Shane Breen reclaims speed Derby title

Shane Breen and Magic Fox

Ireland’s Shane Breen reclaimed the Bunn Leisure Speed Derby title today (25 June 2011) he last won in 2008 with Royal Concorde. This year, he partnered Konstantin Pysarenko’s Magic Fox to victory, beating first timer Harriet Nuttall (Highland Cruiser II).

In his previous victory, Shane had set the fastest time in the class’s history, this time he was a few seconds slower.

Different strides
“It’s a strange thing to say, but I actually counted the strides I did on Royal Concorde and on Magic Fox today,” said Shane, who is based at Hickstead with his wife Chloe. “I’d already done five strides more by the time I’d got to the bottom of the bank today, but after jumping the Irish bank [the third last] I looked up at the clock, saw it said 81 seconds, and knew what I had to do.”

Shane was chasing a time Harriet, 21, had set eight horses before. She’d been the first to finish in under 100 seconds and was one of only four seamless performances in the class.

Harriet Nuttall and Highland Cruiser

Help from hunting
“I was shocked when I walked the course and realised how step the side of the bank we came down was,” said Harriet, the daughter of 1987 Whitbread Cup winner and Master of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunt Rupert Nuttall.

“However, we buy most of our horses from Ireland and they are hunted pretty much straight away. It really helps with their confidence in classes like this with banks, hedges and ditches.”

Shane, who also hunts, agrees, adding that it also helps with rider confidence, which is then passed on to the horse.

“Magic Fox hasn’t actually hunted, but your encouragement and experience helps them,” he said.

Strangely, Shane actually took two horses round the course at once as the 10-year-old mare, is in foal to Shane’s stallion Balloon.

“We’ll be taking the embryo out next week,” he said.

The ride on Magic Fox is shared between Shane, Konstantin and Lucy Bunn.

“She’s a pretty amazing horse,” said Shane. “Konstantin is away at university in Birmingham and rides her in 1.10m and 1.20m classes when he can, Lucy rides her in bigger competitions and then I pinch her of Lucy for classes like this.”