Welsh youngstock turned up in huge numbers for the Royal Welsh Winter Fair held on the showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells on 29 and 30 November. With classes for colt foals, filly foals, yearling colts, yearling fillies/geldings, two- or three-year-colts and two- or three-year-old fillies/geldings for sections A, B, C, D and WPB there was a total of 688 entries, the largest class being the 73 section A filly foals which had to be split into two in order to enable them to be able to get into the judging ring!

Foals were not eligible to compete for the section championships but only in the overall foal championship which was judged by Miss Laura Hutchins of the Bengad Stud.

For section A champion, judge Mr David Davies, Ceulan, selected Jill and Lottie Abrahall’s three-year-old grey colt Flydon Wyn, sired by the 1987 Royal Welsh champion Nerwyn Cadno out of the 2000 Royal Bath and West champion Flydon Elonwy. Flydon Wyn has spent two years at Stud on the Isle of Wight but after this victory, will be kept at home at Flydon. The reserve champion, Ceri Fell’s palomino filly Hengwys Cherry Blossom was spotted and bought from her breeder Rob Buchanan as a three-week-old foal at Cothi Bridge Show last year and will be a valuable member of Brynseion Stud which has won many championships and supremes with 2004 purchases.

Winner of the 43-strong section A colt foal class was Dei and Shan Jones’s grey Islyn Hafoc who had already won on this site at the Royal Welsh and Welsh National Foal Shows. Hafoc was later adjudged supreme champion foal, Miss Hutchins having awarded the 1990 Royal Welsh championship to his grand-dam Idyllic Pavlova. The Thomas family’s black Weston Black Velvet, purchased on the Fayre Oaks Sale for £2,500 and produced by Colin Tibbey, moved “like a little train” to win one section of the divided filly class with the chestnut Pontgam Seren Aur, leased by her breeders Carol and Luke Brown to the Gifford Family of Blackwood heading the other division.

Mr David Puttock, Ballan Stud, awarded the section B championship to John and Anne James’s bay two-year-old filly Sianwood Amelia who won here as a foal and had not been shown since. Amelia is a three-quarter sister to Sianwood Bayleaf which was selected by HRH Prince Charles to be overall foal champion in 2001. Their dam is Abercrychan Antonia whose sister Abercrychan Antonella produced the 1983 Horse of the Year Show Ridden Pony of the Year Harmony Bubbling Champagne. Miss Hutchins originally awarded the supreme championship to Miss Anne Wheatcroft’s section D filly Sydenham Ixia (also produced by John James) but when it was discovered that section reserve champions were not eligible, Sianwood Amelia was promoted to win the £100 supreme award.

Mrs Leslie Hillard was reserve champion section B with her chestnut yearling colt Gryngallt Panache who also has illustrious ridden connections, his dam Gryngallt Picturesque having been Royal Welsh ridden champion in 2000.

All three top section B colts and the top section B filly (Rhydspence Stud’s Rhydspence Cerys) were palominos with the top colt, Mrs Jessamine Johnson’s Stoak Tuscany ending up reserve overall champion foal. Tuscany is sired by the Stud’s own Lemonshill Hylight who was youngstock champion at the International Show in 1992 and his dam Stoak Taffeta is of similar breeding to the top riding ponies Stoak Flower and Stoak Feathers.

Champion section C with Mr John Kirk of Donys Stud was Mr Carl Nee’s chestnut three-year-old colt Neebro Rising Sun who has won fourteen 1st prizes at sixteen Shows this year. Rising Sun is the first pony which Carl ever bred having bought his dam Felinmor Pearly Queen in 2000 (in-foal to Tynybryn Bobby Dazzler) as a result of an advertisement in his local “Free Ads” paper. Rising Sun also won the £50 reserve supreme championship from Miss Hutchins.

Reserve section C champion was Cerdin and Doreen Jones’s black three-year-old filly Synod River Dance sired by the 1999 Royal Welsh champion Synod Rum Punch out of Synod Rain Daisy who is a direct descendant of Gerynant Rosina which was bought for £72 at Llanybyther Market in 1959 and is responsible for fourteen “Synod” Royal Welsh championships.

Claire Granger and George Mitchell from Chingford won the section C colt foal class with the chestnut roan Dycott Welsh Crusader, brother to their last year’s winning yearling colt and three-year-old filly Dycott Touch of Class and Dycott Brenhines. Mr Teifi Jones won the section C filly class with Merwydd Lowri sired by Felinmor Grand Slam; John Kirk having recently also placed her first when he judged the Ceredigion Foal Show.

Mrs Julie Evans’s three-year-old colt Powysvalley Mr Harry, sired by the Royal Welsh Show progeny champion Trevallion Harry was Mrs Anne Vestey of Kentchurch Stud’s choice for section D champion. Not long purchased from his breeder Mr Phil Pugh, Mr Harry won at the 2003 Royal Welsh Show and in 2004 at Northleach. Reserve section D champion, Miss Wheatcroft’s three-year-old filly Sydenham Ixia had never been away from Sydenham until three weeks before the Show. Ixia is one of fifteen full-brothers and sisters: Llanarth Lloyd George x Sydenham Ollianada, eleven of which have been champions.

Roger Davies and Rhian Irving had a very good Show winning the section D colt foals with Sgwdyreira Crackerjack (Danaway Flashjack x Colfa Crystal) and 1st and 2nd section C yearling colts with Hywi Masterman and Hywi The Messiah. The two top section D filly foals were so similar that they could have been mistaken as twins; they were Peter and Anne Jones’s Iarlles Pride of Menai bloodlines but bred by Heinz Spiekermann and Mrs Mary Edwards’s Cascob Crown Jewel, daughter of the many-times champion Cascob Heledd.

The Welsh part-breds were judged by Mrs Sue Keylock of the Cusop and Borderland Studs and champion and reserve Mrs Rosemary Rees’s Small-Land Spellbound and Miss Meinir Evans’s Mallaen Etiquette were both sired by Small-Land Extra Time. Although Extra Time is only 125 cm, his dam Small-Land Alisia is 138 cm and her sister Small-Land Nightspell was the 148 cm Horse of the Year Show Pony of the Year in 2003.

Dr Wynne Davies. Publicity Officer,
Welsh Pony and Cob Society.
Tel:01443-224317; fax:01443-223911.
 

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