THE NORTHERN stranglehold on the Bewleys Hotels supreme hunter championship continued in the main arena on Saturday when Richard McLoughlin's heavyweight Darragh Classic Prince became the fifth successive winner to be produced in the region.
The Registered Irish Draught gelding was bringing up a treble for the Orchard Cottage Stables yard of Comber producer Richard Iggulden who took over the ride on the seven-year-old bay son of Classic Vision from the owner when the hunting season ended in March.
This was a real family success for McLoughlin, whose brother Edwin bred the champion out of a Holycross mare.
Another brother, Jim, owns the former international show jumper Classic Vision (by Ginger Dick) which stands at the Bridge House Stud in Westmeath.
The sequence of wins for Northern horses began in 2004 when Lorenzo took the Dublin title. On Saturday, the eight-year- old Ricardo Z gelding staged a remarkable comeback as Judith Ryan's lightweight mount was called forward to stand as reserve supreme champion.
The middleweight and four- year-old titles were claimed by the Big Sink Hope gelding Shannon Beau.
The chestnut is owned by Dromore, Co Down, exhibitors Trevor and Lorraine Wallace and produced for them in Gloucestershire by David Tatlow.
As rider of the supreme champion, Richard Iggulden was presented with the new Michael W Hickey perpetual challenge trophy, while Rosemary Connors was the first recipient of the Diana Gilna trophy, awarded to the top rider in the traditional showing classes.
The Waterford rider rounded off her week yesterday by taking the working hunter championship on Patrick Cotter's Golden Bud, a five-year-old middleweight gelding by RID stallion Carrabawn View.
On Saturday, the Croker Cup for champion stallion was presented to Ivor Broderick who stands the winner Watermill Swatch at his Kylemore Stud in Kylebrack, Co Galway.
The nine-year-old, which was bred in the Netherlands, won and was placed on the track before competing successfully in dressage and show jumping.