The British Jumping Derby meeting – known for sponsorship reasons as the Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby Meeting – is an annual
showjumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes sho ...
event held since 1961 at the
Hickstead Hickstead may refer to:
* All England Jumping Course at Hickstead
The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, known widely as Hickstead, is an equestrian centre in West Sussex, England, principally known for its showjumping. It hosts two inte ...
in June every year. It is considered one of the premier events in the equestrian calendar.
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
The Hickstead Derby Bank known as the ''Derby Bank'' is an infamous jump at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead that is part of the course for the British Jumping Derby
The British Jumping Derby meeting – known for sponsorship reasons ...
, a jump with 3 ft 5in rails on top and a 10 ft 6in slope down the front.
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:[
]
Results
The results of the main British Jumping Derby class at the show are as follows:
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. Five riders have won the Hickstead Derby four times apiece - Eddie Macken
Eddie Macken (born 20 October 1949 in Granard, Longford, Ireland) , Harvey Smith, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker and William Funnell
William Ross Norman Funnell (born 10 February 1966, Ashford) is a top-class showjumper.
Career
Funnell has represented Britain internationally in many Nations Cup teams. In 2006 he won the Hickstead Derby for the first time and won it agai ...
. In 2020 and 2021, the Hickstead Derby did not run because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Sponsorship
Title sponsors in recent years have included furniture retailer DFS, floor and bed furnishing retailer carpetright and online retaile
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.
External links
Official British Jumping Derby website
References
{{Reflist
Show jumping events
Equestrian sports in the United Kingdom
Equestrian sports in England
1962 establishments in the United Kingdom
Recurring sporting events established in 1962