Record hat-trick for 11-year-old Anya
Thursday 23 July 2026
Anya Dewey Clarke celebrated her final year on 128cm ponies with an emotional one-two in the Pro Ponies UK Winter 128cm Championship.
It was the perfect hat-trick for 11-year-old Anya, who makes history as the first rider to win this prestigious championship three years in a row.
While her superstar pony Jim won the title for the past two years, this time it was his stablemate Kilcreene Snapdragon who just pipped him to the post from last draw in a five-strong jump off.
A win for Jim would have made them the only pony-and-rider combination to win the title three times.
“It was a tough decision to know what to do. I knew that I probably wanted to win on Jim but I wanted to do the same round as I did on Jim with Snappy, and do all the turns. I let him go to the last and he’s got such a big stride, he knows how to cover the ground,” said Lincolnshire-based Anya, who beat her own time by 0.69sec.
“They are both incredible ponies and I love them so much.”
Hector Condon jumped the quickest jump off round, undercutting Anya by 0.44sec but taking a rail on Ruth Hogan’s 24-year-old mare Darth Moll to finish third.
While Anya has set the record for wins as a rider, the pony with the most wins in this championship is Whinney Lass, who won it for four consecutive years with sisters Izabella and Sophia Rogers between 2018 and 2021.
Tickets for the Agria Royal International Horse Show (22-26 July) are on sale now, and all the action from the show will be livestreamed via the host streaming partner ClipMyHorse.TV.
Image: Boots and Hooves Photography
