The South African Derby is one of South Africa’s highlight shows, and in 2024, South African rider Ronnie Healy claimed his second consecutive victory, finishing in first and second place.
CORNET’S MANDARINO (2024 winner)
The eleven-year-old German sporthorse is the son of Cornet Session, who was bred by Hilmar Meyer. Cornet Session is by Cornet Obolenksy, who has been described as one of the most successful jumping stallions of modern times. Cornet Obolensky has bred super competitors and stallions, such as Comme il Faut. Cornet Obolensky and his son Comme il Faut sit in the Top 10 on the WBFSH Sire Ranking for showjumpers in fourth and eighth places, respectively.
Cornet’s Mandarino finished 2024 as the third-ranked 1.50m horse in SA. Healy and Cornet’s Mandarino completed the year with three 1.50m wins and numerous placings. Healy has ridden the gelding since 2018, when he was just five years old, taking him from 90cm to the top of the SA showjumping sport.
GILLIAN VAN ORSHOF (2023 winner)
Gillian, or Goofy as SA fans fondly know him, was Healy’s winning ride for the 2023 South African Derby. Healy took over the reins of the eighteen-year-old gelding from the late Ronnie Lawrence, giving us an emotional conclusion to the show.
Goofy is a grey gelding by the well-known and aptly named Belgian stallion Winningmood. The stallion had a highly successful career under Ludo Philippaerts and Luciana Diniz. Like Gillian, he continued to compete and win even against much younger horses; he was among the most successful horses on the International Circuit when he was seventeen. Winningmood resulted from pairing one of Belgium’s best stallions, Darco, with one of the most successful European showjumping breeding mares, M. Unellie. With these genetics, it’s no wonder that Winningmood and his offspring are impressive competitors.
Gillian and Healy finished on four podiums at the 1.50m level in 2024, including their second place at the SA Derby, finishing 2024 as the eighth-ranked horse at the 1.50m level.
We cannot wait to see what will come from Ronnie Healy and his string this year.