“THIS means the world to me,” said an emotional Vicky Teuton following her win on Waterstone in Friday’s horse working hunter championship which was sponsored by The Equestrian Store.

After three classes had been judged by Jane Hunter and Alycia Collins, the large crowd had their favourites for the championship with many of the eventing fraternity supporting the four-year-old winner, Wallis Birch’s homebred First Rate, and the second-placed Carra Lux Quality on whom owner Emma Jackson had won the first young event horse class on Thursday.

First Rate, who had been ridden by a very impressed Neil Morrison when landing his flat class on the opening day of the Balmoral Show, was partnered on Friday by his usual rider Gwen Scott who got a great gallop out of the chesnut son of Obelix.

Birch, who is based at the Cairnduffs’ Cairnside Farm near Newtownards revealed that she bred the winner out of the Cairnduffs’ good show mare Cairnside Hoity Toity (by Silvano) who was an in-hand winner as a yearling, two and three-year-old.

“I had broken her for saddle but she got injured and I suggested to Lynn and Stephen that if I could get dressage points on the mare, they would let me breed a foal out of her and First Rate is the result. Although people have been trying to buy First Rate I hope to qualify him for the young event horse class at the RDS as I’ve never had a horse of my own in Dublin.”

Rachel Moore won the five and six-year-old division on her mother Shirley’s Country Strong who had finished second in her young event horse class on Thursday. The 2011 Mermus R mare was showing signs of tiredness but a flying change impressed the judges.

The bay, reserve champion riding horse at the RDS last August, was bred in Co Offaly by Stephanie Heffernan out of the Ekstein mare Ballycullen Dream who comes from the family of Summer At Fernhill, Be My Hero, etc. Also going through to the championship from this class was Patricia McGowan’s EMS Richeals Pet who was ridden by Lesley Webb.

Only five horses jumped clear over Adrienne Stuart’s track in the seven-year-old and upwards division and it was little surprise to see that one of these was the dual Dublin winner Shameless, the 10-year-old Porsch gelding being ridden as usual by his Ballynahinch owner Sarah Moore. In the class, he stood second to Waterstone.

When it came to the championship, the judging was in keeping with the flat classes earlier at Balmoral Park with Hunter and Collins going for type. To much cheering from her supporters, Teuton was beckoned into the top spot with Waterstone while, to much surprise, Webb got the nod to come forward into the reserve slot with EMS Richeals Pet. That five-year-old grey mare is by Loch Cruise out of Willie McElhinney’s Kings Servant mare Marys Pippa whose previous produce include the three-star show jumper EMS Verda (also by Loch Cruise).

Teuton, who is based in Donaghadee, had won at Balmoral before but never on a horse of her own. A nine-year-old grey gelding, Waterstone has no recorded pedigree but is said to be by Natal out of an Irish Draught mare. He is often ridden out by Teuton’s daughter Anya (10) whose sister Ria (eight) looks after his feed.