Three former winners feature in Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge line-up

Pippa Funnell, Gemma Stevens and last year’s champion Alexander Bragg are all hoping for another victory in the Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge, which takes place at Hickstead on Thursday 24 July – and all three riders are bringing two horses, in the hope of doubling their chances of lifting the trophy.

Alexander Bragg is a former farrier who didn’t start eventing until his late 20s yet made it to five-star level in the space of a decade. Last year he won on board Quindiva, but this year he returns with the 10-year-old mare Pamplona and the 13-year-old Ardeo Premier, who finished 16th on his Badminton debut in May.

Sussex-based Gemma Stevens has always wanted to win the Eventers’ Challenge, and she achieved this goal in 2022 with Flash Cooley. She brings the 13-year-old back for another tilt, and their wins so far this season include Millstreet 4* and Tweseldown. Gemma also rides Cooley Park Muze, who has had five top three finishes so far this year.

Pippa Funnell won the first ever Eventing Grand Prix to take place at Hickstead, back in 1998. Her win came courtesy of the mare The Tourmaline Rose, and the pair went on to win a further two times in 2000 and 2001. If she can add a fourth win, she will match the record held by Gary Parsonage, who won in 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Pippa has two five-star horses entered, Majas Hope – who finished in the top 10 at both Badminton and Burghley in 2023 – and the home-bred Billy Wonder.

Some of the other leading contenders for this year’s class include Ellie Fredericks, who is the daughter of the 2004 Eventing Grand Prix winner Lucinda Fredericks. Interestingly, Ellie rides Upper Class Brit, who is a grand-daughter of Lucinda’s prolific five-star champion Headley Britannia, who Lucinda was riding when she won at Hickstead.

Felicity Collins brings RSH Contend Or, who has been placed at four- and five-star level, and is another combination to look out for. One rider who knows what it takes to win in Hickstead’s International Arena is the multitalented Ella Dalton, who combines eventing with showjumping. She was the winner of the 2023 British Speed Derby at Hickstead and will be keen to add another major title to her list of honours.

The Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge is the feature class on the Thursday of the Agria Royal International Horse Show. Tickets are available now.