Multiple Olympic eventers are among the entrants for this year’s Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge at Hickstead, the feature class on the Thursday of the Longines Royal International Horse Show.
Last year’s winner Gemma Stevens returns for another crack at the title that she won for the first time in 2022. Her win last year came courtesy of Flash Cooley, and this year she brings her seasoned campaigned Santiago Bay, who has been placed in this class previously. “Those kinds of classes really suit me and my way of riding,” said Gemma, who lives locally to the showground. “I've always loved doing them, and it's really fun to have a good horse to do them with.”
Tom McEwen, who was part of the gold medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics, brings MHS Brown Jack for the eventing showcase. McEwen is having his first attempt at this class since 2018, with his best result in the Eventers’ Challenge coming in 2015 when he finished third.
Pippa Funnell won the first ever arena eventing competition at Hickstead in 1998, and went on to clock up further wins in 2000 and 2001. She came third last summer with Majas Hope, and the pair return for another attempt – if Pippa can win for a fourth time, she will match Gary Parsonage’s record of four wins.
Nicky Hill produced an unbeatable round to win in 2019 with Kilrodan Sailorette, with the pair unable to defend their title in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Last year the defending champions took an unfortunate early tumble on course, but they’re back this year with the aim of getting back to the top of the leaderboard.
Helen Wilson (My Ernie) was just one second behind Gemma Stevens last year to finish in the runner-up spot, while Simon Grieve finished fourth on Drumbilla Metro – both combinations are ones to watch in this year’s renewal.
Other names to look out for include Francis Whittington (DHI Fiktor Nita), Imogen Murray (Ivar Gooden) and Felicity Collins. Irish challengers include Heidi Hamilton, who finished seventh last year on Dam Easy, and Fred Scala with Corriebeg Supernova while Brazil’s Ruy Fonseca brings Ballypatrick SRS, on whom he finished fifth last year.
An exciting new generation of riders is coming through in the sport, and young talents who’ll be making their debut in the Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge are Isabelle Cook, daughter of Team GB regular Tina Cook and Germany’s Mathies Ruder, the son of Olympic rider Kai Ruder and a Junior European champion in his own right.
“After her brilliant win last year, Gemma Stevens is the favourite to retain the title in the Eventers’ Challenge,” said Lizzie Bunn.
“But she’s going to face some tough opposition, with many of last year’s placed riders returning for another attempt as well as some exciting new talents having their first attempt at the class. It would also be great to see Pippa Funnell win for a fourth time, having proved last year that she’s still as formidable a competitor as ever in this class! It’s a wide-open field, and we look forward to finding out who the 2023 champion will be.”
