The first of two meetings at Wythop in memory of ‘Nasher’ Pattinson and Maurice Bewley was held on Sunday.
Both were active promoters of hound trailing in their local areas and well known around the hound trailing scene.
The opener for senior sounds had a good slip of 24 hounds with table leader Winterfell setting out as favourite, followed by Cautious at 2/1 and Strawberry Mick at 3/1.
As they showed on the top of the fell there were two or three hounds together as they dropped in and as they came through the last gate into view it was Foxparke Beep Beep who had a lead over the second hound which was Cautious.
As they raced down the hill Foxparke Beep Beep came away and crossed the line with Cautious 20 yards behind her. It was all smiles in the Foxparke camp as Robyn and Ellie were chuffed to see ‘Bubbles’ (that’s her kennel name) win nicely.
The victory for Bubbles should not have come as a surprise as she has a good record around Wythop having won twice and had one second place last year in the shorter puppy trail. In the bookies ring she had been 4/1.
Winterfell finished in third place for Barry Laidler and Caroline Clough with Huntsman’s Quartz back in fourth place.
Next onto the slip were the open pups with seventeen runners. Table leader Rodney Raider was sent off the favourite but when they showed on the top there was a couple of hounds with a lead.
As they came through the last gate to drop down to the finish they had bunched up and it was Graham Reid’s Mel who had an advantage over Hey Mac.
In the end Mel crossed the line two or three lengths in front of Hey Mac with a fast finishing Sarah Jane in third place. The win for Mel takes her to nine wins in total and moves her up to fourth place in the championship table.
Hey Mac ran well for Neil and Gillian Brown to finish in second place. Sarah Jane showed her kennel mates again how to do it by finishing in third. Neither Rodney Raider or Silver Dream were among the tickets.
The open maidens were slipped next with a reasonable field of seventeen runners.
Trinket, a local hound, was favourite as they were slipped and was 2/1 in the bookies ring.
As they came through the last gate and down the hill to the finish she was in front but was visibly slowing down as she approached the line and was nearly caught by a very fast-finishing Samcro and Shine On.
Trinket only won by a head in the end but Gillian Todd was over the moon to see her cross the line first. Both the second and third hounds finished well for Tania Satterthwaite and Christopher Henderson.
The last race of the day was the open restricted with again seventeen runners. Eden Rayna for David Clifford was the 5/2 favourite as they set off.
When they showed again on the top it was a good race. As they came through the last gate it was the big hound Overwater Eddie who had a lead and he stuck in and maintained the lead as they approached the line to win for James and Emily Irving
In second place, and only a yard or so behind, was Thorn Pop for Colin Satterthwaite and Dream Catcher for Brian and Joy Lister finished in third some hundred yards behind.
It’s been a busy weekend and it will be a busy start to the new week with a return to Rusland on Monday for the second in the series of trails which are being run for the Jean Metcalf Memorial Challenge Shield.
Jean was an active member of the South Lakes Area Committee and worked hard to promote trails in her local area as well as train and run hounds herself along with her family.
There will be a three trail meeting at Rusland with the first trail slipping at 6pm.
On Tuesday action moves to Gatesgarth Farm near Buttermere with a four-card meeting when the first trail runners will be slipped at 5.00pm.
Wythop – August 20
- Hounds – 1. Foxparke Beep Beep; 2. Cautious; 3. Winterfell; 4. Huntsman’s Quartz; 5. Foxparke Mysteriously; 6. Thorn Thunder. 24 ran, time 28.41.
- Pups – 1. Mel; 2. Hey Mac; 3. Sarah Jane; 4. Money Talks; 5. Croft Lass; 6. Thorn Bear. 17 ran, time 21.01.
- Open Maiden – 1. Trinket; 2. Samcro; 3. Shine On; 4. Tremour; 5. Eden Romina; 6. Red Baaeed. 17 ran, time 19.11.
- Open Restricted – 1. Overwater Eddie; 2. Thorn Pop; 3. Dream Catcher; 4. Tommy’s Dream; 5. Thorn Rose; 6. Swamp Fox. 17 ran, time 19.04.
