In Its heyday the City of Aberdeen Clydesdale show was regarded as one of the top if not the premier Clydesdale shows in Scotland, with the champion of champions award at its pinnacle.
After a 10-year absence from the Duthie Park prize list, the supreme contest has been reintroduced.
Intended to recognise the best horse in Scotland from the roll of champions across the season’s agricultural show circuit, the champion of champions award was ‘the one’ which all breeders and Clydesdale enthusiasts considered as second only to a Cawdor and Highland Show win.
The first recipients of the Redcastle Alena Claret Jug as winners of this award were Eric and Miranda Johnstone, Muir of Ord.
Their winner Ord Envy qualified as champion of sutherland show, but also progressed through this season to stand supreme at the Black Isle and Grantown Shows and reserve breed champion at Nairn. The three-year-old mare, which the Johnstones hope to have in foal to Eskechraggan Ernest, was home-bred out of Ord touch of Class and sired by Dillars Scottie Boy.
Robert Hamilton, of the Dillars stud, at Hamilton, officiated in the centre of the ring.
While some spectators might have drawn a connection between Mr Hamilton and his own breeding, Robert said the horse stood top of the line-up entirely based on her own merits, although he did concede that obviously he does like the “type of horse” that his stallions throw forward.
“She’s just some size for a three-year-old,” he said. “You only have to look at her to see she has plenty of depth and is the picture every draft horse should look like.
“She gave me a tremendous show and she’s beautifully feminine,” said Robert.
Prior to the champion of champions at the culmination of the Duthie Park competition, Robert Sibbald and Mrs Rimmer’s two-year-old filly Shielhill Diamond Jubilee stood overall of the Aberdeen Clydesdale Show.
This win gave her a right of passage to the champion of champions, and Mr Hamilton took her forward as his overall reserve.
“She’s a very good prospect,” said Mr Hamilton. “She just lacks the maturity of the older horse. she’ll certainly have her day to come back again.”
The Royal Highland show champion from Sandy Aitken, Redcastle Pretty Amazing Grace, was drawn third.
“I really liked her when she won at the Highland,” said Robert. “But she’s just got a little too heavy, so I felt she was feeling her feet today.”
As overall champion of Aberdeen, Shielhill Diamond Jubilee had also been the top pick of judges Tom Tennant (females) and Alastair Ferguson (males).
“She’s really well grown and is super on her legs, with great motion,” commented Tom of Mr Sibbald and Mrs Rimmer’s filly, which he also had as his female champion.
Home-bred at Thorn Farm, Dollar, out of Shielhill Sheer Delight, this daughter of Mollinhillhead Celebrity was second this year at the Royal Highland.
She has since stood champion at Kittochside, first at Braco and was reserve female champion at Perth show.
Aberdeen regularly proves a winning show for the Clydesdales from Thorn, but this is the first championship Robert has won there, having had reserve places three times with thorn Blue Velvet, Thorn Leading Lady and Thorn Footloose.
Reserve overall and reserve filly was Sandy Aitken’s top yearling Newton Glens Kara.
“It was a very close decision between the two females,” conceded Tom.
This May-born filly, otherwise unshown this season, stood reserve champion at Kirriemuir and second of the filly foals at Aberdeen last year, before taking a number of top plaudits during her foal season. The filly stood overall champion at Inchture and the north East Fife foal shows, champion at Thainstone, reserve at Forfar and was first of the junior entry at the Winter Fair.
Home-bred out of sandy’s Cawdor mare Redcastle Pretty Amazing Grace, this daughter of Muirton sabre is one of just two Clydesdales which he owns at Newton Cottage, Memus.
Praising the two females as they progressed to take the overall plaudits, Alastair added: “They were both very straight going with plenty of potential to keep on going.”
During the championship in the male ring, Alastair gave the nod to Barlauchlan Final Command, produced and shown by Ron Brewster, from Bandirran, Methven, on behalf of his owner John Adamson, of Easter Glentore Farm, Airdrie.
“He’s a big growth type of horse, which moves very nicely,” said Alastair of the 2013 GreatYorkshire show champion.
Bred by the Douglas Brothers out of Barlauchlan Lucky Charm, this son of the Cawdor Cup winning stallion Arradoul Balvenie was making it two from two at Aberdeen, having stood male champion in Duthie Park last year.
On limited show outings this season he stood as male champion and reserve overall Clydesdale at Doune and Dunblane, reserve at Stranraer and first at Perth. Amid his top accolades from last season, he also took first place and progressed to stand as reserve male at the Royal Highland show.
Kevin Wilson’s yearling colt Blueton Braveheart was male reserve.
“He’s actually a pretty good match for the champion,” Alastair said, conceding he favoured the two younger colts for his final male line-up because they had “youth on their side” over the older entry.
Braveheart, a May-born colt sired by Doura Jackpot, stood male champion at Ayr and reserve male at Doune and Dunblane and Kittochside shows this year.
He is shown from Doura, by the Youngs at Hall Farm, Ayr, to allow Kevin to have just one mare the colt’s dam Westbank Ruby tuesday at home outside Perth, in Blackford.
The strong ridden entry of 10 horses, judged by Lesley Campbell from New Deer, was won by Incharvie Equestrian’s Morag Snow, riding her brother David Burnett’s four-year-old mare Swordale Lady Luck.