ELLIE McDonnell had mixed luck at last week’s Balmoral Show.

The 12-year-old from Portaferry won the riding pony championship for the E Cup on Goldengrove Special Edition, finished reserve in the show hunter championship on Goldengrove Sunrise but then rounded off the week by being beaten by a pig!

Well, it was really the six-year-old Cusop Darcy mare Goldengrove Special Edition, representing the entire horse and pony section, who had to give best to the Large White pig Cappagh Greenback 235 TH in the champion of champions judging which carried a very nice prize of £1,000.

McDonnell had two class wins in the riding pony section, on Suzanne Glenn’s Cheverellfield Royal Duke (128cms) and her mother Mary’s Goldengrove Special Edition (138cms). The other winners were Ellie McDowell riding her father Colin’s Hightopps Extravaganza in the lead-rein class, Janet Williamson’s Wyckoff Delilah (first ridden) and Graham Ross’s Palmfields Royal Trooper (148cms).

A trip to Scottish and English shows in search of a HOYS ticket is next on the agenda for Ellie who was doing exams this week.

On her way to landing the show hunter pony title, Anna Shaw won the 153cms class on Alex Spencer’s six-year-old Peasedown Ronnie gelding Peasedown Bobby Brown. The 143cms class went to Cathriona Glynn’s Yealand Pilgrim.

GREAT RESULT

Carnakilly Connemaras recorded a great result in the ridden Connemara championship with the nine-year-old Harp King gelding Bally G Ash, winner of the older class, returning from a year off to take the title under Jenny Lindsay, while Lisa Hockley won the four and five-year-old class on the 2012 dun gelding Carracanada Melody who went on to stand reserve. Bally G Ash also won this championship two years ago.

Although he is now 20 years of age, the Ferdia gelding Blackwood Fernando won the Connemara working hunter class for riders over 16 where he was partnered by owner Claire Devlin’s daughter Alicia Devlin Byrne, with the class for younger riders going to Kerry Woods’s seven-year-old dun son of Gwennic de Goariva, Rathcline Supreme.

There was a lot of interest in Thursday morning’s sole in-hand class for mares with the Henderson and Graham trophy going to Michael Harty who won with Frederiksminde Mellow II. This nine-year-old mare by Hazy Dawn was bred by Denmark’s Gunner Andersen.