William Funnell and Mondriaan on flying form in a quality Horse & Hound Foxhunter at the Horse of the Year Show
William Funnell stormed to victory at the Horse of the Year Show in the class all the riders want to win, the Horse & Hound Foxhunter Championship.
Riding the seven-year-old Mondriaan, the man from Surrey produced a fantastic jump-off round to beat off the challenge from one of the pre-class favourites, Irish rider Dave Quigley on Henry Harding’s lovely six-year-old, Ashdale Futuro.
In a class packed with quality, Tim Stockdale was delighted with his third place on Montedan, ahead of Keith Shore on the previous night’s Thomas Bates Seven-Year-Old champion, It’s Magic Max, who took the award for the best British-bred horse.
“I had no idea he could go that fast,” said William of the huge bay who only began jumping in August last year.
Billy Twomey later scored the first Irish victory when his new ride, Michael Whitaker’s Sydney Olympics partner Prince Of Wales FCS, jumped the only double clear to take the £5,000 first prize in the Daewoo Championship.
Their closest challenger was the in-form William Funnell, looking for a double on Denise Stamp’s mare, Amber Du Montois.
In two shows, Billy and Prince Of Wales, whom he took over at the Towerlands Pre-Wembley show, have taken home more than £6,000 and the next plan is to try the early World Cup qualifiers.
Robert Smith, who was the star of last year’s HOYS, opened this year’s international classes with a super speed win on the big Dutch-bred grey, Kalusha, who beat two of the speediest pairings in the country in John Renwick (Brookend Fuehrer) and John Whitaker (Hunter’s Level).
The other international class, the Dick Turpin Stakes, went to Dutch rider Roelof Bril on the big chesnut Phin Phin.
Click here to read all HOYS show jumping results.
