Peter Charles entered the record books when he rode Corrada to her third consecutive victory in the Bunn Leisure Derby at Hickstead.
The Hampshire-based Irishman had to wait until the whole field had jumped before he produced the sole clear of a class which may have been short of numbers but where quality shone through.
Michael Whitaker was holding the lead after a superb round on the 16-year-old Ashley, who just landed flat-footed off the Bank and then rolled the following upright.
Will Funnell, chasing a £50,000 bonus after his Falsterbo win, came close on Cortaflex Mondriaan, who gave every fence a foot and just showed his inexperience in the Dyke, where he hit two parts for an eventual third place.
By contrast, Peter’s round was a joy to watch. The 14-year-old Corrada is a real Derby specialist and she went round like a metronome, clearing fence after fence. When they cleared the final obstacle, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
But Corrada is now on the market.
“Paul Stamp has bought out her joint-owner, Jes Neilsen, and he now wants to sell all his horses. I’m going to speak to him as I’d love to keep her. She’s already bred some top-class foals and she could quite easily break the record and win a couple more Derbys,” said Peter.
Ponies took centre stage earlier in the day, when Hannah Paul crowned her season with victory in the Pony Masters on Mister Amontilano.
She was pushed all the way by Nicole Pavitt on Another Dollar, but took the £2,500 first prize by 1.8sec.
For a full report and results from the show check the next issue of Horse & Hound on sale from Thursday 21 August.
