Localrider Magazine
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August 2015
30 Pages of show reports, including: August 2015 • VOLUME XV NUMBER 7
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HICKSTEAD SHOW REPORT Trevor Breen and Loughnatousa WB Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby Champions 2015
Equestrian.com T Hickstead Derby Meeting
Thursday 25th June to Sunday 28th June 2015
Words by Julia Longland and pictures by Fiona Rafferty Trevor Breen and Loughnatousa WB jumped the only clear to win the Equestrian.com Derby
revor Breen wrote a new page for the records chapter of the Equestrian.com British Jumping Derby at Hickstead when he completed the second leg of an extraordinary Derby double by winning on Loughnatousa WB, a year after his victory on the one-eyed Adventure de Kannan. On Patricia Brown’s Loughnatoosa WB he was the first rider to score successive victories on different horses since Paul Schockemohle on Deister and Lorenzo in 1985-86 and Nick Skelton on J Nick in 1987 and Apollo in 19881989, but the 16-year-old Loughnatoosa WB, who won for Paul Beecher in 2012, became the first horse to win the Derby twice with two different riders. Irishman Breen, 36, who spent his early years hunting with the Scarteen Hunt in Co.Limerick, runs a breeding and training establishment near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire with his wife Caroline and three-year-old daughter Mia. He described the Derby as: “Such a tough class, you need a lot to go right, but everything did. Loughnatoosa jumped out of his skin for me, the petrol tank was getting a bit low towards the end of the course, but he hung on.” There might have been a strange twist to the closing minutes in the first round of the Derby when Adventure de Kannan, drawn 33rd of the 37 starters, looked on the verge of jumping a clear round which would have forced Breen, already on a zero score from the sixth draw with Loughnatoosa, to jump off against himself. Then Addy with the one
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Local combination Sue Bennett’s Carlow Cruiser, who had jumped the fences clear with Ronnie Healey in 2011, but was penalised for napping as he passed the ring entrance, lost rider Charlotte Platt with a difficult leap over the Derby rails last year, but went beautifully for Steven Franks this time, then spoilt a possible clear by clipping the exit rails from the Dyke. “Carlow Cruiser has great ability,” said Franks, “he is a lovely horse and I’m hoping he can come back for a couple more shots.” Joining the four-faulters were Billy Twomey and Diaghilev, and Nigel Coupe with Susan Simmons’ former working hunter Golvers Hill.
First-timer A notable first-timer was Alfie Bradstock, 21, the grandson of racing legend Lord Oaksey, who went round for just two mistakes on Graham Fletcher’s KBIS Caicos. Alfie’s father Mark trained Coneygree, bred by Lord Oaksey, to win this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and his mother Sara is Lord Oaksey’s daughter. Talking of the Derby, which offers some £33,000 to the winner from its £99,000 prize fund Breen, whose brother Shane lives at Hickstead with his wife Chloe, Douglas Bunn’s youngest daughter and their family said: “Hickstead is traditional English showjumping at its very best. The facilities have been fantastically updated with a brand new grandstand. The Bunns have spent a lot of money to keep it all in good shape. Hats off to them for that.” The first ever Derby, in 1961, was won by Ireland’s legendary Seamus Hayes on Goodbye. Over the years the combinations have become household names, such as Marion Coakes and Stroller, who won in
Local combination, Steven Franks and Carlow Cruiser had four faults to finish joint-second.
1967 Lizzie Bunn, Hickstead’s exceptional Show Director, says that the year John Whitaker won it for her father on Buddy Bunn, 2004, was very special, and the victory in 1996 by his lifelong friend Nelson Pessoa on Loro Piana Vivaldi, “brought tears.”
Turbo Charged Dougie Douglas The two major classes leading up to the Derby, the Bunn Leisure Derby Trial, and the British Speed Derby for the Liz Dudden Memorial Trophy, went respectively to an international newcomer Holly Gillott on Dougie Douglas, afterwards selected for the British team at Hickstead’s forthcoming Royal International Horse Show, and seasoned campaigner Guy Williams with Casper de Muze, who took the speed derby for the second year running in the fastest time on record. Gillott, 26, who hunts with the Quorn in Leicestershire and rides horses owned by James Mossman, a Master of the Quorn, challenged last of seven in the jump-off for the Derby Trial and managed to shave 0.96 seconds from the standard set by Harriet Nuttall and her long-striding A Touch Imperious. Nuttall has also grown up with a hunting background as her father Rupert is Master of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale in Dorset. Both A Touch Imperious and Dougie
Douglas came from Gorsebridge sales in Ireland, but while the compact Dougie Douglas can push on easily, Nuttall cannot give her tall horse the same treatment. “He has a lot of scope,” said Nuttall, “he is very careful but you can’t ask him too much.” Gillott said: “I had no idea what anybody else had done in the jump-off, but I thought I would touch the turbo. I have spent a lot of time this year saving him for Nations Cups.” (She had 12 faults and a clear round in Rome to help Britain to win that hotly contested cup.)
New course record Nuttall, who is determined to shake off her persistent bridesmaid image of permanent second place, was also runner-up in the British Speed Derby for the Liz Dudden Trophy, riding her neat grey Silver Lift to finish 0.44 seconds behind Guy Williams on Casper de Muze. “I knew I had to gain strides,” said Williams, 43, who overtook Shane Breen’s course record of 91.96 seconds by 1/100th of a second. Casper de Muze recorded another success in the Bunn Leisure Masters challenge, a competition which had Table A and Table C sections, and Casper de Muze was very fast round the timed Section C, and foot perfect down the line of four white gates, to clock a time over four seconds faster than Nuttall on Silver Lift.
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eye decided the issue by lowering no.12, the Derby rails, and no.14, to eventually share seventh place with six others on eight faults. “Loughnatoosa is a great horse,” said Breen, “Paul (Beecher) bred and produced him from his Co.Waterford stud, riding him until two years ago and must take great credit. Patricia Brown who owns him, is a huge supporter. To win once is a dream come true, to win twice is surreal.” In 2014 the two 4-faulters jumped off and Breen recalled: “There was only 2/100ths of a second between me on Adventure de Kannan and Philip Miller on Caritiar Z last year.” Miller, the 2013 winner on Caritiar Z, finished equal seventh this time. “To be wishing others to have poles down is not nice, particularly as Harriet Nuttall (equal second after lowering the first rail of the Devil’s Dyke with A Touch Imperious) and Philip are good friends of mine.” William Whitaker on Glenavadra Brilliant, a 17 hh chestnut having his third Derby attempt, lost rhythm descending the steep Bank and caught no.9, the rail at the bottom. “He got a bit strong and I couldn’t steady him enough as we went down. He has such a big stride and we got too close at the bottom,” said William, who rode a class round and was the first of the five 4-faulters to share second place.
Guy Williams and Casper de Muze set a new course record in the British Speed Derby.
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