The fabulous Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze won a second consecutive Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge at the Agria Royal International Horse Show, three seconds plus a fence ahead of their nearest rivals.
The 2025 champions were last to go, and drew a huge roar from the crowd as they finished in 117.8sec, ahead of Tara Dixon and Master Smart on 124.30 and last year’s runners-up Alex Bragg and Ardeo Premier, on 125.13.
The win means Gemma – who first won this class in 2022 with her World Championships ride Flash Cooley – joins Pippa Funnell as a three-time winner of the class; only Gary Parsonage has won it more, with four titles on his CV.
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“That’s cool, isn’t it?!” Said Gemma. “Pip’s the coolest in the sport, so I’m happy with that!”
Gemma said last year that The Rex Syndicate’s Irish-bred gelding was probably one of the nicest horses’s she’s had and his form since then – which includes winning the four-star Lycetts Grantham Cup at Thorseby – has done nothing to shake that view.
Asked if she felt any pressure after last year’s win, Gemma said: “Of course there’s always pressure. But we had a wonderful win here yesterday, and I just thought ‘I had a lovely win yesterday, I really enjoyed it. Let’s just enjoy this wonderful horse and do the best we can do.”
Gemma Stevens and Cooley Park Muze: how they did it
The round was flawless; jumping on lovely balanced turns from the off and fast and accurate from the start. They had the slightest of pauses on the top of the bank but then flew home, taking the longer route at the barrels to avoid the knock-down rails of the shorter route, accelerating over the brush and the Devil’s Dyke without a check – and were cheered most of the way home.
“I had a real plan,” Gemma said. “I knew my plan, and I just tried to stick to it, to the point I made [husband] Gary watch the round back from last year, and try to go one or two less strides here and there – I’m not joking when I say I counted everywhere! I think that’s where the [show]jumping comes into play, I’ve got so used to counting, then when you’re trying to be really quick and you can shave off a stride here and there, it makes a difference. Really being that precise is, I think, where I’ve upped my game a bit.”
Tara, daughter of eventing legend Karen, was not only making her debut in this class, it was the first time she had ever been to Hickstead, but she and Master Smart looked like old hands as they went fast and sure from the start, taking the direct routes off the bank and through the barrels, just clipping the rail of the second element there.
“I’d never even been here as a spectator – now I love the place!” she said.
“I was aware of this class and had seen clips, then at the beginning of this year, I made a 2026 bucket list and this was on it, so I decided to make it happen. Mum and Dad have been here so they debriefed me on the whole show.”
Tara has had her parents’ Satisfaction gelding since he was five, eight years ago, and she said they were not a match made in heaven at first, as “he kept putting me on the floor!”
“But we clicked,” she said. “And I honestly think there’s no horse as talented as him. He’s so quick with his feet and just loves the game, he can do it all and he’s gorgeous. I can’t wait to try to finally get my ducks in a row and keep kicking and do well at a big one somewhere.”
“It was great fun”
The 2024 winner Alex and Debbie and Neill Nuttall’s 14-year-old are well practised on this course, although it had had some tweaks since last year, and they gave a masterful performance today, fast, smooth and clear.
“I was surprised because the sun was so bright, he spooked at fence one,” Alex said. “I could hear them doing the commentary saying ‘He’s produced him since he was four years old’, and I think he must have heard and thought ‘Oh, I’ve got to behave like a four-year-old’!
“I thought ‘Fence one, this is not good’, so I had to give him a little bit of encouragement.”
Alex said “Eddie” has not quite got the speed across the ground of the other two but he was neat and balanced.
“And he’s great fun,” he said. “I was definitely having fun. These classes are magnificent; I think they’re great for our sport to showcase it to a different audience, in a different way. It is really fun, and I know it’s a competition, but I think I try to look at it as an exhibition, a showcase, and I love it. Thank you to Hickstead for continuing to put it on, and Ashby Underwriters for continually supporting it.”
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