IRISH riders gave a great account of themselves at the four-star Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby meeting over the weekend, winning four of the eight four-star classes on the schedule, as well as claiming numerous placings over the four days (June 18th-21st).

The highlight of the show was the 64th edition of the Al Shira'aa Derby, a 1.60m jump-off class on Sunday afternoon, with 30 on the start list. Of those, only two negotiated their way round the challenging first-round course without penalty - namely William Whitaker (GBR) on Flamboyant III and 2023 winner Derry’s David Simpson on the 11-year-old stallion Pjotr van de Kruishoeve - to require a jump-off.