British Jumping Derby

Irish competitor Michael Whyte descends the Derby bank during the 2011 Derby competition

The British Jumping Derby meeting - informally known as the Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby - is an annual showjumping event held since 1961 at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in June every year. It is considered one of the premier events in the equestrian calendar.[1][2][3][4]

A highlight of the meeting is the British Jumping 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.

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:[5]

Fence name Height Width Notes
The Cornishman 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m) Solid stone wall with a pole
white oxer 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
double water ditches 5 ft (1.5 m) & 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
black gate 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) maximum height fence for the course, upright and falls easily
wall 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
privet hedge oxer 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
road jump 5 ft (1.5 m) and 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) table fence with no exit except over jumps
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 16st from main drop which horses must slide down
white rails 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) two strides from bottom of bank
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)
open water 15 ft (4.6 m)
Derby rails 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
open ditch 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) 6 ft (1.8 m)
balustrades 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
double of gates 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m), 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
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 [8]
1962 Pat Smythe  GBR Flanagan [8]
1963 Nelson Pessoa  BRA Gran Geste [8]
1964 Seamus Hayes  IRL Goodbye III [8]
1965 Nelson Pessoa  BRA Gran Geste [8]
1966 David Broome  GBR Mister Softee [8]
1967 Marion Coakes  GBR Stroller [8]
1968 Alison Westwood  GBR The Maverick III [8]
1969 Anneli Drummond-Hay  GBR Xanthos II [8]
1970 Harvey Smith  GBR Mattie Brown [8]
1971 Harvey Smith  GBR Mattie Brown [8]
1972 Hendrik Snoek  GER Shirokko [8]
1973 Alison Dawes (Westwood)  GBR Mr. Banbury [8]
1974 Harvey Smith  GBR Salvador [8]
1975 Paul Darragh  IRL Pele [8]
1976 Eddie Macken  IRL Boomerang [8]
1977 Eddie Macken  IRL Boomerang [8]
1978 Eddie Macken  IRL Boomerang [8]
1979 Eddie Macken  IRL Boomerang [8]
1980 Michael Whitaker  GBR Owen Gregory [8]
1981 Harvey Smith  GBR Sanyo Video [8]
1982 Paul Schockemöhle  GER Deister [8]
1983 John Whitaker  GBR Ryan's Son [8]
1984 John Ledingham  IRL Gabhran [8]
1985 Paul Schockemöhle  GER Lorenzo [8]
1986 Paul Schockemöhle  GER Deister [8]
1987 Nick Skelton  GBR J Nick [8]
1988 Nick Skelton  GBR Apollo [8]
1989 Nick Skelton  GBR Apollo [8]
1990 Jozsef Turi  GBR Vital [8]
1991 Michael Whitaker  GBR Monsanta [8]
1992 Michael Whitaker  GBR Monsanta [8]
1993 Michael Whitaker  GBR Monsanta [8]
1994 John Ledingham  IRL Kilbaha [8]
1995 John Ledingham  IRL Kilbaha [8]
1996 Nelson Pessoa  BRA Loro Piana Vivaldi [8]
1997 John Popely  GBR Bluebird [8]
1998 John Whitaker  GBR Gammon [8]
1999 Rob Hoekstra  GBR Lionel II [8]
2000 John Whitaker  GBR Welham [8]
2001 Peter Charles  IRL Corrada [8]
2002 Peter Charles  IRL Corrada [8]
2003 Peter Charles  IRL Corrada [8]
2004 John Whitaker  GBR Buddy Bunn [8]
2005 Ben Maher  GBR Alfredo II [8]
2006 William Funnell  GBR Cortaflex Mondriaan [8]
2007 Geoff Billington  GBR Cassabachus [8]
2008 William Funnell  GBR Cortaflex Mondriaan [8]
2009 William Funnell  GBR Cortaflex Mondriaan [8]
2010 Guy Williams  GBR Skip Two Ramiro [9]
2011 Tina Fletcher  GBR Promised Land [10]
2012 Paul Beecher  IRL Loughnatousa WB [11]
2013 Phillip Miller  GBR Caritiar Z [12]
2014 Trevor Breen  IRE Adventure De Kannan [13]
2015 Trevor Breen  IRL Loughnatousa W B [8]

Sponsorship

Following a number of years of title sponsorship by furniture retailer DFS, making the event the DFS British Jumping Derby,[14] in 2011 the sponsorship changed to floor and bed furnishing retailer carpetright, becoming the Carpetright British Jumping Derby.[15][16] Sponsorship has now been taken over by the UK's largest online Equestrian retailer - Equestrian.com

External links

References

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