualifier at Gothenburg.
But
a Sixth today proved more than enough to see off those riders snapping
at his heels in the rankings, and the Armagh man will be Ireland's
sole representative at Las Vegas (April 16-20), where he will get
his second chance in five years to take the coveted trophy in a
showdown with the world's top riders.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSI-W GOTEBORG, SWEDEN, MARCH 27-30
FEI
World Cup Jumping
Final Competition in the Western European League
FEI Art. 238.1.2 Table A 1m60 with one jump-off
Saturday, 29 March 2003
1)
GRANIE 5; Markus FUCHS (SUI) Faults 0.00/0.00 Time 44.13
2) JOLI COEUR 6; Franke SLOOTHAAK (GER) Faults 0.00/0.00 Time 58.31
3) H&M BUTTERFLY FLIP; Malin BARYARD (SWE) Faults 0.00/4.00
Time 42.75
6)
FLEUR; Trevor COYLE (IRL) Faults 0.00/4.00 Time 58.82
=8) of 10 PAAVO N; Jessica KURTEN (IRL) Faults 4.00 Time 77.12
http://www.horsesport.ie
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