| Heavy Horses at the Royal Show
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Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.
2nd –5th July 2006.
by Rosemary Cooper.
Percherons triumphed at the 2006 Royal Show. For the third consecutive year a Percheron mare from the Cambridgeshire village of Willingham won the ultimate prize, the Supreme–In-Hand Championship, sponsored this year by Topspec. This champion was Gordon Bailey’s Willingham Marie, who, with her filly foal Willow, was his only entry in the show.
A beautifully dappled grey, Marie looks very like Willingham Chrystal, who won the championship for Gordon Bailey last year. The first champion from Willingham was Owen Garner’s Hales Uni, also a dappled grey mare, who hasn’t returned to the show since her 2004 victory.
‘I’m over the moon and I don’t care who knows it!’ exclaimed an exultant Mr Bailey. Before the championship he had said: ‘They will never give the championship to a Percheron three years running.’.
The championship took place in the Grand Ring with the judges holding up boards to show the scores they awarded. Tension mounted as three light horses and ponies were judged first. None achieved a single perfect score of four. Then Willingham Marie came before the three judges, Mr Jim Yates, Mr R Warden and Miss V Millwood. To cheers from the grandstand, they unanimously awarded her full marks. ‘She’s a super mare,’ commented Mr Yates. ‘No question about it.’.
Earlier Willingham Marie won the Supreme Heavy Horse Championship, also in the Grand Ring, from the Champion Shire, Tony Bull’s homebred Arclid Sensation, a four-year-old bay mare. Another brood mare, J Fleming’s Suffolk Eyke Opal, tied with Arclid Sensation for the reserve spot before being called forward again for re-judging. Also involved was another four-year-old, Paul and Walter Bedford’s bay Clydesdale gelding, Deighton Ringo.
Willingham Marie’s championship was not the only remarkable Percheron success. In the Teams Turnout Championship, Robert Blake’s three grey geldings, Harvey, Joe and Archie, provided their owner with a triumphant climax to his last show before retirement. This qualified him for the Driving Championship, which was won by light horses. However he had a wonderful show, finishing second in the Percheron Singles class and winning the Percheron Pairs class. As a fanfare resounded for the Pairs Championship, Robert left the ring for the final time with a huge smile.
‘To win that championship against all breeds is the ultimate joy when you are retiring,’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s something you dream of all year but rarely accomplish. I was very nervous going in against the Shire judge. Not many would put Percherons above their own breed, so it just shows how fair he is. But we’ve had a good year. At the Royal Norfolk we won the Pairs and the Teams and were second in the Singles. We will always have horses around the place. We bred Harvey and we’re not selling him.’
All classes but two took place during sweltering heat, as extreme as the arctic cold endured at the National Shire Horse Show. A thunderstorm broke the heatwave during the Pairs obstacle class. Spectators fled from torrential rain and hailstones, but amazingly competitors achieved better rounds than during the fine weather at the start of the class. The winner was last to go, Randy Hiscock with his Suffolk mares.
The Pairs and Singles Turnout classes thankfully returned to the Grand Ring, where 19 singles and no less than 20 pairs made a magnificent spectacle. ‘Commendations for putting us in the main ring,’ said Alasdair Govan from Scotland, winner of the Clydesdales Singles class. Last year he remarked that the banishment of these classes to the fibresand Equine Arena was like driving in porridge.
Champion in the Singles class was Daniel Thwaites’ black gelding Royal, driven by Richard Green to win a class of eight Shires. Reserve was Owen Garner’s grey mare Hales Xanthus, winner of a class of six Percherons and last year’s Singles Champion. Known at home as Rosie, she also won the Single Obstacle Driving class.
The Pairs Championship went to John Anderson’s bay Redcastle Clydesdales, also reserve in the Teams Championship, and driven by Ronald Brewster to an impressive American dray. Reserve was Elspeth Ross with the bay Brookfield Shires.
In the Agricultural Singles Class, Jeff Cowen enjoyed his first win at the Royal at only his third attempt, driving his eight-year-old bay Shire Sandbed Superstar to a cream and red harvest waggon.
