Tipperary’s Trevor Breen brought out the great 16-year-old Loughnatousa WB to produce the only clear round of the 2015 Hickstead Derby to give him back-to-back wins and Ireland’s 15th victory. Last year he won on Adventure de Kannan. This time it was the Patricia Brown-owned Lougnatousa WB, by Spring Elegance, who came from Waterford’s Beecher family. Afterwards, Breen said: “It’s amazing to win two years in a row. I was very nervous at the end, as the last few horses came out, and my fingernails were bitten right down. Loughnatousa WB was magnificent, and he’ll have a couple of weeks off now.”
Tipperary’s Trevor Breen brought out the great 16-year-old Loughnatousa WB to produce the only clear round of the 2015 Hickstead Derby to give him back-to-back wins and Ireland’s 15th victory. Last year he won on Adventure de Kannan. This time it was the Patricia Brown-owned Lougnatousa WB, by Spring Elegance, who came from Waterford’s Beecher family.
Afterwards, Breen said: “It’s amazing to win two years in a row. I was very nervous at the end, as the last few horses came out, and my fingernails were bitten right down. Loughnatousa WB was magnificent, and he’ll have a couple of weeks off now.”
This is also this grand old fella’s second Derby win; he took it back in 2012 for Paul Beecher. Equal second was Billy Twomey on four faults with Diaghilev.
Elsewhere at the Derby meeting, Ireland’s Richard Howley scored a double of wins in the Stoney Vase with Verlindo ahead of Michael Duffy and then in the Speed Derby qualifier with Belinka. He was also second in that with Chinook, while in an Irish sweep David Simpson took third. Cian O’Connor had a good second in the Tom Hudson Trophy on Aramis.
Shane Breen steered Furao Van T Vennehof into second behind Guy Williams in the Derby Tankard.
Bertram wins again
Bertram Allen and the great mare Molly Molone won a Mercedes-Benz when producing the fastest of four double-clears to win the Geesteren Grand Prix.
In a 13-horse jump-off, he had almost five seconds to spare over Julia Keyser of Austria. The win will boost his place in the world’s Top 10 when the rankings are announced next week. Bertram also had a second on Barnike and a third on Belmonde in other events.
Cameron Hanley had a good show, winning the Top Score on Ikkiteska and had a 1.50m second on Antello Z. Conor Drain had a second and third as well.
Blake Wins In US
At Tryon in north Carolina, David Blake took the $100,000 four-star Grand Prix. With Binkie, he was last to go in the three-horse jump-off and had the only double-clear to win the $30,000 first prize.
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