WHO WILL WIN THE 63RD HICKSTEAD DERBY?
The Al Shira'aa Derby, one of the best-known classes in showjumping, takes place this Sunday (22 June), with last year’s winner William Funnell returning with Dublon in the hope of extending his record with a sixth victory.
However, there is a chance that his record of five wins could instead be matched, with four-time winner and British showjumping legend Michael Whitaker among the list of international entries.
Michael stepped back from five-star competition in 2021 and has only done a handful of international shows per year since, with his 23-year-old son Jack now one of the top riders in Britain. Hickstead will be Michael’s second international show of 2025, and he has three horses entered – his son Jack’s ride D&H Q Paravatti N, Oscar Kan Duresses, plus new ride Nice Van Baublo.
Whitaker has an amazing record in the Hickstead Derby. Like his brother John, Michael has won four times – winning on his first attempt in 1980 on Owen Gregory, then completing a hat trick with Mon Santa in 1991-1993. If Michael can add a fifth title at the age of 65, it will be one of the most remarkable sporting feats in Hickstead history.
Michael’s nephew William is the only other Whitaker to have his name on the Boomerang Trophy, having won in 2016 with Glenavadra Brilliant. He came close to winning again last year, finishing runner-up on catch ride Flamboyant, and he takes on the ride once again in the hope of going one better in this year’s class. William’s cousin Robert Whitaker, the son of John, has been placed in the Derby on multiple occasions, and was the joint winner of last year’s Agria Derby Trial, so is another to look out for. Joe and James Whitaker complete the line up of Hickstead entries from British showjumping’s most famous family.
One of the best chances for the home side lies with the 2010 winner Guy Williams, who came fifth in the Hamburg Derby with the former eventing mare BH Gringos Legacy. She is among three horses Guy has entered for the show, with Guy seeming confident about his chances.
A woman hasn’t won the Al Shira’aa Derby since Tina Fletcher in 2011, but the ladies to look out for this year include Olympic event rider Gemma Stevens, the 2023 Speed Derby winner Ella Dalton, and Sammie-Jo Coffin, who has finished the highest placed lady rider in the class for the past two years.
Another notable name to look out for is five-star event rider Alexander Bragg. He won the Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge in 2024 so knows what it takes to win in Hickstead’s International Arena – he hopes to make his Derby debut with Hegglelane Houston.
Irish riders are often formidable in the Hickstead Derby, and in the past 10 renewals of this class five have gone to Ireland. The 2022 winner Shane Breen is among the entries that hopes to add a second Derby title to his CV. He returns with Fanfan de Beaufour who delivered an impressive fourth-placed finish on his debut last year.
Stephan Dubsky was placed here in 2022 with C The Stars, and the horse recently finished second in Hamburg’s Al Shira’aa Derby with Spanish rider Esteban Benitez Valle. Stephan is back in the saddle for Hickstead and is one of the likely contenders. Other Irish stars to watch include Anthony Condon, Billy Twomey and Commandant Geoff Curran.
In order to compete in the Al Shira’aa Derby on Sunday, riders must qualify in Friday’s Agria Derby Trial, which often proves a useful guide to Derby form. The Derby Trial is one of several World Ranking classes at the show, with some riders aiming exclusively for those, while others will be aiming for Saturday’s Brilliance Horse Auction Speed Derby, a thrilling speed class held over some of Hickstead’s permanent fences.
This year’s Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby Meeting has attracted a much more international field compared to recent years. Several riders from the UAE are competing, in preparation for their debut appearance in next month’s Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain. There are also riders entered from France, Libya, Ukraine, Sweden, Luxembourg and Brazil. Only one Brazilian rider has ever won the Hickstead Derby – the great Nelson Pessoa, who won in 1963, 1965 and 1996 – but there could well be a second thanks to Carlos Mota Ribas. Carlos came third last year with Juan Van’t Arkelhof in a jump-off against William Funnell and William Whitaker, and has proved himself a consistent Hickstead performer in recent years with multiple placings in both the British Speed Derby and the Al Shira’aa Derby.
The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting will be shown live on ClipMyHorse.TV, while tickets for the show (19-22 June) are on sale now from www.hickstead.co.uk.
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Photo by Boots and Hooves Photography
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