‘I bought him as a stallion and had him gelded at three,’ said Jeff. ‘He does everything. When I rode him to hounds with the Braes of Derwent, he was up the master’s backside for four hours! I couldn’t wish for a kinder all-round horse.’
There were more Percherons than Shires in the in-hand classes. To win her breed championship, Willingham Marie had to beat horses of the same bloodlines as herself, including her full brother, the stallion Willingham Axl. Both are out of Gordon Bailey’s wonderful mare Willingham Phoebe by the famous Canadian sire Ryans Day Granitdier, who also sired Middleton Percherons’ Hales Zeus, the winning gelding. Sadly both these great horses are now dead, but Ryans Day Granitdier’s last foal, Owen Garner’s iron grey three-year-old Hales Creon, Ron for short, finished second to one of Willingham Marie’s sons, Willingham Boxer.
Willingham Ernest sired Marie’s filly foal and her two year old, Willingham Boxer, both winners of their classes, while another of Ernest’s progeny, Middleton Percherons’ Hales Athena, bred by Owen Garner, won the barren mare class. The only unrelated class winner was Guela Leedham’s grey yearling colt, Rigolo de la Fiere.
With so many top horses originating from the village of Willingham, the owners of light horse and pony champions must now be wondering what on earth they have to do to snatch the supreme accolade from these wonderful Percherons.
The Shire Champion, Tony Bull’s Arclid Sensation, is by her owner’s Stanthorne Monty, who tragically died young. Michael Hanson’s bay three-year-old Ramsor Queen of Hearts by Ithersay Courage, second in the same class, took the reserve championship.
Philip Moss had a good show, exhibiting the two-year-old colt Hillmoor J R and the yearling filly Sladbrook Little Gem, both bays by Walton Supreme who won their respective classes. Also successful were Marvyn and Rosemary Messer. Their bay mare Knutsford Crystal, by Knutsford Commander, and bay colt foal West Winds Gwyneth, by Brickell What’s Wanted, were both winners.
Clydesdales and Suffolks were thin in numbers. In the Clydesdale classes, Paul and Walter Bedford’s Deighton Ringo beat three turnout geldings, while the reserve champion, Tony Bull’s Arclid Amber, was a two-year-old filly by Millisle Perfection.
Mr and Mrs Fleming’s Eyke Opal, by Golden Grandchild and Suffolk champion for the second year running, had a colt foal, Eyke Checkmate, by Colony Millennium. The Flemings’ other winner, the three-year-old filly Eyke Thistle, was by the same sire. Reserve champion was P Smith’s four-year-old gelding Lockspit King Loius, by Eyke Glen Ross.
Results
Clydesdales. Judge Mr Allan Steel. Gldng 3–y–o and over – 1 & ch, P & W Bedford’s Deighton Ringo; 2, D Mouland’s Westforth Simpson; 3, G Holmes’ Patrick.
Yrlng or 2-y-o – 1, res ch & ch female, T Bull’s Arclid Amber; 2 & res ch female, Miss S Watson’s Hill Lodge Perfection.
Percherons. Judge Mr Nigel Murfitt.
Stln, 2–y–o and over – 1 & ch stln, R Sampson’s Willingham Axl.
Gldng, 3–y–o & over – 1, D Curtis’s Hales Zeus; 2, J Grey’s Park King; 3, E Garner & Sons’ Hales Ulysses.
Brood mare - 1, ch, ch female, sup ch heavy horse & sup ch in-hand, E Bailey & Sons’ Willingham Marie; 2, Mrs G Leedham’s Park Spring; 3, Mrs G Leedham’s Operette de la Fiere.
Foal – 1, E Bailey & Sons’ foal; 2, Mrs G Leedham’s Davgue James; 3, Mrs G Leedham’s Davgue Kathryn.
Barren mare, 4–y–o and over – 1 & res ch female, D Curtis’s Hales Athena; 2, J McDermott’s Moon du Mont.
Yrlng - 1, Mrs G Leedham’s Rigolo de la Fiere; 2, Mrs G Leedham’s Davgue Rosie May.
