Sunday saw the second HTA meeting of the weekend with the Michael Renney Memorial trails at Buttermere.
The weather at Buttermere can always be unpredictable with its own mini climate but it was quite favourable for a change and made good running for the hounds.
The seniors got things underway with a slip of 15 hounds which is about average now at this time of year and given the number of trails people can choose from to attend.
Huntsman’s Rebel was back to see if she could repeat her win as she did last time round. She was the bookies favourite and as they came back round the side of the fell in view of the field it was clear that she was in her element and had a good lead from the remaining hounds.
In second place was Huntsman’s Quantum but he just wasn’t able to keep up with the young bitch who was running well.
Huntsman’s Quantum did make up a little ground as they moved through the bottom of the valley before they climbed up again but Huntsman’s Rebel moved away again as they climbed up and when she came back on to the finish she had a really good lead to cruse to another win.
That win takes her to 11 now, only four points behind Miterdale Duchess and eight points behind the championship table leader Winterfell. Given that there is only six weeks left of the season it may be too big of an ask for her to seriously challenge Winterfell but she might be able to catch Miterdale Duchess in second place.
Huntsman’s Quantum finished in second place for the Little’s with Christine Brownlee’s Malia finishing in third place.
Glenis and Raymond Farren’s Jenny’s Oracle took fourth having had a slight breather as she came up the finish but did come on eventually with lots of encouragement from Raymond.
Howgil Lil finished well for Ian Bell from Kendal, followed home in sixth place by Miterdale Honesty who also finished well for Sophie Steele.
The open pups were next with a slip of 12 runners. With the bulk of the top litter running on Saturday at Teviot Head Show it was the second top litter bred by Denise Bland out of Jenny’s Aura by Foxparke Billy Elliot which had the chance to shine.
This litter includes hounds such as Foxparke Fair Lady, Foxparke Side Kick, Money Talks, Glamorous Ava and Croft Lass.
As the hounds showed rounding the fell in front of the field it was a good race with Money Talks heading the field.
When they started to drop in on the finish a couple of hounds made a slight mistake and got the wrong side of the fence and then had to double back on themselves but Money Talks was still there in the front.
As they jumped the last fence it had gained a few yards from Foxparke Fair Lady who finished in second.
The Foxparke team also bagged the third ticket with Foxparke Side Kick followed by Denise Bland and Co’s Huntsman’s Sunshine in fourth. Croft Lass who had been closer up to the front hounds but got herself wrong at the fence on the fell finished well in fifth place followed home by James McClelland’s Glamorous Ava.
So not quite all six hounds from the same litter as on Saturday, but five out of the six with Huntsman’s Sunshine spoiling the party having been bred out of Jenny’s Delight and Huntsman’s Major. But its clear that these two litters are all doing well.
Next to run were the open maiden’s with a better field of nineteen runners. There was a strong contingency from the Foxparke team with several runners.
As they came onto the finish it was Foxparke Parma Violet and Samcro who were battling it out to see who could get to the line first. It was a tight affair with Foxparke Parma Violet just getting up by a short head to win from Tania Satterthwiate’s Samcro.
Tania’s other hound Paddy the Plasterer finished in third with the Foxparke team bagging fourth and sixth ticket with Foxparke Danny Elliot and Foxparke Dealer. Donna Bingham and Alex Steele’s Oakbank Izzy finised in fifth place.
Last up were the veterans with a very good slip of 14 hounds representing the majority of the age group that are running this season.
As they came round the side of the fell it was the bookies favourite Huntsman’s Major who was blazing a trail in front followed by Forlorn Spring for Stuart Jeynes, the current Veteran points leader.
As they returned to the finishing field Forlorn Spring hadn’t been able to make any ground up and Huntsman’s Major had his business head on and finished well clear to take the win for Denise Bland.
Forlorn Spring came in second followed by Christine Brownlee’s Monsoon. Crazy finished fourth for Jonty and Evie Moore and Jack Thompson. They were followed home by Roy Laidler’s Cuckoo Lane and then Ian Bell’s Howgil Meg.
The win for Huntsman’s Major brings the gap down between him and Forlorn Spring to just eleven points in the Veteran Points competition so it could be touch and go as to who will take away the title at the end of the season. The win for Huntsman’s major also gave Denise a double on the day.
The next three fixtures are spread across the week, the first being at Bridekirk on Tuesday, with the first race slipping slightly earlier at 5pm.
There’s a trip up to the borders on Wednesday at Moss Peteral with the first slip at 4.45pm then back down to West Cumbria on Thursday with the first of a series of three trails at Dearham with the first trail slipping at 5pm
