McGuigan scores biggest success with ‘internet horse’

Show jumper Ronan McGuigan secured the biggest win of his career on Saturday night with his ‘internet horse’ Capall Zidane, taking the $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix in Florida.

It was another move up the ladder for the Tyrone native, who has been slowly developing a good partnership with the Dutch-bred 10-year-old gelding he purchased without actually seeing it in the flesh.

“I’ve had him since he was a five-year-old. I bought him at the Hendrix auction, and I actually never went to try him. I just bought him off a DVD. When I bought him, all of my Irish pals called him the ‘internet horse’, but I had the last laugh tonight. He has been very consistent since I’ve had him,” said McGuigan, who relocated to the US 12 years ago and now has a farm in New Jersey.