Gldng or filly, 2 or 3–y–o – 1& res ch, M & L Scurrell’s Willingham Boxer; 2, E Garner & Sons’ Hales Creon; 3, J McDermott’s Quetsche du Chesnay.
Shires. Judge Mrs Gill Turnock
Stln, 1 or 2–y–o – 1 & ch stln, P Moss’s Hillmoor J R; 2 & res ch stln, Slade & Messer’s Caerberllan Real Enterprise.
Gldng, 3–y–o and over – 1 & ch gldng, N Blakey’s Styal Trooper; 2 & res ch gldng, Ms M Prior’s Alans Joel; 3, Ms M Prior’s Bower Heath Benjamin.
Brood mare – 1, M & R Messer’s Knutsford Crystal; 2, C Dawson’s Moorfield Rita.
Foal – 1, M & R Messer’s West Winds Gwyneth; 2, C Dawson’s Eastcote Marigold.
Filly or gldng, 1 or 2–y–o – 1, P Moss’s Sladbrook Little Gem; 2, M & R Messer’s Sladbrook Charlie’s Girl; 3, Miss P Breakwell’s Hillmoor Summer Sunshine.
Barren mare, 3–y–o & over – 1, ch & ch female, T Bull’s Arclid Sensation; 2, res ch & res ch female, M Hanson’s Ramsor Queen of Hearts; 3, Mrs L Young’s Farleyshire Fantasia.
Suffolks. Judge Mr Bryan Gillings.
Gldng, 3–y–o & over – 1 & res ch, P Smith’s Lockspit King Louis; 2, Suffolk Punch Trust’s Colony Laurel.
Brood mare – 1, ch & ch female, J Fleming’s Eyke Opal.
Foal – 1, J Fleming’s Eyke Checkmate.
Barren mare, 4–y–o & over – 1& res ch female, R Hiscock’s Donhead Hall Alexandra.
Filly, 2 or 3–y–o – 1, J Fleming’s Eyke Thistle; 2, R Hiscock’s Donhead Hall Genevieve; 3, C Collier & A Brewis’s Ridgeway Alice.
Turnouts. Clydesdales. Judge Mr Allan Steel.
Teams – 1, J Anderson; 2, A Govan; 3, G Holmes.
Pairs – 1, J Anderson; 2, D Mouland; 3, A Govan.
Singles – 1, A Govan; 2, D Mouland; 3, G Holmes.
Percherons. Judge Mr Nigel Murfitt.
Teams – 1, R Blake; 2, R & S Fuller; 3, E Garner & Sons.
Pairs – 1, R Blake; 2, E Garner & Sons; 3, R & S Fuller.
Singles – 1, E Garner & Sons; 2, R Blake; 3, D Curtis.
Shires. Judge Mr Tom Brewster.
Teams – 1, Capespan; 2, Daniel Thwaites.
Pairs – 1, Brookfield Shires; 2, Capespan; 3, Daniel Thwaites.
Singles – 1, Daniel Thwaites; 2, Brookfield Shires; 3, Dudley Parker.
Suffolks. Judge Mr Bryan Gillings.
Teams– 1, R Hiscock; 2, Suffolk Punch Trust.
Pairs – 1, R Hiscock; 2, Suffolk Punch Trust.
Singles – 1, R Hiscock; 2, Suffolk Punch Trust.
Turnout Championships. Judge Mr Jim Yates.
Teams – Ch R Blake; Res ch J Anderson.
Pairs – Ch J Anderson; Res ch Brookfield Shires.
Singles – Ch Daniel Thwaites; Res ch E Garner & Sons.
Agricultural Turnouts. Judge Mr Jim Yates.
Singles – 1, J Cowen; 2, G Evans; 3, M & H Keeble.
Pairs – 1, G Evans; 2, K Morris.
Obstacle Driving. Judge Mrs B Peacock.
Singles – 1, E Garner & Sons; 2, R Hiscock; 3, D Curtis.
Pairs – 1, R Hiscock; 2, D Curtis; 3, E Garner & Sons.