“We have experienced the saddest of days at Hickstead this week, and our flag has been flying at half-mast over the International Arena. As many of you will know, we said goodbye to our adored dad last week, after he died peacefully at home, aged 81. We shall miss him in so very many ways, as he was of course, the very best dad in the world.

But aside from the dad we know and love, the one who was rather partial to a bottle of claret, and loved nothing better than an Antiques Roadshow omnibus on the History Channel, we have been overwhelmed with the support and condolences from those in the equestrian fraternity and further afield. He will be remembered forever in the enduring legacy he created here at Hickstead, and we have received some incredibly touching tributes. One contributor on an online forum said simply, “Douglas, thank you for allowing the rest of us to dream.”

But, and quite literally in this case, the show must go on, and Georgina and her Dragon (as dad used to call it) must be hoisted high once again. As dad impressed on us from an early age (when I was the toast of the family after a particularly triumphant Pony Club show where I fell off not once, not twice, but FOUR times!) we must get up, dust ourselves off, get back on and kick on! With the 49th running of his beloved Derby Meeting, we will do him proud.

The showground looks beautiful and, fingers crossed - although mentioning the weather before an event is strictly forbidden, and is to show organisers what muttering Macbeth before a performance is to actors - the weather looks like it will hold and the forecast is very promising.

Extra hardcore has been put down in the stablefield, the ink has dried on numerous stabling and start lists, and the time for certain members of the Showing Secretariat to “admire” certain strong, young marquee erectors from their desk with a pair of binoculars, is over. Everything is ready and we are taking one last deep breath, before the hordes descend and the madness begins.

Advanced tickets are no longer available, but you can buy them on the gate. So come down this weekend, enjoy the famous Derbies, speed and proper, and see what all the fuss is about.”