Five-time Hickstead Derby winner William Funnell joked that winning a sixth title would be handy – as it would make it harder for anyone else to equal his achievement.
William said it had been a dream come true to lift the famous Boomerang trophy four times, let alone becoming the first rider to win the Derby for a fifth time, as he did last year with Dublon.
But he is now eyeing a sixth title in this year’s running of the class, on the last day of the Derby meeting (19-22 June).
“Dublon did his first show in Abu Dhabi in April, and I’m going to try the Hamburg Derby with him so I’m currently getting him fit and training for that,” William said. “Then he’ll have a bit of a break, before hopefully having him on top form for Hickstead again.”
William made his debut in the Derby as a teenager and repeatedly came close to winning, until he and Mondriaan triumphed in 2006. The combination returned to win again in 2008 and 2009, then in 2018, the late Billy Buckingham secured William’s place in the exclusive club of four-time Derby champions.
But he surpassed Eddie Macken, John and Michael Whitaker and Harvey Smith last summer, to set a record that is unlikely to be broken soon – unless John decides to have another go.
“It would be nice to just to get one more this year to make it really difficult for everyone!” William said.
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“It was lovely to win a fifth Derby last summer, but actually winning the first one was the most difficult. At times it felt like it was never going to happen.
“It’s lovely being out on my own and winning it five times, but having won four times was still a dream.”
Asked if he felt more, or less, pressure to win having secured that fifth title?
“There’s pressure every year in some way,” he said “I know I’m going into the Derby with a horse capable of winning it, and that’s when you get more nervous about making a mistake as a rider, because you don’t want to let your horse down. In any Derby, you still need a little bit of luck on your side.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
