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]
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.
The course is known for its challenging nature that has changed little since it's inception. As of 2022, there were only 64 clear rounds since the event's start in 1961.[8]
- ^ a b "The DFS British Jumping Derby, Hickstead". Debretts. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010.
- ^ "DFS British Jumping Derby". Equestrian Shows. 19 September 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Parry-Crooke, Simon (31 December 2009). "Sport 2010: compete month-by month calendar for the year ahead". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Preview:Hickstead Derby". BBC Grandstand. 15 September 2003.
- ^ "Facing the Hickstead Derby course". Horse and Hound. 28 June 2006.
- ^ "All England Jumping Course, Hickstead". South East England Development Agency.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "British Jumping Derby Meeting". All England Jumping Course at Hickstead. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010.
- ^ Showjumping, www worldofshowjumping com, World of. "Epic Hickstead Derby battles". www.worldofshowjumping.com. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
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