A TEST Valley showjumper has triumphed at a national championship.

Wherwell-based rider Julian Mincher won the Hickstead Novice Championship, taking home the top honour in the showjumping class.

Mincher, who was competing in the prestigious equestrian.com Hickstead Derby Meeting, rode Samantha Middleton’s six-year-old Eindhoven GH to victory in the final of the 1.20m class, having qualified in the earlier Horse and Hound Senior Foxhunter first round.

The equestrian.com Hickstead Derby Meeting is home to the renowned Hickstead Derby, one of the world’s toughest and most prestigious showjumping competitions.

The event features a number of international showjumping classes, national classes for amateurs and young horses, as well as elite showing championships.

Around 45,000 spectators flock to the Derby meeting each year.