Doing the double

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This week’s feature showjumping classes, the British Speed Derby and the Al Shira’aa Derby, are so alike in some ways, and utterly different in others. Both competitions are held round courses that have remained virtually the same since their inception. They both require a horse who doesn’t shrink in the huge Longines International Arena but who blossoms in front of the enthusiastic crowds; who relish natural obstacles and who are brave enough to tackle Hickstead’s famous fixed fences, instead of just jumping identikit coloured poles.

But the Derby features maximum height and hugely wide fences, where clear rounds are rare and where the generous time allowed means time penalties are infrequent, while the Speed Derby is set at a smaller height, where speed is key and the pace frantic, where a fence down might not mean a rider’s chance of winning has ended. The history of the Al Shira’aa Derby stretches back much further, with the first class held in 1961 and the first British Speed Derby not taking place until 1987.

It didn’t take long for one rider to do the Derby/Speed Derby double, with Ireland’s John Ledingham dominating at Hickstead during the mid-90s. He had already netted his first Derby win back in 1984, with Gabhran, before going on to take the Speed Derby almost a decade later with Castlepollard. Twelve months later, having retained the Speed Derby title, John secured the first of two back-to-back wins in the Derby itself, this time on Kilbaha. What’s quite special is that John bought both Castlepollard and Kilbaha on the same day – talk about having a good eye for a Hickstead champion! Nearly three decades later, John remains the only rider to have won both classes two years running.

Only one other showjumper has won both classes in the same year, and that’s Olympic gold medallist and former World number one, Ben Maher. Ben was just 22 years old when he completed the double, a moment he has often credited with launching his international career. His first Speed Derby victory – and indeed his first international win at Hickstead – came on Mercurius, where he saw off strong competition from the previous year’s winner Guy Williams as well as Ellen, Joe and Michael Whitaker. The next day, Ben and Alfredo came out on top in the Derby itself after a jump-off against Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Cloudy Night, with a steady clear netting Maher the win. It was vindication for the young Essex rider, who had jumped clear in the Derby the previous year but accrued one-time penalty to finish third.

Another rider did come very close to doing the double in the same year, and that’s Hungarian-born Joe Turi. He won the third running of the Speed Derby in 1989, riding Mill Ruby, and the following day he finished runner-up in the Derby behind Nick Skelton, after his horse Vital knocked down the final oxer in the jump-off. The next year, Nick had to jump-off against Joe and Vital for the title once again. But even though Vital hit the final fence yet again, Nick and Apollo ended up knocking two down and retiring early, which denied Skelton the chance to join the illustrious list of four-time winners of the Derby.

Guy Williams is the most successful rider in the history of the British Speed Derby, with a total of four wins. He won on the chestnut mare, Be Precise, in 2002 and 2004, then had another double in 2014 and 2015 with Casper De Muze, with the latter win also seeing him set a new course record. Guy excels at riding against the clock, and this also helped him win the Hickstead Derby title in 2010 with Skip Two Ramiro. In the jump-off, he faced Tina Fletcher and Promised Land, but while both horses jumped another clear apiece, Guy and ‘Skippy’ finished some 16 seconds quicker.

The most recent rider to have won both the Derby and the Speed Derby is Ireland’s Trevor Breen, who has won both classes two times, and whose winning ride Adventure De Kannan is the only horse in history to win both of these titles. The pair’s Speed Derby win came in 2009, and he went on to win the Derby in 2014, despite having had an operation a few months earlier to remove one of his eyes. In 2012, Trevor won the Speed Derby for a second time, this time with Beer Hunter, while his second Derby victory came courtesy of Loughnatousa WB in 2015.

Oh so close

The 2019 British Speed Derby champion Harriet Nuttall has repeatedly come tantalisingly close to winning both the Speed Derby and the British Jumping Derby in the same year. With A Touch Imperious, Harriet has finished in the top three of the Al Shira’aa Derby every year since 2014, finishing second four times and third in 2018 and 2014. In the British Speed Derby, Harriet and Silver Lift have been runner up three times and won twice, including in 2019’s thrilling renewal. Having secured victory in the most recent running of this speedy showcase as well as a second place in the 2019 Al Shira’aa Derby, Harriet is one of a select group of riders to excel in the Derby Meeting’s two most popular competitions, and she’s certainly among the most consistent performers in the history of both classes.

Chloe Breen was just 19 years old when she won the Speed Derby in 1999 with her father Douglas Bunn’s Citi Dancer. She also holds the honour of producing his 2004 Derby champion, Buddy Bunn, having brought him up through the ranks before the ride passed to William Funnell, while Chloe was studying at university. In the end, John Whitaker won the Derby on the horse after Funnell was injured and couldn’t compete. Chloe did have the ride on the reigning champion the following year, where they finished third equal behind Ben Maher and Tim Stockdale.

Chloe’s husband Shane Breen, like his younger brother Trevor, boasts two Speed Derby wins to his name – winning on Royal Concorde in 2008 (who went on to be third in the Derby itself the following year) and Magic Fox in 2011. Shane has made no secret of his ambition to win the Derby itself, and has come so close on a number of occasions, including second place in 2011 and third placings in the last two runnings.

Ellen Whitaker made her Hickstead Derby debut at the age of 18 with the stallion Locarno, where she finished runner-up to Uncle John and Buddy Bunn in 2004. Three years later, she won the British Speed Derby with Henri De Herne, with the pair going on to repeat their win in 2010.

Irishman Billy Twomey won the Speed Derby in 2000, riding Sublime, and a year later came second in his Derby debut with Give Me Remus. He was runner-up again in 2016, when finishing on four faults with Diaghilev.

This article was first published in June 2022

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