David Simpson denies William Funnell a record fifth Derby win
Sunday 25 June 2023
Ireland’s David Simpson won the Al Shira’aa Derby for the first time today at Hickstead, denying four-time winner William Funnell the chance to set a new record.
William produced the first clear round of the competition, riding the 13-year-old Equine America Billy Diamo. His chances of claiming that historic fifth win were then given an even bigger boost when he managed to jump a second clear with new ride Dublon.
But 34-year-old David Simpson, drawn 25th to go out of the 27 starters, delivered a third clear round on the 8-year-old Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve, despite it being the horse’s first attempt in the Derby, guaranteeing the packed Hickstead crowds a jump-off.
William then had the unenviable task of jumping first and second in the jump-off. The warm weather and long first round clear had clearly taken the energy out of Equine America Billy Diamo, who was retired after knocking down four fences. Things looked far more positive with second ride Dublon, who just had one part of the Devil’s Dyke down to finish on four in a time of 91.68sec.
But that one fence down gave David a little bit of breathing space. Despite knocking the Derby Rails, he crossed the finish line in 90.48sec to take the win. “I said beforehand that I’d be delighted to finish with one or two down; the horse is only an 8-year-old and it’s his first trip round, but it just goes to show,” said David. “He’s an amazing horse, and we’ll see what the future holds for him. For now, we’ll just celebrate this!”
David has won many international classes at Hickstead and has two Queen Elizabeth II Cup titles to his name. He counts the showground as home turf after being based here for many years. “I came here for the first time when I was very young and working for Shane and Chloe Breen, and for as long as I can remember, the Hickstead Derby has always been the show. To lift that trophy – words can’t describe it,” he added.
Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve, a bay stallion by Bamako De Muze, is one of the youngest Derby winners. “He’s an incredible athlete, very intelligent, and just a great worker – he makes my life very easy,” David said.
William Funnell did end up taking home the lion’s share of the prizemoney by finishing second and third, plus he has now equalled John Whitaker’s record of jumping five clear rounds around the tricky Derby course. The 57-year-old Surrey-based rider now hopes to return in 12 months’ time for another crack at breaking the record of four wins that he currently holds alongside Eddie Macken, Harvey Smith, and John and Michael Whitaker. “Now I’ll be hanging around for another year to try to do it, which seems to get more and more difficult!” he said.
Two Irish riders shared fourth place with four faults apiece – Jordan Coyle (Eristov) and debutant Daniel McAlinden (Keatingstown Z Wellie Two), with former two-time Derby champion Trevor Breen in sixth with Gonzalo. Sammie-Jo Coffin was the next best of the Brits in seventh place, riding Chaccomo Blue.
The Doney Championship came to a poignant conclusion as Jay Halim took the win with the Filmer family's Lachain Crux, the former mount of daughter Miranda Filmer, who tragically passed away from a rare form of cancer at just 30 last year. Since then, the family has raised over a quarter of a million pounds to help assist in research efforts – and today, Miranda was able to take a main arena win in spirit thanks to Jay's superb efforts.
“He’s a super, super horse,” said Jay, who was sent the horse to produce and sell but hopes he might be able to secure the ride on the former eventer. “He's a pretty special horse – he's got loads of ability, and so it’ll be really interesting to see if I could hold on to him and see what's there, because he's really proving to be a lovely horse. He's got so much stride down every distance – I could have taken another stride out on every distance with him! I’m really pleased for him, and really pleased for the owners. It means so much."
The pair were the quickest in a six-strong jump-off, finishing 1.67sec ahead of runners-up Lucy Townley and Billy Von Papan.
Image: Boots and Hooves Photography
The next event to take place at Hickstead is the five-star Longines Royal International Horse Show, which runs from 25-30 July.
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