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

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