Trail times were moved back to avoid the heat of the afternoon at Steel Rigg as the HTA came to terms with the increase in temperatures.
There were twelve hounds slipped in the senior hounds with table leader Winterfell favourite ahead of old rival Kirkhead Rebel and that was the order they were seen at the half-way point but with little in it.
Steel Rigg, as a venue, offers open running and the hounds showed a long way back on the trail as they headed towards the finish.
Two hounds were well clear and as they came in to view it was still Winterfell and Kirkhead Rebel who were running alongside each other.
As they weaved their way towards the finishing line it was Winterfell who held on to beat Kirkhead Rebel by a couple of lengths for Barry Laidler and Caroline Clough.
This latest success takes Winterfell to nine points in the championship table, and he is now five points clear of his nearest rival, Miterdale Duchess who was only able to finish in sixth place for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill.
The senior maidens had nine runners and as they showed there were a few in with a chance.
Onto the finish there were two hounds with a slight advantage and it was Thorn Rose, owned by Martin, Joanna, Molly and Teddy Burrows and Caroline Graham who just held on to win from Duncan and Amy Chisholm’s Fly Me To The Moon with just half a length between them at the end.
There were slightly more runners in the pups with nineteen taking part and Rodney Raider for Nicola McMaster and David Todhunter was sent-off favourite from Embrace.
As the hounds showed on the long finish again two hounds had managed to get clear of the rest and as they came in to view it was seen that Rodney Raider and Glamorous Ava who had an advantage.
As they headed towards the finishing line Rodney Raider gained a couple of yards on Glamorous Ava to take the win which put him one point clear in the Puppy Championship.
Embrace finished a long way back so may still be still feeling the effects of a recent shoulder injury or may have ran on like a few other hounds when they turned to come back towards the finish.
Sixteen were slipped in the Open Restricted and Eden Rayna went off the favourite but it was Splendid Lily for Shaun Hetherington who came on to win from Malcom and Ann Holme’s Sir Robert who is back from having a minor injury and seems to have recovered well. David Clifford’s Eden Rayna finished in third place.
Time was marching on and it was a later than planned slip for the Veteran race when the majority of the current eligible hounds were running.
It was Stuart Jeynes’ Forlorn Spring who came on the finish to win from Barry Laidler and Caroline Clough’s other hound Best Mate.
The open running suited Forlorn Spring who was able to stride out and gain a little bit of an advantage and the win takes him four points clear of his nearest rival Hawkswood who finished in third place.
The action moves back to Bridekirk on Monday afternoon with a look round ahead of the prestigious HTA Bitch Produce which is being held on June 3.
The first race on Monday slips at 1pm with catering and on field bookmaking available.
