British Jumping Derby

The British Jumping Derby meeting – known for sponsorship reasons as the Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby Meeting – is an annual showjumping event held since 1961 at the Hickstead in June every year. It is considered one of the premier events in the equestrian calendar.^[1][2][3][4]

Hickstead Derby in 2009

The grounds in 1996

A highlight of the meeting is the Al Shira'aa Derby, a 1,195-metre course with tricky jumps including the aptly named Devil's Dyke – three fences in short succession with a water-filled ditch in the middle and the difficult Derby Bank, a jump with 3 ft 5in rails on top and a 10 ft 6in slope down the front.^[1][5]

The British Jumping Derby is one of those events a bit like the Grand National where it's not just the runners and riders that make the headlines but the course itself. It's an iconic showjumping contest, the like of which you won't find anywhere else in the world, no other course asks this much of a test of horse and rider and no other course creates this type of drama.

— Clare Balding, BBC Sport^[6][7]

The course is known for its challenging nature that has changed little since its inception. As of 2022, there were only 64 clear rounds since the event's start in 1961.^[8]

Derby fences

The main arena is used for a number of classes throughout the meeting (and at the Royal International Horse Show amongst others), but the main Derby class always follows the same class, consisting of the following fences of 21 jumping efforts:^[5]

Fence name	Height	Width	Notes
1. The Cornishman	4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)		Solid stone wall with a pole
2. white oxer	4 ft 3 in (1.30 m)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
3. a.& b. double water ditches	5 ft (1.5 m) & 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
4. black gate	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)		maximum height fence for the course, upright and falls easily
5. wall	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
6. privet hedge oxer	4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
7. a. & b. road jump	5 ft (1.5 m) and 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)		table fence with no exit except over jumps
8. Derby Bank	10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) drop with 3 ft 5 in (1.04 m) high fence before		iconic obstacle of the course. fence 16 ft [clarification needed] from main drop which horses must slide down
9. white rails	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)		two strides from bottom of bank
10. a., b. & c. Devil's Dyke	4 ft 9 in (1.45 m), 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m), 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)		closed obstacle, but sloping ground increases apparent fence height to near 6 ft (1.8 m)
11. open water		15 ft (4.6 m)
12. Derby rails	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
13. open ditch	5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)	6 ft (1.8 m)
14. balustrades	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
15. a. & b. double of gates	4 ft 10 in (1.47 m), 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
16. rustic spread	4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

Results

The results of the main British Jumping Derby class at the show are as follows:

