Sunday saw the traditional Buttermere Show take place at Gatesgarth Farm with a four-card meeting.
The seniors got things underway with a small field of just five runners. Huntsman’s Rebel was favourite having won impressively at previous trails round the same course.
As they came through in front of the crowd at the bottom of Fleetwith Pike she had a reasonable lead from Jenny’s Oracle and managed to maintain this lead as they negotiated the trail through the bottom of Warnscale before they climbed up towards High Crag.
As the hounds dropped down towards the finish and cleared the last fence into the finishing field Huntsman’s Rebel had about four hundred yards as she crossed the line to win.
Jenny’s Oracle, for Glenis and Raymond Farren was second with Foxparke Sassy Girl finishing well to take fourth place from Huntsman’s Quartz who just seemed to tire once he realized he was nearly home for Ian Donaldson.
Chapel Stile eventually finished in fifth place for Ian Fleet and Jayne Petersen.
Huntsman’s Rebel and Denise Bland take home the Willie Irving Trophy which rotates between the three shows.
Next to run were the senior maidens with again just a small field of five hounds.
Eden Romina was the odds on favourite but in the early stages of the trail it was Black Edition for Lisa and Hollie Whitfield who was heading the trail, running a cracking first half.
However the pace proved just a little too much for her and it was Samcro and Foxparke Who Gives A Toss who took up the running on the second half with Gary Woodend’s Twilight Mist running a good race to keep up with them.
As they dropped down to the finishing field three hounds had a slight lead and it was Foxparke Who Gives a Toss and Samcro who once in the last field battled it out for first place .
In the end Foxpake Who Gives A Toss just goty up on the line to win from Tania Satterthwaite’s Samcro in second place. Twilight Mist must have got wrong as they dropped off the fell into the bottoms and eventually came in to the finishing field and came in to get third place.
The front runner Black Edition had to settle for fourth place with the favourite Eden Romina for David Clifford finishing in fifth.
However Eden Romina takes the senior maiden points competition and the open maidens points competition for 2023.
The next race was the open pups with nine runners with Huntsman’s Sparkle and Money Talks the favourites with the bookies.
Huntsman’s Sparkle ran well last time round the course but threw it away on the finish.
As the pups dropped in it was a good race with Money Talk’s taking a bit of a tumble as they dropped in but he regained himself and was bang up with the front hounds as they jumped in o the last field.
It was a good race to the line and Money Talk’s for Graham Reid did enough to take first place from the Foxparke kennel who ended up with second, third and fourth place with Foxparke Side Kick. Foxparke Fair Lady and Foxparke Dealer.
Hunstman’s Sparkle had every chance to win the race but ran off as they jumped the last fence and then ran off again on the run in so, she only managed to get fifth place with Denise Bland taking the sixth ticket with Huntsman’s Sunshine.
The last race of the day was the puppy maidens, and there was only one runner Spring Remedy who with her being the only runner if she got round she would secure the runners up position in the puppy maiden competition.
The question was would she go round on her own. Time would tell. As she set off she looked keen to get on with the race. The little hound completed the first section of the trail as she rounded the bottom of Fleetwith Pike.
She then travelled in to Warnscale bottom and after a bit of a hick-up found the trail again and headed up towards High Crag, as she was doing well.
As she started to drop down she had to negotiate the fence alongside the main path up to Haystacks and there was a number of walkers on the path which seemed to distract her from getting on with the trail and she struggled to get past them with the clock ticking.
Time was running out and eventually she followed where the walkers had come from and moved off the trail and she ran out of time before she was able to complete the trail.
Owner Jenny Horn was disappointed but she was very positive about the little dog given her valiant efforts to complete the course on her own. If the walkers hadn’t been there just as she came to cross the path and start the decline she perhaps would have made it round.
All is not lost though as she can run again around Millstone Moor on the last day and she just needs to get some points to take her in to the runners up position.
The final day looms for the 2023 season with a five card meeting at Millstone Moor on Tuesday with the first trail slipping at 12.15pm.
October 29 – Buttermere Show
- Hounds – 1. Huntsman’s Rebel; 2. Jenny’s Oracle; 3. Foxparke Sassy Girl ;4. Huntsman’s Quartz; 5. Chapel Stile. 5 ran , tme 27.47.
- Maidens – 1.Foxparke Who Gives A Toss ;2. Samcro; 3. Twilight Mist ;4. Black Edition; 5. Eden Romina. 5 ran, time 30.41.
- Pups – 1. Money Talks; 2. Foxparke Side Kick; 3. Foxparke Fair Lady; 4. Foxparke Dealer; 5. Huntsman’s Sparkle; 6. Huntsman’s Sunshine. 9 ran, time 18.32.
- Puppy Maiden – no finishers over time 1 Ran
