The North of England Show, a favourite fixture of Robert Walker, provided the Cheshire rider and producer with two hunter championships as Pride Of Place and Vantage Point claimed their respective novice and open titles. Both horses are owned by Jill Day.

With six novice titles already to his credit, it was odds-on Walker would take an additional tricolour and Pride Of Place impressed to win his four and five-year-old division and championship.

Another purchase as a foal from Doyle Brothers, Pride Of Place is by Tasset out of Barntown Brown Lady and he is a full-brother to the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) triple champions the late Pride And Joy (middleweight) and Party Time V (small).

“They may all be different sizes, weights and stamps but all the family have the same characteristics and we have high hopes for this lad.

“He’s had a lot of growing to do, so we only did two shows with him last year and he won those at North East England and Royal Windsor,” said Walker, who also got a fine tune from lightweight winner Vantage Point to add a second tricolour in the open hunter classes.

The Nash Me eight-year-old bred by Sean Jones was again a big winner for Walker last summer and he rounded-off his season with second place at HOYS.

Katie Jerram is another rider who has landed running at this early stage of the season, the Essex rider and producer gaining early wins at the Ponies UK Classic show with Go For Gold purchase Gortlas Rinarinca (Kings Master) and heavyweight Copycat who took the cob title.

Jerram also had a pleasing second place in the novice hunter division with Kings Court V, another by Kings Master, and there were further celebrations as Made In Ireland claimed second and reserve in the riding horse sections.

Jerram continued her good run with a riding horse victory at Brook Farm with Kilnamona Glen, a seven-year-old by Glen Bar bred by Dierdre Lusby, and Woodfield Indo a former Dublin hunter supreme for his rider and breeder Rosemary Connors opened his account with third in the middleweight hunter division. Jerram added to her ribbon haul at South of England where Assagart Master went well to head his four-year-old hunter line-up on his ridden debut.

This Kings Master four-year-old travelled across the water just after standing first and reserve for John Roche at Dublin last August, and although he quickly qualified for the HOYS Cuddy in hand championship on British soil, he was denied making an appearance at Birmingham because of an abscess in his foot.

Jerram also finished second with Night Prayers (Night Shift) who took second in the large hack, and Kilnamona Glen stood third in his small riding horse section.

A further championship was added to the seasonal tally when Jerram took the hunter championship riding About Town.

This Flaming Feather seven-year-old who was placed fourth at HOYS last October was making his seasonal debut and went beautifully.

Susan Hill’s consistent and very versatile Irish Draught Castle Rock (Crosstown Dancer) triumphed in the heavyweight division at Ponies UK, and at the same fixture, Loraine Homer won the novice hunter class riding Bloomfield Bordeaux a very classy looking six-year-old by Ghareeb.

Cheshire rider and producer Danielle Heath has three Goresbridge purchases to campaign this time, her new trio all coming through Shelley Argyle from the October sales.

Heath was quickly off the mark with Richard and Pauline Binks’ small hunter Carnsdale Irish Times a five-year-old by Murphys Irish Diamond who won on his debut at Myerscough.

“He goes with a real smile on his face and is a true showman,” said Heath, who gave the four-year-old Carnsdale Capability Brown (Garrison Royale) a sympathetic ride on his ridden debut to stand third in the lightweight hunter class at North of England.

Adding to the tally at North of England was Julie Burke’s Kings Master four-year-old Carnsdale Saville Row who stood third to horses much older than him in the novice riding horse class.