IN a break from tradition, the two hackney classes at last week’s Balmoral Show were held in the P&O Arena this year but the results remained the same with exhibitors William Trimble and Joe Cleland fighting it out for championship honours.

This time around it was Cleland of the Budore Stud near Dundrod who came out on top with his evergreen Ingfield Black Prince stallion Glenshane Dandy. Driven by the owner’s son James, the 17-year-old chesnut won his match for the single horse class before being crowned champion and taking the Carplant trophy. “We missed being in the Main Arena where our stallion could show himself off to his full potential,” commented the owner. “He has a lot of staying power!” The Clelands are keen to promote their stallions to those breeding dressage horses. Glenshane Dandy, who was bred in Derry by Joe Quigg, was overall champion of the official hackney show at Ballymena recently.

There were four forward for the single pony class on Thursday afternoon but it was a case of déjà vu as Rathfriland exhibitor Trimble won with his black US-bred stallion Heartland Advantage. The 11-year-old by Dun-Haven Truly Awesome, who has won this class since the show moved out to Balmoral Park in 2013 and was champion that year and last May, had to settle for the reserve slot on this occasion.

The Carnduff family of Newtownards repeated their 2015 victory in the private driving championship with their over 138cms class winner, the Dutch-bred mare Zantinka M. In her class, the 12-year-old chesnut stood ahead of Patrick Murdock’s home-bred eight-year-old skewbald mare Kate McCann, the reserve champion.

The under 138cms class went to Ben McAuley’s grey mare Suttonpark Natasha who was winning at Balmoral Park for the third year in a row. Things got a bit confusing in the trade turnout section where the champion was Victor and Raymond Scott’s 10-year-old Doura High Spririt gelding Croaghmore Sam (winner also of the ridden Clydesdale class) with the reserve spot being filled by the same exhibitors’ Donnybrewer King Shane, another 10-year-old heavyweight.

The winner of the light trade turnout class for the USPCA cup was once again James Creighton’s piebald gelding Felix.