Wachman, Talbot and Howley score in SpainDaniel Coyle played a major role once more in his teams triumph in the prestigious Major League Show Jumping series, combining with Ariel Granges Mourinho for a crucial clear round to lay the platform at North Carolinas Tryon InternationalIt was a second success in five MLSJ legs for the Roadrunners, who also count Shane Sweetnam amongst their numbers and though Coyles Olympic teammate was not on team duty this week, he posted some strong results at the five-star show on individual duty.Meanwhile, there were the usual consistent results in Europe, with Max Wachman and Niall Talbot victorious in Fridays pair of international classes at the two-star show in Oliva, where Richard Howley followed up on Saturday.The MLSJ series has eight competing teams and the format involves half of those being dropped after the initial speed class.By the time Coyle entered the ring with the horse, sharing a name with famously successful though immodest soccer manager, the requirement was evident to ensure progress.A speed class it may have been, but while he won the equivalent the previous week with Calippo 57 (Grange), this is not about individual glory and with a steady round sufficient, the Derry man and Mourinho (below) made no mistake.That ensured the Roadrunners spot in the next phase and Coyles teammates brought it home from there. Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Gaby de Bourcel had one rai down but McLain Ward (USA) and Hialita B got the key clear to secure a top-two berth. The gold medal match was a shootout against Northern Lights, and Erynn Ballard and Gaby de Courcel did the business.I find this a great class when youre on a great team and do two rounds every week. Its a big advantage, said a delighted Coyle.Sweetnam and Pia Maria H (below) have been clear round machines for the Roadrunners in previous weeks and they were at it again when finishing third in the opening Grand Prix qualifier.Though the first to deliver a double clear, they were there to be shot at with a time of 38.09 and Richard Vogel (GER), with the prodigiously talented eight-year-old Diatasio, galloped to win in 36.82. Nicholas Dello Joio (UA) and Cornets Cambridge were runners-up in 37.62.It was another fantastic effort over the 1.55m track against 36 other pairings, on a week when five of the top 10 riders in the world were participating, Sweetnam among those ranks of course as the No 3.The Castlemagner native and his Olympic Irish Sport Horse bred in Galway by Patrick Connolly, James Kann Cruz (Gizmo Partners), made their customary five-star Grand Prix jump-off at the end of the week but this time, last years runners-up just missed out on a podium, having a rail down in the tiebreaker to earn $34,000 in fourth.The competition was won by Ward, winning his 51st MLSJ GP on his 51st birthday, with High Star Hero, from Olympic champion Christian Kukuk (GER) and Akarad Tivoli Z.Also on Saturday, Coyle and the aforementioned mega-consistent Calippo 57 took bronze from a mammoth field of 73 in the two-star Grand Prix with a double clear round in a time of 34.64.Lt Raphael Lee has been a podium regular in Oliva in the past three weekends on the Autumn series of the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour, and though frustrated by some near-misses, not least being denied victory by one-thousandth of a second, adding another silver medal with the Irish Sport Horse Derrycush (Minister For Defence) on Thursday is admirable consistency from the Galwegian, and the Alfie Hillen-bred stallion.The in-form duo navigated the 1.45m speed class in 64.70, with only Laura Renwick (GBR) and NFS Top Gun, of the other 60 combinations able to better that target, by stopping the clock on 64.19.There were two Irish victories at the Spanish venue on Friday, with Max Wachman taking the feature with GRS Lady Amaro (Coolmore Showjumping), the 13-year-old mare bred by Denis Hickey in Co Wexford.The talented chestnut, with a five-star pedigree, showcased her class, with the considerable aid of the Tipperary rider in the stirrups. The pair posted a clear in the 1.50m speed class and GP qualifier, in 61.42, which was more than enough to take the spoils, as the Netherlands Lars Kersten and Cascalino 7 were the nearest challengers with a clear in 62.30.Kildares Niall Talbot was victorious in the opening international class, the Trofeo America, a 1.45m jump-off class.Only six of the 68 contestants were able to survive the opening test and Talbot, riding the 17-year-old stallion FTS Elliot (Talbot & Nicola Fitzgibbon), took the lead in convincing fashion in a time of 35.67.Mariano Martinez Bastida had a tilt at denying the Irish combination, with Bacardi O, and they gave it a good rattle but were still almost a half-second off the standard set, grabbing second by stopping the clock in 36.04.Richard Howley was another Green Jacket to score on the Med, steering Caprice dElle to the gold in definitive fashion in the 1.45m two-phase class on Sunday.The Sligo athlete and his 15-year-old stallion were electric over the speed section of the test, prevailing by more than a second and a half by virtue of their double clear in 28.03.James Chawke was a silver medallist in the Grand Prix at the two-star show in West Palms on Saturday, riding One Edition (Vanessa Mannix).The tiebreaker was made up of eight ambitious rivals, and it was a marvellous effort by the Laois pilot and his mare, as they registered a really competitive time of 38.04. That was enough to see off almost everyone, except for American Karl Cook, whose Heroes Kervec left all the jumps in pace in 37.84 to score.BREEDINGDERRYCUSH (ISH) 2014 gelding by Emerald Vant Ruytershof (BWP) out of ISHD Caldato (ISH) by Aldato (KWPN). Breeder: Alfie Hillen, Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. Owner: Minister of Defence. Rider: Lt Raphael Lee (IRL).GRS LADY AMARO (ISH) 2013 mare by Amaretto Darco (BWP) out of Legal Lady (TB) by Over The River (TB). Breeder: Denis Hickey, Co Wexford. Owner: Coolmore Showjumping. Rider: Max Wachman (IRL).PHOTO CREDITSCoyle & Sweetnam: MLSJThe post Coyle the Special One at Tryon appeared first on .