Wednesday saw the second of a series of three trails at Latrigg and although there had been some rain in the morning it had made little difference as the day had warmed up again.
Numbers were low as people were playing safe and looking to keep their hounds sound for the upcoming look round on Saturday for the Bitch Produce which is due to take place on July 13.
The seniors got things off to a start with just three runners – Monday nights winner Huntsman’s Rebel, who was the race favourite; Mel who was fourth on Monday and Money Talks who would be fresh to the trail as he hadn’t competed two days earlier.
As the hounds were slipped they went out at a steady pace and it wasn’t long until they showed on the back fell with Mel in the lead and Huntsman’s Rebel not too far behind.
Money Talks must have made a mistake on the early part of the trail as he didn’t show until some time later but once he was back on the trail he didn’t put a foot wrong as he went out of sight and dropped down the back fell.
Once the dogs showed again on the far fell Mel was still heading up the race and Huntsman’s rebel was following on behind.
The hounds soon showed on the finish and it was Mel still with a 50-yard lead as they came up the hill. Huntsman’s Rebel was finishing well but just couldn’t make up the difference before the line came.
Mel won handily for Les Reid and Ellie Napier, who wasn’t present to see her new hound win although she did turn up for the photo later in the evening. The win was Mel’s second win in the seniors this season and moved her up the championship table to seventh place.
Although the race was two minutes slower the hounds had ran a cracking race. Money Talks, for Graham Reid, finished to claim third place.
As the night cooled down runners were in short supply and for the open pups there was only one in Huntsman’s Time.
Denise Bland was unsure whether the little hound would complete the course on her own but at the slip, as the trailer came in, the little hound took off with gusto as she set off to complete the trail.
As she pulled-up out of the bottoms to climb up the fell she was running on well. She had a slight check once she got to the skyline but soon disappeared down in to the bottoms before having to climb back up the far fell.
With the evening sunshine playing tricks on the spectators it was difficult to know for sure if she had climbed the back fell before dropping down. Some thought they had seen her dropping in while others weren’t sure.
However, it wasn’t long before she showed on the finish and came in well to take another win. She had even knocked two minutes off the time from Monday night. What a little star she was to complete the course on her own. The win was her 14th of the season and she is now five points clear in the championship.
The open restricted race was next with five runners so slightly more competitive than the first two races.
As they dropped off the fell and down into the bottoms it was Lily for Barbara and Geoff Jones who was leading them with Bob for the Irving family in close pursuit, although as they were going out of sight Lily had pulled away.
As they showed on the finish Lily had a good lead and won easily. Barncroft Express had overtaken Bob in the bottoms and came up the hill in second place for Alan O’Fee. Bob eventually showed to finish in third place much to the delight of Connor Irving who was in charge of catching him on the line as well as being the number one catcher for the judge in the other races.
Stuart and Jacob Jeynes’ little hound Off-Spring finished well in fourth place and Roy Laidler’s Cuckoo Lane took the last ticket in fifth.
The time of the race was six seconds slower than the one Huntsman’s Time had completed the course in on her own.
The last race of the night was for the Veterans with the biggest slip of the night as eight runners went to the slip.
Crazy, for Jonty and Evie Moor and Jack Thompson, was the favourite having just won at the weekend in the International Trails.
Zola and Miterdale Duchess were joint second favourites and as they climbed up the fell it was Crazy who took the lead right from the start.
As they showed on the back fell there were two light coloured hounds running together and it was difficult to make them out.
However, when they came onto the finish it was Crazy who was still there and who had forged a slight lead from the second hound Foxparke Parma Violet for the Napier and Butler kennel with Denis Pear and Jackie Gill’s Miterdale Duchess close behind in third place.
Denis’s second hound Hawkswood finished in fourth place with Christine Brownlee’s Monsoon taking fifth ticket and the fancied Zola for Stephen Irving just getting up to take sixth place from an unlucky Foxparke Dealer who finished in seventh place.
Although numbers were low it turned out to be a very pleasant evening for the spectators although the hounds would have liked a little more rain.
June 26 – Latrigg
- Hounds – 1. Mel; 2. Huntsman’s Rebel; 3. Money Talks. 3 ran, time 33.26.
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Time .1 ran, time 20.00.
- Open Restricted – 1. Lily; 2. Barncroft Express; 3. Bob; 4. Off-Spring; 5. Cuckoo Lane. 5 ran, time 20.06.
- Veteran’s – 1. Crazy; 2. Foxparke Parma Violet; 3. Miterdale Duchess; 4. Hawkswood; 5. Monsoon; 6. Zola. 8 ran, time 18.30.
