Robin Hood can help Maher hit awards target

Maher, the highest-placed home challenger at the European Championships at Windsor last year, will contest the riders' category alongside Michael Whitaker and Peter Charles.

Along with Robin Hood W, Maher has also been nominated in the international horse/rider class, plus the personality of the year, where the other two contenders are Geoff Billington and Yorkshire's Ellen Whitaker.

Ellen's cousin William is in the running for the Best Rider of the Year Under 21 (on horses) award along with Jemma Kirk and Carian Scudamore.

The Great Yorkshire Show is in contention for the Members' County Show award with the Royal Highland and Lincolnshire shows.

The winners will be announced at the British Show-jumping awards ball in Birmingham on April 6.

RICHARD HOPKINSON, from Pontefract, won the British Show-jumping Business Partnership winter grade C qualifier at the Rowallan Activity Centre.

He rode Theunis, a 10-year-old chestnut gelding owned by David Hopkinson Ltd, to a convincing win, going double clear in a jump-off time of 40.31secs. Second place and another qualifying place went to Douglas Muffin, from Dollar, Clackmannanshire, riding Clarius, going clear in 40.68secs.

Melissa Gair was third, riding Valentyn II; Trevor Nicholson was fourth on Serial K; Nicola Sheard was fifth on Just Call Me Max and Alex Barr, riding Classic Connection, was sixth.

A silent auction of Sport Horse graded stallion nominations is being held by the Yorkshire Sport Horse committee.

Owners are donating nominations and the profits from the auction will go towards promoting quality breeding stock, encouraging breeders in Yorkshire and running the summer show as a showcase for competition horses.

This year's show will be held on June 16 and Carlton Husthwaite near Thirsk.

The stallions available are: Buskhill Gunnar VII (David Abraham); Chace the Ace (Heather Hyde and Jerome Harforth); Mill Law (Sue Browne and Mrs N Baguley); Polling (Mark Fitton); Primitive Faerie Tale (Julie Lawson); Revolution (Lucinda and Beryl Broad) and Roma Diamond Skip (Jane Manning). To take part in the auction, contact Hazel Bramley on 01904 744295.

STORMHILL MINK, the champion coloured show horse owned by Rebecca Walker from Batley, will be standing at Jerome Harforth's Stanley Grange Stud at Great Ayton from April.

Graded with CHAPS and Elite graded BSPA, Storm was the sire of Electric Storm, a HOYS champion in 2005. He has also won many championships with both CHAPS and the BSPA, including champion stallion, non-native horse champion and reserve overall supreme in hand and ridden last year.

The successful Stanley Grange show team have a new sponsor, the show preparation specialists Supreme Products. Jerome Hartford has been showing for 36 years and with top show rider Simon Charlesworth has won many major championships, including the Hack of the Year Championship at the Horse of the Year Show last year with Baydale Venus, owned by Sheila Fenwick from Gargrave.