‘It feels quite surreal’: former racehorse lands owner's first HOYS win
Rich Man Poor Man lands a first HOYS win for his owner Morean Hamilton in the 2026 HOYS racehorse to riding horse final
A 13-year-old who was making his fifth appearance in the SEIB racehorse to riding horse final at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) stepped up to take his turn in the spotlight.
Morean Hamilton’s Rich Man Poor Man (Robbie) was ridden by his producer Kirstine Douglas to take the spoils.
The Robin Des Champs gelding started his career with trainer Philip Kirby, but after he was disappointing on the tracks, Morean was tipped off that he might make a show horse for her instead, and she instantly fell in love.
“He’s always been placed here,” said Morean, “But he hasn’t had his day and he hasn’t always given the best account of himself here. He’s a big horse in that arena and he’s different to a lot of the racehorses – he also competes in middleweight hunter classes.
“We haven’t campaigned him in hunter classes really this year, and just focused on this. Obviously we didn’t know who the judges were going to be, but when we heard that Hayden [Hankey], an event rider, was judging, we did think he may like him, and he just went for him. It was lovely.”
Robbie gave a beautiful account of himself for ride judge Hayden to take the win.
Rich Man Poor Man’s extensive CV
He adds this to a long list of accolades, having notched multiple wins in the Scottish Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) final held at the Royal Highland Show, and also standing supreme at the RoR championships at Aintree.
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Kirstine was emotional, saying that she wondered whether this one would be the championship to elude the pair.
It was emotional for Morean, too, who has owned Robbie since he was a four-year-old.
“It feels quite surreal. People were saying It’s my personal first win here,” explained Morean. This made the win all the more popular for spectators who know Morean as she is known for her generous support of fellow competitors.
In second was Hannah Horton with Migration, an Alhebayeb Dam 10-year-old. Migration was given to owners Anthony and Georgina Andrews and Hannah Horton by the Gail Brown Racing Syndicate.
It is two and a half years since 10-year-old Migration last ran. He was in training with David Menuisier for whom he won over £200,000 including winning the Lincoln Handicap in 2023.
Taking third place for the second time were Sar Cassidy-Hill’s Imperial Ruby and Sarah Llewellyn.
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Bethan joined Horse & Hound as showing editor in January 2025, after spending two years as Editor for Showing World. Having adored ponies since childhood, she started showing as a teenager and has enjoyed wins at major shows up and down the country, including Royal Highland, New Forest, and the Royal Welsh, as well as HOYS, RIHS and London. She is particularly passionate about Welsh breeds and is also a Welsh language commentator.