A mare who “believes she’s the best” proved that to be true after taking the 2026 Royal Windsor intermediate championship.
Claudia De La Hey rode her mother Samantha De La Hey’s Royal Illusion (Gracie) to success in the intermediate show hunter type class, before beating the hack and riding horse types to the overall spoils.
Gracie is a prolific winner, having also taken the 2024 Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) intermediate championship. The mare is no stranger to success at Royal Windsor either, having won the riding horse championship in the Castle Area with her former producer Vicky Smith in 2023.
“This is our third season now,” said Claudia. “She’s amazing. She truly does believe that she is the best. She’s got quite an attitude.
“She thinks that she’s the winner for sure – very, very sassy, I would say. She walks into the ring and she’s like, ‘I am here’.
“She loves it, honestly. She gallops so well, and it’s so much fun.”
The 13-year-old by Ricardo Z is produced by Adam Winbourne, and was bred by Neil and Ronald Rawl.
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Reserve to Claudia in the 2026 Royal Windsor intermediate championship also came from the show hunter class.
Poppy Carter was second on Made to Measure (Flynn), a 10-year-old owned by Angela Hunt.
Poppy only started riding the grey gelding this season and this is the pair’s third show. Earlier in the season, they picked up their RIHS ticket in the intermediate class at BSPS Area 4B.
She said: “He’s so comfy – he’s like riding a rocking horse. He’s lovely and he’s got such a good nature as well about him.”
Flynn has come a long way since he arrived with producer Danni Radford from Ireland – “with an ASBO”. He’s gone on to repay their faith in him when he surpassed all expectations to land the 158cm performance pony final at the 2025 London International, and clearly hasn’t looked back.
Also in the championship was Charlotte Coppard and Rebekah Pring’s winner of the intermediate hack, Littletons Tiger Lily ridden by Grace Lockyer. This was Lily’s fourth win in three years at Windsor, but her first in the intermediate ranks.
She won small hack under Rebekah earlier in the week, having won the novice and amateur hack classes in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Grace has ridden Lilly at her producer Elliee Stunt’s yard since the mare was backed, so Grace was delighted to take up the reins this season in the intermediates.
Finally, Rosemore Midnight Rendezvous was ridden by his owner Jane O’Keeffe’s daughter Sophie O’Keeffe to win the riding horse type class having won the small riding horse class and reserve champion ridden by his producer Justine Armstrong Small earlier in the week.
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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.
