THE Hanna family from Ballymoney exhibited two home-breds under their Macfin Clydesdales banner at last week’s Royal Highland Show outside Edinburgh where the younger of the pair, Macfin Delta Dawn, dominated the section.

On Thursday morning, the bay won her three-year-old filly class, was crowned female champion (Cawdor Cup) and then champion overall Clydesdale. The following afternoon, she won the Sanderson Trophy for best animal between the four Scottish native horse and pony sections and the Queen’s Cup for best heavy horse.

The Queen’s Cup is a circulating award between the horse, cattle and sheep sections. Because of Covid, it was last awarded in the horse section in 2016 when it, and the Sanderson Trophy, were won by the Hannas’ Macfin Diamond Queen. This is the first time an exhibitor has won the Queen’s Cup back-to-back.

Macfin Delta Dawn is a daughter of Muirton Sabre (the 2010 male Cawdor Cup winner) who is standing his sixth season with the Hannas. She is out of Macfin Crystal Gail (by Glebeview Sir Charles), a prolific show ring winner whose foal at foot is a full-sister to the Royal Highland champion. “It’s an unwritten rule that when you win the Highland that is the top of the tree and Dawn will now be retired from the show ring,” commented Yvonne Hanna. Yvonne and Gaffin Hanna’s son Craig showed Macfin Delta Dawn while his brother William showed Macfin Dancing Queen to win the yeld mare class. Also by Muirton Sabre, this four-year-old is out of the aforementioned Macfin Diamond Queen.

While there were plenty of placings for exhibitors from this country in other horse and pony sections of the show (the new results systems does not make them easy to find), one winner was the Emperor Augustus bay Imperator II whose four owners – Tim and Pat Martin and Keith and Dorothy Walsh – were present, Tim showing him as usual.

Second in his class at Dublin last August, when he was reserve Traditional Irish Horse champion, and class winner and three-year-old champion at Balmoral in May, Imperator II was bred in Co Wexford by Eileen Noctor out of the Coille Mor Hill mare Kemella Clover Diamond. Last Thursday week, he won his three-year-old hunter-in-hand class and went on to stand reserve champion in-hand hunter.

Rathfriland pony producer Anthea Steele travelled to Scotland with six exhibits. There were plenty of placings among the contingent but just one winner, the much-beribboned Jocelyn Hutchinson-ridden Brookllan Lady Isabella in the 128cms show pony class, a Horse of the Year Show qualifier. The six-year-old by Derwent Rainbow Bandit, who went on to be reserve champion, is owned by Saintfield’s John McCormick who bred her out of Brookvale Whispering Breeze (by Hanmere Icon).

Drumfries-based Kirstene Douglas recorded a number of wins on Irish-bred horses, having her best results with the thoroughbred Rich Man Poor Man who won the Tattersalls Open Scottish Championship Final for the second time on Thursday after which he dominated the hunter section. See View From Above on page 18 for further details.