‘A moment I’ll cherish forever'

Ireland’s David Simpson relives the day he fulfilled his childhood dream of landing the Hickstead Derby, and reveals the secrets of his winning preparation

- Martha Terry

I’VE had a good feeling about Pjotr since I first saw him aged three. He is only eight, but from riding and producing him since the start, I knew he was more than capable. Maybe I wasn’t thinking about winning, but I wouldn’t go into the ring if I didn’t think he could jump clear.

We have a lovely little Derby course at home [see box, p19], and the first time I trained him there he took to it like a duck to water – he nailed every fence first time. I knew he’d cope, but I was hesitant because I worried people might think putting a horse his age in the Derby would mean he’s just a big, brave lump, not the quality he actually is. I genuinely think Pjotr has championship ability: super-careful and scopey, beautiful to ride and very competitive.

I had two fences down in the Derby Trial, but they were completely my fault – I rode him terribly and he still tried his hardest. We were having the perfect round and he jumped the triple bar so well that I decided, rather than interfering with his rhythm to do my normal seven strides down to the gate, I’d cruise down – and he just touched the top of it. I thought, “You idiot!”. All I had to do was sit up and do the seven.

I didn’t lose any sleep over it. The Derby show is my favourite all year. I love old-fashioned showjumping and big, bold jumps. In the modern sport, everything is so light, the time so tight, so you’re always pushing. But the Derby and Derby Trial go back to big jumps, setting a good rhythm and cruising round, which I really enjoy.