Twomey at the double in style

Genevieve Murphy
Friday 05 October 2001 00:00 BST
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Billy Twomey, who has been Michael Whitaker's stable jockey for the last four years, rode his mentor's Sydney Olympic mount, Prince of Wales, to win last night's Daewoo Championship at The Horse of the Year Show. In the process he defeated both Whitaker brothers, neither of whom were among the top eight to contest the jump-off.

Twomey, from Co Cork in Ireland, achieved the only double clear round in polished style to deprive William Funnell, winner of the earlier Foxhunter Championship, of a double. Funnell had the fastest time on Amber du Montois to finish ahead of last year's winners, Robert Smith and Mr Springfield. Earlier, Smith had started where he left off last year when he won the afternoon's Grandstand Media Cup.

"I was thinking of going for a steady clear, but I changed my mind when I got in the ring," Smith said, having ridden Kalusha to win by a margin of 0.3 seconds from John Renwick on Brookend Fuehrer.

Roelof Bril, the Dutch horse dealer who sold Kalusha to Smith 18 months ago, won the Dick Turpin Stakes, with Renwick again occupying second place. Bril, who won two classes here in 1997 and 1998, was riding Phin Phin. He is joint-owner of this horse, who is one of the few occupants of his yard that is not for sale.

Far from thinking of what might have been had he kept the ride on Kalusha, Bril is delighted with Smith's success on his former partner. "It is always nice when you sell a horse and it works out so well," he said.

Only one rider, Britain's Tim Stockdale, produced a faster time than the Dutchman ­ but he had one fence down on Glenwood Springs for eventual sixth place. Like Smith and the Whitaker brothers, Stockdale is urgently seeking a new sponsor, having lost his backing from Traxdata when the computer company was put into the hands of receivers at the end of June.

HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW (Wembley Arena): Grandstand Media Cup: 1 Kalusha (R Smith, GB) 45.86sec; 2 Brookend Fuehrer (J Renwick, GB) 46.16; 3 Hunter's Level (J Whitaker, GB) 46.42. Dick Turpin Stakes: 1 Phin Phin (R Bril, Neth) clear, 59.96sec; 2 Millbrook (J Renwick, GB) clear, 60.70; 3 Claydons Phoenix (R Power, Irl) clear, 65.79. Daewoo Championship: 1 Prince of Wales (B Twomey, Irl) clear, 41.09sec; 2 Amber du Montois (W Funnell, GB) 4 faults, 37.53; 3 Mr Springfield (R Smith, GB) 4 faults, 38.03. Horse and Hound Foxhunter Championship (national class): 1 Mondriaan (W Funnell) clear, 36.15sec; 2 Ashdale Futuro (D Quigley) clear, 38.09; 3 Montedan (T Stockdale) clear, 45.06.

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