Breen snatches Hickstead Derby in jump-off thriller

Ireland’s Trevor Breen claimed a thrilling victory in the Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby yesterday as defending champion Phillip Miller was agonisingly denied a second successive triumph.

Breen and his experienced campaigner Adventure De Kannan – the 14-year-old bay gelding had an eye removed last year due to a long-standing condition - prevailed by just two hundredths of a second following a thrilling jump-off head to head.

Both Breen and Miller, riding last year’s Derby winner Caritiar Z, repeated their first-round performances of four faults in the jump-off, but Breen clocked 85.17 seconds, compared with Miller’s 85.19.