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‘He’s a legend’: 21-year-old grand prix horse makes winning return to London Horse Show (and AP McCoy manages not to fall off)

Harry Skelton and Billy Angelo lead the winning team in the Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund at the London International Horse Show.

Some of the country’s leading Flat and jumps jockeys took a well-earned break from their day job to entertain the crowd in the Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund at the London International Horse Show on Friday evening (20 December).

Two teams of intrepid competitors – with varying levels of showjumping ability, it has to be said – were led into battle by champion jockey Harry “The Airplane” Skelton and his counterpart 20-time champion Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy, AKA the Champ.

There were a few anxious faces as the 10 jockeys set off over the course of showjumps set for them – including a lofty joker fence which could wipe four seconds off their time – but all made a gallant attempt and even AP McCoy managed not to fall off this year.

Victory went to Harry Skelton’s high-octane squad of Brian Hughes, Lilly Pinchin, James Bowen and Sam Twiston-Davies, although there were calls for a stewards’ enquiry when it turned out Harry was mounted on William Funnell’s former grand prix horse Billy Angelo. The now 21-year-old gelding has enjoyed his retirement with Harry and his wife Bridget and was without doubt the star of the show.

“I’m very well mounted,” admitted Harry as Pippa Funnell gave the super chestnut gelding a huge hug. “This horse has been a legend to Pippa and Willy Funnell throughout the years. We’re very privileged to have him – I’d be doing him a bad turn if I let him down.”

The winning team of L-R: Brian Hughes, Harry Skelton on Billy Angelo, Sam Twiston-Davies, Lilly Pinchen and James Bowen in the Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund at the London International Horse Show.

Jockeys jump on the train from Ascot to the London ExCeL in their riding kit

Many of the jockeys had been riding at Ascot’s Howden Christmas Racing Weekend and had jumped on a train into London to reach the London ExCeL in time for the class, before returning to the track to race again on Saturday.

“We really enjoy it – we’ve been at Ascot today and all we’ve talked about is tonight,” said Harry. “So thank you to Markel and to the London International Horse Show for having us back again.

“The only thing I’m surprised about is Nico de Boinville completing the course because if that was a race, he definitely would have pulled it up.”

Top jumps jockey Nico, part of AP McCoy’s losing green side along with Gina Andrews, Harry Cobden and Joanna Mason, is an absolutely superb horseman but he left the ring with more poles on the floor than remaining in their cups.

“It’s a tough old game but I’m going to blame the coaches today – it was definitely bad management,” he said tongue in cheek in the direction of team trainers Pippa Funnell and Laura Collett. “You are what you’re riding and Harry Skelton was on a grand prix horse – it’s a bit like me riding Sprinter Sacre in a 0-100 handicap race [for low level horses].

“But we’ll give him that one, it was all good fun. A fantastic evening.”

AP McCoy manages to stay in the saddle this year as he jumps at the London International.

AP McCoy on jumping at the London International: “I have fallen off more than anyone on the planet”

Gina Andrews, who finished 12th in this year’s Grand National, summed up: “These are obviously totally different fences to the National, but it’s a totally different kind of buzz, I loved it.”

Meanwhile Sam Twiston-Davies quipped, “The money was on James Bowen taking the wrong course, but he actually managed to make it round!”

AP McCoy has experienced more than his fair share of unscheduled dismounts in this class over the years and he looked relieved just to cross the finish line while still in the saddle.

“It’s much more fun when I fall off isn’t it? I have fallen off more than anyone on the planet,” he said, going on to pay tribute to his injured weighing room colleagues Alice Procter and Graham Lee, just two of the beneficiaries of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supports this evening. The Injured Jockeys Fund is 60 years old this year. The care it gives and everything it does is unbelievable. It costs £5m a year to run and it’s run purely through donations from evenings like this. So thank you to you all.”