Royal Six Horse Hitch Championship held at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Saturday November 13 was won by the Cape Cod Percherons owned by the Creelman family of Bedford, Nova Scotia.

His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, was in attendance along with a capacity crowd of more than 5 700 at the Ricoh Coliseum for a spectacular horse show that included some of Canada’s best riders and teams as they competed for championship prizes.

The Cape Cod Percherons, owned by Ross and Doug Creelman of Bedford, Nova Scotia, competed for the $15,000 purse Six Horse Hitch alongside eight other heavy horse teams of Percherons, Belgians and Clydesdales.

The crowd was electric as the six beautiful Percheron horses, decked out in their polished harnesses, pulled the sparkling dark blue wagon as rider Craig Grange steered the team over to the first place prize money.

Owners Ross and Doug Creelman of Bedford had recently won the Supreme Gelding Six at 2010 World Percheron Congress at the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, October 30 and can now savour this championship back at the Royal, at home, in Canada.

As the champions from Bedford left the ring, the audience cheered with the same enthusiasm that was later displayed during the main event of the night, the $75,000 Big Ben Challenge.

Canadian Olympian Ian Millar competed among many top equestrian jumpers from around the world as Margie Engle of the United States took home 1st prize.

Carlie Connolly is a first year student studying Journalism at Dalhousie University and an avid equestrian.