Hound trailing action returned to the fells on Thursday night with a three-card meeting at Dubbs Lane.
Championship leader Winterfell was looking to regain his momentum and to pick up another win in a smaller than usual field of 10 runners.
As they came onto the finish there were three hounds with a slight lead but Winterfell wasn’t among them.
In the end it was Ian Bell’s hound Howgill Lil who crossed the line first ahead of Huntsman’s Quartz for Ian Donaldson with just a couple of yards between them. Winterfell managed to get sixth ticket.
The win for Howgill Lil was her first championship win this season but she has been there, or thereabouts, over recent weeks.
There was an equally small field of pups with the majority of the top hounds having ran the night before at Cold Fell.
As they showed on the top it was a good race with half a dozen dogs coming down the steep finish where Denise Bland’s Huntsman’s Sunshine came through to win from Nicola McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Sarah Jane.
Flight Line finished well in third for Ashley and Sarah White from Maryport, with Stanley and Carol Jackson’s Croft Lass finishing in fourth place.
The win for Denise followed her success the night before at Cold Fell with Huntsman’s Rebel.
Last in action were the Open Restricted with a slightly better field of sixteen runners and it was Ron who finished in first place for Ryan and Tom Bell, followed home by Donna Bingham and Alex Steel’s Oakbank Izzy.
Action moves to the weekend where there are trails at Lorton on the Saturday with the first trail slipping at 1pm followed by Shap on Sunday with the first trail also slipping at 1pm.
July 20 – Dubbs Lane
- Hounds – 1. Howgill Lil; 2. Huntsman’s Quartz; 3. Thorn Thunder; 4. Huntsman’s Quantum; 5. Huntsman’s Quirk; 6. Winterfell. 10 ran, time 30.44.
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Sunshine; 2. Sarah Jane; 3. Flight Line; 4. Croft Lass; 5. Thorn Bear; 6. Artisan. 11 ran, time 24.26.
- Open Restricted – 1. Ron; 2. Oakbank Izzy; 3. Malia; 4. Hawkswood; 5. Monsoon; 6. Maverick.16 ran, time 22.06.
