DROMARA’s Dessie Gibson isn’t sure how many times he has won the Balmoral youngstock championship but knows that, as on Wednesday, he did so during a visit by Britain’s Princess Royal to the show, then in its former Belfast venue.

The yearling championship, the first to be judged by Anne Leaver and Simon Somers, was delayed for the arrival of the Royal visitor but Gibson certainly wasn’t complaining when the decision came down in favour of his Financial Reward gelding Legacy ahead of James McWeeney’s Elusive Emir gelding Longstone Exclusive who was second to the champion in their class. Valerie McCallister’s Sugar Cara, who provided her sire Cara Touche with a first showing success when taking the fillies’ class, is the latest of Miriam Cunning’s ‘Sugar’ family to make his way to McCallister’s Drumbo yard.

“The Princess Royal seemed a bit surprised that I was still showing horses!” said Gibson who was pleased to hear that the 1971 European eventing gold medallist would encourage the return to greater use of thoroughbred stallions.

“I bought this fellow from the Newell brothers before he and his dam (the Colin Diamond mare Kilcahill Diamond) went into the ring for the all-Ireland broodmare and foal championship at Piltown last August where they finished sixth and they also showed him to win the Traditional Irish Sport Horse colt foal championship at Mountbellew the following month. This was his first outing since there and he will probably go straight to Dublin.”

Gibson also won the two-year-old geldings’ class with the Harlequin du Carel bay Action Man who he purchased as a foal at Goresbridge and was being shown for the first time. “He’ll do a couple of local shows and hopefully qualify for Tinahely before going to Dublin,” said the owner of Action Man who was shown by Shirley Hurst to be reserve youngstock champion.

Gibson’s brown son of Elusive Emir, Elusive John, won the poorly-supported TopSpec two-year-old medium/heavyweight three-year-old geldings’ class while his Last Orders, a J.J. Bowe-bred son of Dilshaan, claimed the lightweight section. He will be aimed at the all-Ireland in Bannow & Rathangan and then Dublin

The section’s champion filly was Derryronane Stud’s Greenhall Carrera winner of the TopSpec three-year-old distaff class. Bred by Derry Rothwell, the Dignified van’t Zorgvliet bay is out of the Porsch mare Greenhall Wendi. Liam Lynskey purchased her last year at Dublin where she was shown by Joan O’Connor and she went on to win at Limerick. This was her first outing since then.

Reserve champion filly was John Williams’s three-year-old Munther bay Mantlehill Diamond Melody, while the two-year-old winner was last August’s Dublin champion yearling and reserve champion filly, Mary and Hughie Murphy’s Chillout grey Barnaview Misty River. Robert Davis’s three-year-old Emperor Augustus gelding, Corran Emperor, reserve champion two-year-old at Dublin, claimed the Sir Milne Barbour cup as champion exhibitor-bred horse.