With much better weather than the night before, Wednesday’s meeting at Moss Peteral got underway with a good slip of 19 seniors.
Hot favourite was Winterfell, seemingly coming back into form after winning at the weekend at the Teviot Head Show and happy to run alongside his kennel mate Ron.
The table leader certainly likes running the open ground in the border area.
As the hounds came back onto the finish there were two dogs with a good lead and once they were in sight you could make out that it was Winterfell and Ron running together.
Both hounds finished well with Winterfell crossing the line just a yard-and-a-half in front of Ron, before a gap to the next two hounds which were Summer Spirit for Willie and Daphne Mark and Huntsman’s Rebel for Denise Bland and Graeme Little.
This was a bit unusual for Huntsman’s Rebel as once she has had a look round she usually nails the course the second time round.
Crossing the line in fifth place, a little back, was Denton Shamrock for Sandra Mordue and Lee Wall followed by Huntsman’s Quirk also for Denise Bland.
Connections of Winterfell can only be very pleased as the win puts another point between them and the second in the table Miterdale Duchess.
Although she tends to run well at Dearham and there are three trails coming up at Dearham and if she performs well could make inroads to Winterfell’s lead.
Next up were the open pups with a field of 11 headed by table leader Rodney Raider who was sent off as favourite.
A few of the top hounds had run the previous night at Bridekirk so the race looked as though it was between Rodney Raider and Embrace. Embrace had managed to get the better of Rodney Raider at the weekend so the big question would be could he do the same on the night.
As the hounds came back onto the finish there were two or three hounds with a slight lead over the other hounds. The two hounds out in front were Rodney Raider and Embrace and it was the title challenger who just got up to cross the line first.
This win brought Rodney Raider’s lead down to just five points now with everything to play for over the last six weeks of the season.
Huntsman’s Sparkle finished well in third place for the Hill’s with Paul Airey and Joanne Hodgson’s Artisan taking fourth.
Willie and Daphne Mark bagged another ticket with their hound Sportsman in fifth with Denise Bland picked up the sixth ticket with Huntsman’s Sunshine.
The last race of the night was for the open maidens with 11 runners and it was a fairly open one.
As the hounds came back onto the finish it was Donna Bingham and Alex Steel’s Oakbank Izzy who crossed the line first followed by David Clifford’s Eden Romina.
Vinny Moon was next for the Hill’s followed by Ashley Horn and Sarah White’s Flightline. Fifth was Jenny Horn with Spring Remedy, with the last ticket of the night going to Linda Neale and Mark, Josh and Georgina Bryden’s Eagle Love.
Eden Romina continues to extend her lead and is now 27 points clear in the grade competition with little chance of being caught.
September 20 – Moss Peteral
- Hounds – 1. Winterfell; 2. Ron; 3. Summer Spirit; 4. Huntsman’s Rebel; 5. Denton Shamrock; 6. Huntsman’s Quirk. 19 ran Time 26.44.
- Pups – 1. Embrace; 2. Rodney Raider; 3. Huntsman’s Sparkle; 4. Artisan; 5. Sportsman; 6. Huntsman’s Sunshine. 11 ran, time 20.49.
- Open Maiden – 1. Oakbank Izzy; 2. Eden Romina; 3. Vinny Moon; 4. Flightline; 5. Spring Remedy; 6. Eagle Love. 11 ran, time 21.40.
