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Show
Jumping - Charles Wins Hickstead Derby For Third Consecutive
Year |
IRISH
European team member Peter Charles pulled off one of the greatest
performances in show jumping this afternoon (Sunday), when he won
the famous Hickstead Derby on <Corrada> for the third successive
year.
Only
Eddie Macken and Michael Whitaker have ever bettered this tally
in the past, each with four wins, but Charles is now the 21st century
record-holder.
This
was Peter's last Derby on the mare <Corrada>, as the horse
is being sold, but before the competition began, he said: < I'm
only worried about one fence. The rest she can jump in her sleep.>
The one <fence> was the notorious Derby bank, which has 3'
5" rails at the top, and then an almost vertical slide down
10' 6" of grass bank before tackling a 5' 3" fence just
one stride from the bottom.
But
Corrada was up to the challenge, and performed the manoeuvre almost
effortlessly, and went on to tackle the almost equally notorious
Devil's Dyke rustic rails over water as if she were, indeed, doing
it in her sleep.
The
combination finished with no faults, the only competitors to do
so.
Peter
Charles travels to Donaueschingen, Germany, next week, as fifth
man on the Irish squad that will defend the European Show Jumping
Championship title, with team qualification for the 2004 Olympics
depending on the Irish team's performance.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSI**** HICKSTEAD GREAT BRITAIN 14-17 AUGUST
2003
THE
BRITISH JUMPING DERBY
Sunday 17th August 2003
1) CORRADA; Peter Charles (IRL) Faults 0
2) ASHLEY; Michael Whitaker (GBR) Faults 4
3) CORTAFLEX MONDRIAAN; William Funnell (GBR) Faults 8 Time
http://www.horsesport.ie
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