THOSE who competed in the horse classes, which opened the British Show Pony Society’s summer championships last week, had much the better weather on Tuesday at Grantham.

Brian Murphy’s excellent season continued, as he won the large riding horse class and championship, a qualifier for the Horse of the Year Show, on Debbie Harrod’s King Of Clubs II, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Riverland Roi. Murphy stayed over for Sunday’s Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural Show where, riding for Harrod’s daughter Polly Coles, he partnered the reserve champion cob, the lightweight class winner Mythical Creature, an eight-year-old grey gelding by Granit Hero.

Over the past few days and continuing over the weekend, there has been considerable Irish interest in the CCI5* and the Dubarry young event horse classes at the Burghley international horse trials. Tomorrow, interest should spread into the House Arena where Ireland’s Clara Cully, Evie Kennedy and Nancy Lyons Teehan, who is bidding to bring up a double, are competing in the BSPS TopSpec Gold Cup Sports Pony Finals.