IT’S the Horse of the Year Show final all the professionals want to win but in 2019 victory in the prestigious Equitop Myoplast Foxhunter Championship belonged to Simon Crippen on the Irish Sport Horse Premier Titanium.

“Everything went my way on the night; I’ve been placed before in this class but to win it is very special,” said Crippen, who topped a six-horse jump-off over a 1.45m track with almost two seconds in hand.

Known speedsters Paul Barker on his home-bred Green Grass and Matt Sampson with Giranette had blasted around the course in a bid to set an early target but paid the price with poles falling. Crippen used different tactics.

“I played the odds a bit, went reasonably quick but not crazy. He’s very quick and I did what I had to do. The first round was tough enough, even the first fence right by the hospitality took some thought and jumping,” he said.

The seven-year-old Premier Titanium is by Taloubet Z out of the Cruising-sired Oxmountain Flame and was purchased in Ireland as a five-year-old from breeder Dominic Rice of Premier Sport Horses in Co Armagh. The dam has six more progeny on the ground, including a 2019 chesnut full-sister to Titanium.

“I bought him together with Tim Peake as a colt but we later had him cut [gelded] which has helped him focus. He had a lot of talent but was a little unruly and it has taken him until the second half of his seven-year-old year before he has come into his own,” said Crippen.

“This was his first show indoors this season as he jumped at the World breeding Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken so didn’t get a chance for a run indoors before HOYS, but he didn’t turn a hair and coped with the atmosphere well.

“I hope to step him up to ranking classes on the Spanish Sunshine Tour early next year,” he added.

The lower places were awarded to British-bred seven-year-old horses. Well-known eventer Pippa Funnell used her final draw to take second on Billy Picador and Simon Buckley claimed third with Pewit Dezesseis.