THE PARADE of prizewinners at the conclusion of yesterday's £50,000 Heineken Derby at Millstreet International Horse Show had a strong sense of deja vu about it as Britain's John Whitaker once again claimed the winner's cheque.
The Englishman won on Welham and was third with Gammon, and kept Ireland's Commdt Gerry Mull ins second once again with Millstreet Ruby.
Thirty two horses went in the first round, which was run over the full 19 fence course, but several fences were reduced as a result of the heavy and holding ground conditions.
Ireland's Marion Hughes had shown that Sgt Maj Steve Hickey's test could be conquered when she rode a brilliant clear round when first to go with Carnival Bouncer. The Kilkenny rider was joined on a zero score almost immediately by Mullins with Millstreet Ruby, the King of Diamonds mare which was bred on the Co Cork showgrounds by show director Noel C. Duggan and is currently on lease to the Army.
Whitaker earned his first passage into the jump off by bringing Welham home clear. Going second last with Gammon, the German bred gelding which his brother Michael had ridden to equal second place in last week's Hickstead Derby, Whitaker strengthened his hand still further when bringing the numbers for the jump off to four.
Marion Hughes was first to stake her claim for the £16,500 winner's cheque, but Carnival Bouncer clipped the gate off fence four, two from home, and then needed a second look at the second of the Duhallow Banks to go out on seven faults.
Gerry Mullins then took up the running with Millstreet Ruby. But from the outset he was reluctant to take the handbrake off totally, and with Whitaker still to come, the clear round in 47.05 appeared vulnerable to the British attack.
Whitaker's first ride, Welham ate up the soft ground and showed a clean pair of heels over the six jump off fences to take over the lead in 45.51.
Earlier yesterday Millstreet's premier young horse class, the Boomerang Championship, was transferred indoors in order to preserve the international arena for the Derby, but the £9,000 event lost nothing in the move. In a fast moving seven horse jump off against the clock Francis Connors had the final say when last to go with a new ride for him, Urrahills Shamrock, by Clover Hill.
Meanwhile, at the Rotterdam Nations Cup show in Holland on Saturday the Irish were invincible. Eddie Macken (FAN Schalkhaar), Trevor Coyle (Cruising), Peter Charles (La Ina) and Paul Darragh (Cera) were the only team to compete the two round contest on a zero score and succeeded in keeping the host nation in the runner up slot on four faults. A strong German team shared equal third place with the Swiss squad on a two round total of eight.
