NORTH Yorkshire rider Alex Gill became only the second showjumper in Horse of the Year Show history to successfully defend the prestigious Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Championship title at Birmingham's LG Arena.

Gill, from Northallerton, triumphed last year with Wildwood Silver and came up trumps again when guiding Kingstown Rebel to a comfortable victory, emulating Matthew Sampson's feat of successive victories in 2005 and 2006.

Gill, 16, qualified three horses among a 12-horse jump-off, but former eventer Kingstown Rebel set a standard no other combination could match, clocking 39.82 seconds to leave Faye Adams (Rainbows Mocha) in second place and Abbie Bevan (Eclips VI) third from an original field of 25.

"It is a very good start to the week for me," said Gill, who was part of the Great Britain squad at this year's Pony European Jumping Championships.

"He is a really quick pony. He has always been banging on the door for a win like that, and once we found the turns in the course, we were really confident.

"He only started jumping in January. He is a clear round machine - he is something else.

"He is really nervous and spooky, he's his own character. But on the big occasions, he just pulls it out of the bag."

Meanwhile, teenage showjumper Estella Harrowing has also soared to celebrated success.

Harrowing, from Whitby, won the Dodson & Horrell 0.95cm national amateur second round at Northcote Stud in Blackburn. She was riding her mother Wendy’s seven-year-old piebald gelding Dereks Choice.

The 16-year-old now goes through to the second round at Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool from November 19 to 23.