Year	Rider	Country	Horse	Ref
1961	Seamus Hayes	IRL	Goodbye III	[9]
1962	Pat Smythe	GBR	Flanagan	[9]
1963	Nelson Pessoa	BRA	Gran Geste	[9]
1964	Seamus Hayes	IRL	Goodbye III	[9]
1965	Nelson Pessoa	BRA	Gran Geste	[9]
1966	David Broome	GBR	Mister Softee	[9]
1967	Marion Coakes	GBR	Stroller	[9]
1968	Alison Westwood	GBR	The Maverick III	[9]
1969	Anneli Drummond-Hay	GBR	Xanthos II	[9]
1970	Harvey Smith	GBR	Mattie Brown	[9]
1971	Harvey Smith	GBR	Mattie Brown	[9]
1972	Hendrik Snoek	GER	Shirokko	[9]
1973	Alison Dawes (Westwood)	GBR	Mr. Banbury	[9]
1974	Harvey Smith	GBR	Salvador	[9]
1975	Paul Darragh	IRL	Pele	[9]
1976	Eddie Macken	IRL	Boomerang	[9]
1977	Eddie Macken	IRL	Boomerang	[9]
1978	Eddie Macken	IRL	Boomerang	[9]
1979	Eddie Macken	IRL	Boomerang	[9]
1980	Michael Whitaker	GBR	Owen Gregory	[9]
1981	Harvey Smith	GBR	Sanyo Video	[9]
1982	Paul Schockemöhle	GER	Deister	[9]
1983	John Whitaker	GBR	Ryan's Son	[9]
1984	John Ledingham	IRL	Gabhran	[9]
1985	Paul Schockemöhle	GER	Lorenzo	[9]
1986	Paul Schockemöhle	GER	Deister	[9]
1987	Nick Skelton	GBR	J Nick	[9]
1988	Nick Skelton	GBR	Apollo	[9]
1989	Nick Skelton	GBR	Apollo	[9]
1990	Jozsef Turi	GBR	Vital	[9]
1991	Michael Whitaker	GBR	Monsanta	[9]
1992	Michael Whitaker	GBR	Monsanta	[9]
1993	Michael Whitaker	GBR	Monsanta	[9]
1994	John Ledingham	IRL	Kilbaha	[9]
1995	John Ledingham	IRL	Kilbaha	[9]
1996	Nelson Pessoa	BRA	Loro Piana Vivaldi	[9]
1997	John Popely	GBR	Bluebird	[9]
1998	John Whitaker	GBR	Gammon	[9]
1999	Rob Hoekstra	GBR	Lionel II	[9]
2000	John Whitaker	GBR	Welham	[9]
2001	Peter Charles	IRL	Corrada	[9]
2002	Peter Charles	IRL	Corrada	[9]
2003	Peter Charles	IRL	Corrada	[9]
2004	John Whitaker	GBR	Buddy Bunn	[9]
2005	Ben Maher	GBR	Alfredo II	[9]
2006	William Funnell	GBR	Cortaflex Mondriaan	[9]
2007	Geoff Billington	GBR	Cassabachus	[9]
2008	William Funnell	GBR	Cortaflex Mondriaan	[9]
2009	William Funnell	GBR	Cortaflex Mondriaan	[9]
2010	Guy Williams	GBR	Skip Two Ramiro	[10]
2011	Tina Fletcher	GBR	Promised Land	[11]
2012	Paul Beecher	IRL	Loughnatousa WB	[12]
2013	Phillip Miller	GBR	Caritiar Z	[13]
2014	Trevor Breen	IRL	Adventure De Kannan	[14][15]
2015	Trevor Breen	IRL	Loughnatousa W B	[9]
2016	William Whitaker	GBR	Glenavadra Brilliant	[9][16]
2017	Nigel Coupe	GBR	Golvers Hill	[9]
2018	William Funnell	GBR	Billy Buckingham	[17]
2019	Michael Pender	IRL	Hearton Du Bois	[18]
2022	Shane Breen	IRL	Z7 Canya Makan	[9]
2023	David Simpson	IRL	Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve	[19]
2024	William Funnell	GBR	Dublon	[19]

In 2019, Michael Pender became the youngest ever winner of the Hickstead Derby, taking the title from Marion Coakes when she won the Derby in 1967 on Stroller.^[18] Four riders have won the Hickstead Derby four times apiece - Eddie Macken, Harvey Smith, John Whitaker, and Michael Whitaker. In 2024 William Funnell became the first rider to win the event five times.^[19] In 2020 and 2021, the Hickstead Derby did not run because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Incidents

• 1972 – Chamusca Lad, ridden by Ann Backhouse was euthanized after falling on landing from the Derby Bank.^[20]
• 1987 – Ryan's Son, the 1983 winner of the competition, fell during his round on the course. The fall did not initially appear serious, and the horse walked back to the stabling area where he collapsed and died.^[21]
• 2004 – GG Barock was euthanized after breaking a rear leg while landing from the Derby Bank.^[20] After the incident, event organizers made changes to the Derby Bank to make the obstacle more friendly to equine competitors.^[22]
• 2018 – Navalo de Poheton, ridden by Andrew Kocher (USA) broke a leg while competing in the Derby and was fatally injured. It was the horse's last competition before retirement.^[23][24][25]

Sponsorship

Previous sponsor Silk Cut

Title sponsors in recent years have included furniture retailer DFS, floor and bed furnishing retailer carpetright and online retailer Equestrian.com. The current title sponsors are Al Shira'aa, who have signed a three-year deal as title sponsor of the event, now known as the Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby meeting.

See also

• All England Jumping Course at Hickstead
• Royal International Horse Show

External links

• Official British Jumping Derby website