The traditional Eskdale Show hosted a five-card meeting for the hounds on Saturday.
Unlike the majority of the farming shows this year where the weather has been exceptional it turned out to be a bit of a soggy day.
However, this didn’t deter the show people or the trailing community with the senior hounds getting things started.
There was a small field of just seven runners but it turned out to be quite an exciting finish as the hounds cleared the last gate.
There were four of five dogs together but as they cleared the last gate Ned’s Gain for Jonty and Evie Moore and Jack Thompson just gained an advantage and came home to win the race with three or four yards to spare, followed by Huntsman’s Quartz who had ran a good race to get second.
Denis Pear and Jackie Gill’s Miterdale Duchess finished in third place while Sophie Steele’s Kinniside Bobby was fourth ahead of Glenis and Raymond Farren’s Jenny’s Oracle and Sophie’s other hound Miterdale Honesty.
The maiden hounds were next with just five runners but four of which were from the Foxparke kennel.
As the hounds came back onto the finish and cleared the last gate it was Foxparke Joey Elliot who just did enough to take the win with Foxparke Mo Farren catching him but she was just half a length to short as they crossed the line.
Foxparke Who Gives A Toss finished in third place with Foxparke Whoosh in fourth ahead of Intensity for the Horn Family.
The third place for Foxparke Whoosh was enough to take her clear at the top of the Senior Maiden’s points competition. She is now two points ahead of Christopher Henderson’s Shine On who has 17 points.
The afternoon didn’t pick up any as it just got worse with the rain pouring down and next to slip were the open pups with 11 runners.
As they jumped the last gate there were two hounds clear and it was a good race between the pair as they approached the finishing line. Money Talks and Glamorous Ava, brother and sister out of the litter by Jenny’s Aura and Foxparke Billy Elliot, raced to the finishing line in a head to head.
In the end it was Money Talks who crossed the line with a two-yard advantage over his sister. Miterdale Diamond and Miterdale Dust finished third and fifth for Sophie Steele while Foxparke Side Kick and Foxparke Honk Honk finished fourth and sixth.
The Open Restricted were next with six runners and as they cleared the last gate it was between Green Flyer and Foxparke Lady Ava.
They had virtually jumped together but it was Green Flyer who finished well to cross the line in first place much to the delight of Jake and Zac and mum Lisa.
This was Green Flyer’s third win in this grade and he moves up to eleventh in the Points Competition table. The second place for the Foxparke kennel rounded off their day with a tally of eight tickets.
The last race of the day was the Veterans with 11 runners. As the hounds came back in to sight it was Crazy for Jonty and Evie Moore and Jack Thompson who cleared the last gate well in front of the competition. She won easily and just shows that when she puts her mind to it she is still a class act to follow. It completed a first and last race double for the kennel.
Finishing well in second place was Huntsman’s Major for Denise Bland, then Black Eyed Mist for Nicola and John Lyon’s. Table Topper Forlorn Spring finished in fourth place with Hawkswood and Monsoon in fifth and sixth place.
Again the fourth place for Forlorn Spring was just enough to keep him in front of Huntsman’s Major in the points competition but the gap is closing with just 12 points now between them both and only five veteran trails left to run.
Ned’s Gain won the Maurice Edward Memorial Plaque that was donated by his family.
Eskdale Show
- Hounds – 1. Ned’s Gain; 2. Huntsman’s Quartz; 3. Miterdale Duchess; 4. Kinniside Bobby; 5. Jenny’s Oracle; 6. Mietrdale Honesty. 7 ran, time 27.19.
- Maidens – 1. Foxparke Joey Elliot; 2. Foxparke Mo Farren; 3. Foxparke Who Gives A Toss; 4. Foxparke Whoosh; 5. Intensity. 5 ran, time 32.46.
- Pups – 1. Money Talks; 2. Glamorous Ava; 3. Miterdale Diamond; 4. Foxparke Side Kick; 5. Miterdale Dust; 6. Foxparke Honk Honk. 11 ran, time 17.33.
- Open Restricted – 1. Green Flyer; 2. Foxparke Lady Ava; 3. Foxparke Sassy Girl; 4. Missriff; 5. Red Baaeed; 6. Chapel Stile. 6 ran, time 19.51.
- Veterans – 1. Crazy; 2. Huntsman’s Major; 3. Black Eyed Mist; 4. Forlorn Spring; 5. Hawkswood; 6. Monsoon. 11 ran, time 18.44.
