The five-year-old, owned by Fiona Clark from Stoke-by-Nayland, claimed the supreme championship, just as he did in 2015 and 2016, ahead of overall reserve Kilmannan Short, an eight-year-old gelding owned by George Pratt from Great Horkesley, near Colchester.

East Anglian Daily Times: Thousands of visitors flocked to the first day of the Suffolk Show 2016. The Grand Parade.Thousands of visitors flocked to the first day of the Suffolk Show 2016. The Grand Parade. (Image: Archant)

Having already won the overall championship at the Woodbridge Horse Show – the Suffolk Punch breed’s “home” show – at the start of May, Duke will now go to the Royal Norfolk Show at the end of June with the prospect of achieving another hat-trick, involving three titles in a calendar year.

Yesterday’s judge, Sue Durrant from Ipswich, said of the champion: “He is a good upstanding stallion with some real ‘punch’ features. He also moved extremely well, as did the reserve.”

Duke was shown in the ring by Stephen Gowing from Colchester, a farrier by trade but also effectively “stud groom” for Roger and Fiona Clark.

Mr Gowing said he first saw Duke as a two-year-old when he and Roger travelled to Northumberland, where he was bred, to view him on behalf of the Suffolk Horse Society. Fiona purchased him later that year.

The championship for best mare or filly went to Tas Valley Deanna, a three-year-old filly owned by FA & CA Kinge from Bunwell in Norfolk, with reserve taken by four-year-old mare Florence of Easton, owned by John Groom from Bungay.

The class for mares with a foal at foot went to six-year-old Pickworth Golden Poppy, owned by Andrea Hoskins from Pickworth, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, while the foal class was won by the filly Tas Valley Hope’s Glory, also owned by FA & CA Kinge.

Reserve in the two classes went respectively to eight-year-old Samford Tourmaline and her filly foal Samford Emerald (sired as it happens by overall champion Shotleyfield Dazzling Duke), both owned by George Paul from Wherstead, near Ipswich.

Reserve to Duke for the best stallion championship was the eight-year-old Springtime Earl, owned by Kevin Cracknell from Brettenham, near Ipswich, while reserve to Kilmannan Short as best gelding was seven-year-old Samford Thomas, owned by Andrew Wager from Heybridge, near Maldon.