Guy Williams had a superb win in the Agria Hickstead Derby trial, on a horse he has only had two weeks – and came equal second on a horse he’s had six weeks.
As far as suspense-filled jump-offs go, this one would not make the top 10, as there was only Guy in it. He had jumped clear with Crumbgraft and BH Gringos Legacy, and as the only other clear, last year’s third-placed Derby combination Carlos Mota Ribas and Juan Van’T Arkelhof, elected not to jump off, Guy just had to go in on one of his horses to win it.
He and Claudio Zapata Stcliffe’s 10-year-old gelding Crumbgraft tipped the first part of the combination and the last oxer, but the super-scopey grey looked full of jump and enthusiasm for the job.
“I’ve never won the Hickstead Derby trial, and I thought I’d like to get my name on the wall!” Guy said. “I’ve only had him two weeks; I jumped him in a 1.40m not long ago, and it was a bit rusty, to say the least. Today, I thought the other class hasn’t got much prize money, so if I got lucky in this one, I could win a bit to pay [Hickstead director] Lizzie!”
Guy has been riding James Adams Riley’s 10-year-old mare Legacy for that bit longer – four weeks more – and she has already won ranking classes in Spain and France. She and Guy came fourth in the Hambury Derby this month.
“She probably should have won that, but I made a mistake, I held her a bit,” he said. “I was very confident today she was going to be clear – she’s a really good horse, an eventer, who doesn’t look backwards at all; her main thought is forwards.”
Carlos Mota Ribas and Juan Van’T Arkelho lose 100lbs in Hickstead Derby prep
Carlos, who has been placed in the speed Derby and had multiple placings in the Derby itself, promised last year that one day he would lift the Boomerang Trophy.
“I scratched from the jump-off as he’s 16 now, and has had knee surgery – and he’s everything to me,” he said. “I’d rather have him good on Sunday to give this crowd a good show, try to be in the jump-off, try to be clear and try to win. That’s something I’ve never accomplished so far.”
Carlos said he learns every year, watching the other riders and himself.
“I go home, I watch all the videos, I study what I did wrong,” he said. “What can I do better? How can I train better? This year, my horse is 80lb lighter, I am 20lb lighter, so we have 100 pounds less on the boat. I try to do everything possible, and it’s in the lap of the gods on Sunday.”
And asked which of his two promising rides he would tip over the other for the win on Sunday, Guy, who won the title in 2010 with Skip Two Ramiro said: “Legacy. Without a doubt.”
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