William Funnell reflects on the draw of the Hickstead Derby and predicts some World Championship medals
IT was great to see such big crowds turn out for last month’s Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting – they had 35–40,000 people over the week, which shows that people still love a spectacle. Even Saturday’s speed Derby figures were up.
For the people who perhaps like to watch showjumping once a year, they go to watch the Derby rather than the same-old jumping round a sand ring. As a sport, we need to remember that.
Hickstead was disappointing from a personal point of view because, having shared top spot in Friday’s Derby trial on Equine America Billy Diamo, I’d started convincing myself I had a real chance of winning the Derby on Sunday. He’d been jumping so well.
But it was great to see Shane Breen finally win the class. He so deserved it, having been there or thereabouts so many times. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him go on and win it four or five times now, so I do feel as though I need to win one more myself, taking my tally to five, just to make it more difficult for him!
Shane is a great Derby rider and both his horses, Can Ya Makan and Golden Hawk, were on top form, so I thought for a while he was going to have to jump-off against himself. It would have been nice to have been able to push him a bit harder, but next year…
Top of the tree
SIMILARLY, the great competition we saw in Aachen last week – with its big grass ring, good old-fashioned undulations and fences such as the double of ditches – set it apart from the rest of the showjumping circuit. The show is top of the tree. When there’s half a million Euros to the winner of the Rolex grand prix, you’re talking big money.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Scott Brash had planned so much of this year around trying to win the big class with Hello Jefferson and he came close, finishing second to Gerrit Nieberg. But it shows how well that horse comes up with the goods when needed.
He was beaten by a really great round and Scott did everything he could to win at the time. But that gallop the jump-off riders did from the penultimate to the last fence was just unbelievable. The distance between the two jumps was a normal 13-and-a-half strides and those riders were doing it in 10 strides – and jumping 1.70m at the end of it! It was great sport.
We’re looking forward to returning there for the young horse championships in August. They’ve worked hard on the ground and I thought the main ring was excellent this year.
Robert Murphy, who was third in the grand prix, also continues to catch my eye. He seems to have come of age and he’s not far from being in the same ilk as Harry Charles and Joe Stockdale.
Then, with a strong, young British team competing in the Nations Cup in Rotterdam recently – Harry Charles, Joe Stockdale, and Jack and Ellen Whitaker – it shows the future’s looking bright.
Also, having Ben Maher and Explosion W back at top level and jumping clear rounds at Aachen bodes well for the upcoming showjumping World Championships. All being well, we’ll be setting out there with a team with a definite medal-winning chance, hopefully a gold one. We might even see a British world champion, too – both Scott and Ben have all the credentials. It could be exciting.
This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 14 July
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
The international showjumper is one of only five riders to have won the Hickstead Derby four times and is a regular member of the British showjumping team, winning team gold at the 2013 European championships on his home-bred Billy Congo. He and his wife Pippa Funnell are also pioneers in sport horse breeding through their Billy Stud in Surrey. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read William’s views in the magazine or H&H VIP members can view them online below. Find out how to join H&H VIP
