The Nightshift 10-year-old claimed the hack tricolour and the reserve award in the Tattersalls and Retraining of Racehorses thoroughbred showing championship.

Bred on the Curragh, Night Prayers, who is owned by Katie’s parents Mike and Jill, is out of Eleanor Antoinette and has has claimed many titles in recent years.

“Although he proved quite complicated at first, he has really settled to showing and he is a true hack. It’s nice to come here with another recent win [at Lincoln County] under our belt, and when the chips were down he certainly rose to the occasion,” said Jerram.

The pair were originally pulled in second in their large hack class, but a wonderfully-executed serpentine and square halt tipped the scales and they moved up to win.

With most of the finalists coming forward, the racehorse championship classes were again among the highlights and although some were on their ‘tippy toes’, Night Prayers again remained composed and produced another blistering gallop in the international arena to claim the reserve.

Taking the tricolour was ‘The Jackpots’ Jack The Giant, who was sympathetically ridden by his producer Allister Hood. As his name suggests, Jack The Giant is by Giants Causeway.

CAREER RACING

“He’s quite a character, but I like horses to have a personality especially after a very full career racing,” said Hood.

Over one of their favourite courses Libby Cooke and Harley Foxtrot scored another memorable victory at Hickstead. Despite being barely halfway through the season, the pair were registering their sixth win and they did it in some style over a suitably stiff Hickstead track that was made all the more testing by some sticky patches following torrential rain.

“He’s used to hunting in all sorts of going so the ground never troubles him and this was his sort of track with bold fences and long runs along the way,” said Cooke.

Dublin course designer Kevin Millman drew his original course plan up to emulate the Hickstead Derby itself, starting over a Cornish wall and incorporating many of the fences in the international arena.

However after heavy rain, Millman decided to take out the open water and ditch and rails. Nevertheless the course took its toll and just five jumped clear.

Libby Cooke and David Reid-Scott’s round was a typically flowing one, the pair earning 19 out of 20 marks for style and performance while jumping, and Chris Hunnable awarded another 19 for ride, the winner finishing on 93 out of 100.

“I had a lovely ride on the winner, and he jumped a very fluent and accurate round,” said Chris Hunnable.

Since buying Harley Foxtrot in Ireland as a four-year-old, Cooke and the 12-year-old by Ricardo Z out of an Irish Paris Lights mare have forged an extremely successful partnership, and since winning the novice workers at the National Hunter Show as a five-year-old they have earned a memorable tally of prestigious wins such as Royal Windsor and the Royal International.

A British bred five-year-old went through the card to stand hunter champion for Sofia Scott, the winning middleweight Sundance Boy (by Sunnyboy) rising to the occasion in the international arena championship. This first season horse was another champion produced by Allister Hood, whose wife Anne spotted the super middleweight as a three-year-old.

PURCHASE

Taking the reserve was another British bred horse Mr Mick who headed the lightweights for his owner Lucinda Freedman. Standing next in line was Katie Jerram riding Gortglas Rinarinca, who was a Goresbridge Go For Gold sale purchase for the Jerram Family. A six-year-old by Kings Master out of Gortglas Sparrow, Rinarinca has stepped up well to open level.

Lucinda Freedman enjoyed a winning double when Cashel Rock topped the heavyweights for his producer Richard Ramsay. This eight-year-old by Harlequin Du Carel out of Sioux Rebel was bought from the Tatlows originally as a middleweight, “but he just grew and grew”, according to Ramsay.

Irish-bred horses more than held their own in the cob divisions, Rachel and Eamon McCourt’s home produced Cob In Hood taking the tricolour after winning his lightweight class for Brigit Ensten. “The lightweight just out galloped everything,” said judge Simon Reynolds.

Standing reserve was the heavyweight winner The Life Of Riley, the eight-year-old who was runner up at Horse of the Year Show last October being originally found by his rider and producer Andrew Collins in Cork.

Another strikingly marked coloured cob stood third in the heavyweight class, Lynn Russell’s Cleaghmore Boy enjoying a wonderfully successful debut season. The free moving skewbald was bought along with two other coloured cobs in Ireland last July.

“I couldn’t decide which one to keep, but although he was a bit of a rebel at first, it has been worth persevering as he now gives a lovely soft ride and is very well-mannered,” said Russell.