The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Duoin the pink with overall winner
RBS light horse supreme championship title goes to part-bred victor Litton Cerise
Lifting the Royal Bank of Scotland overall light horse supreme championship was the mountain and moorland part-bred victor Litton Cerise.
Owned by Yorkie Jobling-purser and ridden by her daughter Martha, the duo headed a strong Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) section to secure their entry to the overall section.
Judge Andrew Bowie from Kinross was thorough in his inspection of all the animals he had forward before calling the eight-year-old mare for the title.
Previously a brood-mare, the Llanarth Aristocrat daughter has only been lightly campaigned since the family bought the pony in March.
“This is only Martha’s sixth show with her. They have qualified for the Royal International after being champion at Cheshire Premier,” said Yorkie.
“My champion was a lovely pony, very mannerly, and full of quality and could really move,” said Andrew.
Reserve supreme was the riding pony and ridden part-bred Arab champion Serene Royal Princess, owned by Mrs Tessa Hourston from Montrose. The seven-year-old mare by Deanshill Royal Portrait and out of Falconhurst Serenity, was ridden by Sophie Hourston and has won eight championships from 10 outings this year.
“The reserve had lovely limbs and bone and moved well,” added Andrew.
The working hunter pony champion went to Perthshire-based Suzie England, whose daughter Amelia rode Rosshill Paddy to win the exceeding 143cm class. The pony is an eight-year- old Connemara gelding and has qualified for the RIHS and placed British Eventing at Floors Castle at BE100 level.
Standing overall ridden reserve hunter was Caithness rider James Munro with the small hunter winner Ebony King. Owned by Freda Newton from Inverness, the six-year-old is by the skewbald stallion Aughabeg Patch and out of the Connemara mare Glencarn Girl.
The sports horse championship went to Caithness handler Ashley Anderson with Freckleton Untouchable. A yearling skewbald colt by the former Royal Highland Show champion Copilot and out of Unbeliveable. Ashley was also reserve in the sports horse championship with her own Ashlea’s Total Class, a home-bred yearling filly, also by Copilot and out Free Spirit.
In the strong ridden mountain and moorland Horse of the Year Show qualifiers section on the final day Fife riders accounted for two qualifying tickets. Molly Barclay topped the Welsh section A class with Butleigh Silver Flyer and Kirsty Aird led the Highland section with Lindsey Macdonald’s former Royal Highland Show champion Dunedin Merlin.
The private driving championship went to Richard Lanni from Bridge of Earn with two Dutch Gerlanders Symen and Vinny.
Britain’s top showjumping riders were out in force with a huge prize fund over the four days. Annabel Shields produced a cracking round from the last draw to secure the Spire Hospitals grand prix with her father’s Wet Wet Wet to lift the £7,500 first prize.