MONNINGTON Morgans have become the first stud farm in Europe to win a title at the Saddlebred World Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

More than 2,000 horses took part in the seven-day championships and the Monnington stud from Herefordshire excelled with not one but two of their horses winning world titles.

Trainer Lionel Ferreira left Herefordshire for the United States in June with two horses, 11-year-old gelding Prince's Domino and three-year-old stallion Gothic Revival.

Both horses were unbeaten at every US affiliated show in the lead-up to the world championships and Prince's Domino revealed his tremendous potential in the prequel to the world event, the Lexington Junior League, where he saw off all the competition to win the $10,000 Open Five Gaited Championship.

In the World Championship, he beat 12 top horses, including the 2004 World Grand Champion CH Boucheron, to take the $10,000 World Champion Open Five Gaited Gelding class to earn a place in the World Grand Championship.

Gothic Revival, meanwhile, described as 'the most eagerly anticipated horse of the show', saw off all opposition in the World Championship Fine Harness Three Year Old class.

Finally, in the World's Grand Champion Open Five Gaited Stake, which is worth $100,000 to the winner, Prince's Domino was one of a three-way tie with the call judge eventually awarding him Reserve World's Grand Champion.

"We have been going to the States for the last four years and done well and sold horses," said Monnington Morgans' Trudy Connolly. "But this has really broken the barriers down for us.

"The Americans have always been great to us and very friendly but now they see us as serious contenders."