A “standout” and “foot-perfect” performance during the championship go-round in the Banvie arena secured Daunting Melody the overall working hunter title at Blair Castle.
Having scored full marks for her ride under Banffshire judge Fiona Mackinnon the five-year-old mare, owned by Ann Dunlop and ridden by Scott McLellan, amassed 92 points out of a possible 100 to top the 68-horse novice class which opened the working hunter contest at Blair.
Melody was the unanimous decision for champion of Miss Mackinnon, William andAmanda Goldie and Mrs C Mcgrann.Together they adjudicated the four working hunter classes, which took place over a 10-hour stint of showing.
“She gave me an absolutely footperfect and faultless ride,” said Fiona, after her ride in the first worker class.
“She was the standout choice for us all as judges during the championship go-round,” agreed Amanda.
Dauntless Melody, which is sired by Dauntless Prince and out of Queen of Hearts, is in her novice season under saddle but has achieved numerous plaudits as an in-hand youngster, having previously as a three-year-old stood both hunter in-hand champion and reserve supreme horse at Stranraer and champion at Ayr.
Rising through the ranks to take the reserve overall working hunter champion title was the winner of The Courier/BHS Scotland Riding Club championship final, Capitall Quinn.
A popular ringside winner, the eight-year-old Appaloosa gelding, owned by Ruth McLean, from Blairgowrie, but ridden by Gillian Fotheringham, took first The Courier title and then the overall championship rosettes to considerable applause.
This son of Capitall Arthur, which was bred out of Redline Amber, first qualified for the 2014 finals at Blair last September at the Strathmore and District Riding Club working hunter show, but proving himself both athletic and neat in his jumping.
This is not the first time he has won at Blair, as he topped the Style Jumping championship final at the event last year.
Since gaining their ticket into The Courier’s final for 2014, Gillian and Quinn progressed to take further qualification for the Stewarts Building Services championship at Inchcoonans, were reserve novice worker champions and Appaloosa breed champions at Kirriemuir Show, and took the workers championship just recently at Perth.
Representing Strathmore and District, they also finished second individually at the Area Horse Trials in the open class assisting the SDRC team to finish in first place overall.
The final placings for The Courier final were close run, with Gillian and Quinn topping the class on 85, just one point ahead of second-placed Kirsty Aird, riding Fiona Laing’s Oulart Pasquellino, sired by Jackson’s Drift.
Kirsty then progressed to top the final open class on this 12-year-old gelding.
Third-place went to Clare Pearson, who was riding her own six-year-old Incontention.
Only four of 34 horses inThe Courier final achieved a clean jumping round.
The Stewarts Build Services/BHS Scotland open championship final was won by Tom Brewster’s seven-year-old Carthino G, ridden by Blyth Brewster.
equestrian@thecourier.co.ukResults
Working hunter champion: Scott McLellan, Daunting Melody. Reserve: Gillian Fotheringham, Capitall Quinn.
Novice: 1 Scott McLellan, Daunting Melody; 2 Louisa Milne Home, Sir Oliver; 3 Anne Shaw, Bella.
The Courier/BHS Scotland Riding Club championship final: 1 Gillian Fotheringham, Capitall Quinn; 2 Kirsty Aird, Oulart Pasquellino; 3 Clare Pearson, Incontention.
Stewarts Building Services/BHS Scotland championship final: 1 Blyth Brewster, Carthino G; 2 Jane Reid, Greyford Boy; 3 Sharon Thom, It’s Ozzy.
Open: 1 Kirsty Aird, Oulart Pasquellino; 2 Amy Ogilvie, Wizard; 3 Blyth Brewster, Carthino G.