Breeder sweeps the board in hunter classes

Kath, from Boroughbridge, swept the board in the Hunter Breeding classes to win the championship for both the mare and foal. The mare then went on to be reserve supreme champion hunter.

It was an impressive win for the 21-year-old mare and Kath was also delighted with the foal's success. She said they had bred the filly foal at the sixth attempt – the others had been geldings – and this foal will enable the line to continue.

Drummacy's career has included being a champion foal at the Great Yorkshire and she has also competed in the open working hunter class at the show. As a brood mare, she has been supreme at the Ryedale and Yorkshire Sport Horse shows and her foals have been champions at the National Hunter Show, the Yorkshire Sport Horse and now the Great Yorkshire.

Kath is also a judge and will be judging at the Horse of the Year Show for the first time this year.

The supreme champion hunter award went to Karen Hill's two-year-old gelding, Hillocks Flying High. "This is my lucky show," said Karen, who is a regular competitor at the show and is based in Guisborough.

Also celebrating this week are the winners of the Ridden Hunter Championship. This went to Oliver Hood who was making his Harrogate debut riding the middleweight hunter mare, Jenny's Prince.

Oliver's father, Allister Hood, is originally from East Yorkshire and the family now live in Norfolk.

The reserve was Doncaster based Charles le Moignan with the Atkin Bowdler's lightweight hunter, Sutton Place.

Other winners have included Paul Mortimer from Doncaster's Lowmoor Royal Rebel in the four-year-old hunter mare or gelding class and the former showjumper John Roberts from Pontefract's gelding, Bankwood Boy, in the open working hunter mare or gelding class.

Today sees the new Top Spec sponsored Top of the North Supreme Championship which aims to find the Supreme Ridden Horse of the show.

The final judging will be in the main ring this afternoon when the winner will be presented with 1,500 in prize money. The Cuddy Supreme In Hand Championship, which is always a highlight of the final day, also takes place this afternoon.

The Top of the North Championship was the idea of Nicola Tyler of TopSpec, the Yorkshire feed supplements company, who is also a keen breeder of Dartmoor ponies.

Champions from the novice ridden hunter, ridden hunter, working hunter, ridden coloured, ridden cob, ridden mountain and moorland and winners from the ladies side saddle, small hunter, four-year-old hunter, retrained racehorses and ridden Irish draught will qualify for the competition.