The crowd at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead gave Cortaflex Mondriaan a standing ovation today during a parade to mark the horse's retirement from international competition.
Top rider William Funnell won the Hickstead Derby three times on board the 17-year-old bay gelding, taking the title in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Out of all three Derby victories, William nominated the final win as the highlight, It was shortly after the death of Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn, which made it more poignant.
"It was almost like it was destiny for me to win that day," says William. "I knew I needed a clear round, and I could almost hear Douglas saying to me 'Come on! Don't mess it up!' For some reason, it just felt as if it was going to happen for me, and Mondriaan jumped brilliantly that day. He made it feel easy."
Cortaflex Mondriaan won more than £250,000 during his career, He can now look forward to an active retirement, hunting and taking part in lecture demos.
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