All the action from the Falsterbo Derby presented by Agria

The 2023-edition of the Falsterbo Derby presented by Agria turned into an exciting class, where the audience was kept at the edge of their seats until the very last rider had jumped.

A total of 19 horse-and-rider-combinations took part in the derby that counted 19 obstacles and 22 efforts, and until Steve Guerdat and Easy Star de Talma (Quick Star x Opium de Talma) entered the ring as last to go it was only Abdel Said and Arpege du Ru (Apache d'Adriers x Quat'Sous) that had cleared the demanding track. But, delivering a clear round as last man out, Guerdat made sure there would be a jump-off for the win.

With these images, we take a look back on all the action!

All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.

Abdel Said and Arpege du Ru had start number four and made the course look so easy...

... and for a long time it seemed like they would be the only clear pair.

Öresundsbron is a classical fence in the Falsterbo Derby, replicating the bridge near Falsterbo that connects Sweden and Denmark.

Sandra Auffarth and Nupafeed's La Vista were definitely one of the favourite pairs for the win; here they are on their way towards the bridge.

However, a fault on the airy combination at number 17 meant Auffarth had to add four faults to her score and settle for the third place.

Being on the coast in the south of Sweden, the derby fences had a clear touch of sea – here Harry Charles and Chavira hiding behind the fishing nets.

A visit from the seagulls was also a reminder of the venue's close proximity to the sea.

Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen and Mylord Myles jumped out of the arena in style. After jumping out of the ring, the horses and riders canter behind the grandstands on the short side to re-enter the arena down the derby bank.

Andre Thieme and Contadur were one of the crowd favourites for the win, and many thought they would make a hat-trick after taking the title in the Falsterbo Derby in 2019 as well as in 2022. However, Contadur didn't jump the course with his normal ease and the pair had to settle for 7th place after twelve faults.

Przemyslaw Konopacki and Vasco finished fourth after being the fastest eight-faulters.

The derby course is definitely demanding and this year there were some unexpected refusals. Douglas Lindelöw's Conrad van de Mispelaere took a dislike to the wall...

... while Andreas Schou's Granate disagreed to the first water jump.

After a refusal on the wall, Karin Martinsen and PB Coretta Z's derby ended with a second refusal at the fence out of the arena.

This gate placed shortly after the derby bank fell over and over again.

Some twisting and turning for Niklas Arvidsson and Hotmail who finished on 17 faults after experiencing some trouble when jumping out of the ring.

Elian Baumann and Hold Up di Vico P on their way through the course in front of a fully seated Falsterbo. With twelve faults they had to settle for the 8th place.

Alessandra Reich and Anyway van het Kervijnhof Z jumping over the last fence to finish the long course on twelve faults.

The derby is probably the only class where you can see a smile like this after someone finishes the course with a score of eight faults. Here Thomas Ryan and Karmel van de Watering.

Four 9-year-olds tackled the derby course and Martin Fuchs' Viper Z was one of them.

Loewie Joppen and Add Picobello Z on top of the bank.

As always it was packed for the derby.

Abdel Said and Arpege du Ru were first out in the jump-off and pulled off a quick round that ended with the very last fence on the ground.

In the jump-off, a slow clear would have been enough to secure the victory for Steve Guerdat and Easy Star de Talma, but nevertheless the Swiss ace put the pedal to the metal and raced to the win not only on a clean sheet but also with the fastest time.