New face at Hickstead beats the best

An unknown female rider beat a 60-strong field of the world’s top riders to claim the Tom Hudson Derby Trophy at Hickstead.

Biggest win yet

Up-and-coming showjumping star Alice Watson left international riders trailing in her wake when she and 10-year-old mare Billy Lemon stormed into the lead in the jump-off.

The 27-year-old took nearly a second off Cian O’Connor’s time, who finished as a runner-up with Aramis 573, followed by Lillie Keenan and Super Sox in third.

She called the win the “biggest of her career” and the first time she has secured the top-spot in the main arena at Hickstead.

Fought to the top

But it has not always been plain sailing for the Taunton-based jumper, who fought her way through the ranks after coming from a non-horsey background.

“I did my A-Levels and went to university – my parents insisted,” she told H&C. “They weren’t particularly keen on my doing just show jumping.

“People always used to tell them ‘she doesn’t stand a chance, get a proper job’. Over the years everyone hoped I would grow out of it and it just never happened.”

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

The determined rider bought her first pony for £150 and used the profit to buy her next ride, and the next, until she bought Billy Lemon five years ago.

She added: “If anyone says you need parents throwing money at you to make it, yes – you will get there quicker – but where there’s a will there’s a way.

“Today I wouldn’t say that I have proven that I can do it, but I have proven that I can hold my own and given the right opportunities and little bit of luck I think I can do it.”