Sunday saw the first in a series of six championship trails to be held at Oulton.
It was a fine afternoon for the racing and also the much-anticipated junior Easter egg competitions!
The senior hounds were first to get things underway with a good slip of 18 hounds.
As they showed in the bottoms there were a few hounds together but as they climbed up the hill two of them gained a bit of a lead.
Both Busy Again and Duchess Ava are both good finishers but on this occasion it was Alan Blacklock’s Busy Again who stuck in and just crossed the line in front of James and Ava McClelland’s Duchess Ava. It was nice to see both hounds in good form.
Busy Again seemed to struggle with injuries last year and perhaps didn’t get as many tickets as the little hound deserved.
Duchess Ava had been quite poorly for a while so it was good to see her back out running and enjoying herself again.
Silver Streak, for the Dearham kennel of Joseph Abram and Nicole McMaster wasn’t too far behind in third place with Strawberry Mick for Graham Reid getting up to take fourth.
The last two tickets went to the Napier and Butler kennel with Foxparke Mysteriously and Foxparke Fair Lady.
The time of the race was into the 30s so the hounds would have felt the longer distance of a full senior trail as well as it being rather warmer than usual for the hounds. A number of hounds had been clipped for the race.
Next to slip were the open pups, and as anticipated Huntsman’s Time had returned to see if she could repeat her win from the trial.
There was a really strong field of 35 hounds and spectators were in for a good race.
As they showed on the finish it was Huntsman’s Time who had a nice lead and she crossed the line in first place, also having been clipped for the warmer conditions.
Thorn Sass for Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrow, Ian Freyne, Ger and Jennifer Kenneally finished well in second place, followed not so far behind by Thornton for Darren McMaster, Anthony Skelton and Sadie Wilson who was easing down just before the line.
The leading three were followed in by Brian and Joy Lister’s Minnie Million, who continues to improve.
Fifth and sixth tickets were taken by George McGimpsey’s and Gillian and Millie Telford’s Millie’s Lass followed by Martin, Molly, Teddy Burrow and Sarah Jackson’s Thorn Soul.
The open maiden race followed again with a really good slip of 35 hounds.
As they came up the hill it was a tight finish between Border Reign and Thorn Thunder.
In the end Border Reign for Annabelle Connelly and A and J Lawless just got up to win from Martin and Molly Burrow’s Thorn Thunder.
Caroline Graham’s Hunter’s Flame finished in third place followed by Neil and Gillian Brown, Derek and Joel Bulman’s Dundee.
Fifth ticket went to Splendid Mikey with the sixth going to Brain and Joy Lister’s Imagine.
Last race of the day was for the All-ins with 18 runners and it was last year’s Maiden and Open maiden points champion David Clifford’s Eden Rayna who crossed the line in first place followed by Shaun and Donna Hetherington’s Tesla.
Last year’s Open Restricted champion Thorn Pop finished in fourth place with the Bryden and Neal’s Eagle Rock finishing in fifth place and the last ticket of the day went to the Dearham kennel with Sarah Jane.
All in all it was another good day’s hound trailing and action moved back today to Low Place with another four card meeting before returning to Oulton again on Tuesday for a three card meeting.
March 31 – Oulton
- Hounds – 1. Busy Again; 2. Duchess Ava; 3. Silver Streak; 4. Strawberry Mick; 5. Foxparke Mysteriously; 6. Foxparke Fair Lady. 18 ran, time 32.15.
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Time; 2. Thorn Sass; 3. Thornton; 4. Minnie Million; 5. Millie’s Lass; 6. Thorn Soul. 35 ran, time 17.37.
- Open Maiden – 1. Border Reign; 2. Thorn Thunder; 3. Hunter’s Flame; 4. Dundee; 5. Splendid Mikey; 6. Imagine. 35 ran, time 17.28.
- All-In – 1. Eden Rayna; 2. Tesla; 3. Thorn Pop; 4. Eagle Rock; 5. Tommy’s Dream; 6. Sarah Jane. 22 ran, time 17.15.
