Jordan Coyle extended his lead in the Connolly’s Red Mills Spring Tour as he claimed his second consecutive win at Ravensdale last Sunday.

Last to go, riding Jim Maneely’s nine-year-old gelding Amigo VH Winkenshof Z, the Derry rider was almost three seconds faster than his closest rival when stopping the clock in 37.14.

A delighted Coyle said: “It’s great to have won in Cavan last week and then do it again this week. The horse is small but has a lot of scope and is very fast against the clock. To be honest, I could not say where I made up the time. He is very careful so I can take the tight turns with him. I was chasing Suzanne’s [Posnett] target and I just went for it. I think he would also be a really good horse for the children on horses classes. The plan is to take in a few more of the tours but not to overdo it with him as he is the only horse that I have at this level at the moment.”

It was a good week for the Coyle family as Jordan’s brother Daniel, riding Tennyson, took the win in the 1.40m speed class in the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida when recording the fastest clear in 57.01 seconds.

Suzanne Posnett and Maxim Van Overis Z was the only other combination to maintain a clean sheet within the 39-second barrier in Ravensdale and a time of 39.93 seconds saw her slot into the runner-up spot. The 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding by Machno Carwyn and out of Latina Z has been produced by Posnett from a young horse with much success.

Double handed in the 10-way jump-off, Kenneth Graham opted for the more cautious approach and it paid off as he slotted into third with Lyrical when clear in 40.66. Not content with third place, Graham also took fourth with Democrat when clear in 44.52.

Local rider John Floody had his eye on the red rosette and he maximised his chances of a win when securing two places in the timed round. Riding HTS Blackrock, a tight turn back to the last oxer cost him dearly as it fell to the floor, but finishing as the fastest four-faulter proved good enough for sixth place. Floody also put in another blistering round with Mise Le Meas but an unlucky four faults in 39.42 saw him take seventh place. Overall it was a good outing for the Floody stable as Owen McCamley, who has been based with Floody for the past three years, took fifth place with Belle De Reve Z after posting a clear in 49.79 for fifth.

Kildare’s Nicola FitzGibbon riding FTS C’Mon Girl also crossed the line carrying four faults but her time of 42.37 saw her take eventual eighth in the BeepBeep.ie-sponsored class.

The leading young rider of this round was Luke Garrigan while Deirdre Doyle took the top pro-am prize. The Castlefield Young Horse winner on this occasion was Lee Johnston’s eight-year-old stallion Democrat. The next round of the tour will take place on Sunday at Wexford Equestrian.