Hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, more than 1200 riders competed at the event at the National Equestrian Centre at Werribee Park over the Australia Day weekend.

Ms Hanger also won a swag of other events including the champion warmblood gelding and supreme champion show hunter categories.

The accomplished rider and her big grey gelding won the 2008 Garryowen at the Royal Melbourne Show.

Making that victory even sweeter was that the event was created as a memorial for Ms Hanger's great-great aunt, Violet Murrell, who died trying to save her horse Garryowen from a stable fire.

Mrs Murrell's husband later died from injuries sustained trying to save his wife.

The 2008 win came at a cost though with War Wind sustaining a splint injury, forcing him out of competition for a year and making this victory even more remarkable.

The pair will again vie for victory at this year's Melbourne Show. War Wind was hand-raised after her mother was killed by lightning and the horse has barely left Ms Hanger's side since she brought him as a threeyearold.