Saturday was a busy old day in the world of hound trailing with action kicking off at 7.32am at the Copshaw Common Riding, which is similar to but different to the traditional Langholm Common Riding.
Following changes to the HTA rules back in February this year the Copshaw Common riding puppy trail is now classed as a championship trail even though there is just the one trail.
Normally there would have to be a senior trail and a puppy trail for them to count as championship trails but the Copshaw Common Riding trail, along with the Langholm Common Riding trail which only has a senior trail, would be made an exception. The hound trail is the first of many events which take place over the day and it got underway at 7.32am.
There was prize money of £235 which would be divided between the first six hounds to finish. There were eight runners and it was local hounds Millie’s Lad and Millie’s Lass which took the first and second prize for George McGimpsey and his daughter and granddaughter Gillian and Millie Telford. George Burgon and Carol Logan’s Mister Mally was third with Brian and Joy Lister’s Minnie Million finishing in fourth place.
Paul Airey and Joanne Hodgson’s Meadow lane finished in fifth with Marti Borthwick and Co taking sixth with their hound Castle Cairndhu. The winning team received an embroidered dog coat, trophy and rosette and first prize of £100.
Action then moved to Kirkland Leaps for the Festival of Hound Trailing with a seven-race card and prize money totalling £1,250 split over the seven races. The first trail goy underway at 11.30am with the Puppy Maidens being the first to go and a good slip of 17 hounds.
Local hound Baroness Ava was the favourite with the bookies after she had won the open maiden race at the look-round earlier in the week. As they crossed the first road it was Apache Brave who was leading followed by Flecky Jack with Baroness Ava in third place. Ben, sent off at 2/1, was in fifth place.
However as they came onto the finish it was Tom Bell’s Ben who came through to win from James and Ava McClelland’s Baroness Ava in second.
#Malcolme Holmes’ Senorita had made up ground and finished well to take third place with Alan Blacklock’s Busy Lad starting to come good as he finished in fourth place.
Gillian Bulman-Brown and Mickey O’Brien’s Peggy Sue claimed fifth ticket with local hound Apache Brave for Debbie and Lana McGee claiming sixth ticket. The win for Ben takes him top of the puppy maiden points competition with 17 points, five clear of Sonny Bill.
Next to go were the open non-winners with a slip of 16 and the betting was fairly open with none of the hounds ever having won a race before. The current open non-winner competition table topper Spring Rhyme was running, as was Zeta another local hound.
At the road it was Zeta and Eden Rosanna that were in front but as they showed in the distance three hounds had a lead and they maintained their advantage as they came towards the finish. Eden Rosanna finished well for David Clifford to take the win a few yards in front of Zeta for Stephen Irving and Caroline Graham in second place. The winner had been sent-off at 8/1.
The third hound was Thorn Star for Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrow’s and then there was a gap to the fourth hound which was Maeve for Christine Brownlee with Sarah Bell’s Baz taking fifth ticket and Jenny Horn’s Spring Rhyme took the last ticket.
The next race was for the Veteran with competition being really good amongst this group of hounds this year and it will be interesting to see which one comes out on top at the end of the season.
There was a good slip of 18 hounds and Miterdale Duchess and Adele were joint favourites with the bookies qwhile Crazy and Zola were also up there with them as fancied contenders.
As they crossed the first road Zola was leading with Kinniside Jacko and Kinniside Dan close behind, as Crazy, Monsoon and Miterdale Duchess all followed in a line.
At the road Adele was only ninth.
However, as they showed on the finish Adele for the Bell family had made up significant ground and came on her own to win easily, well clear of all the other hounds. Miterdale Duchess for Denis Peare and Jackie Gill was the next hound to show and finished in second place followed by Kinniside Jacko for Tony Jackson and Ian Rudd. Crazy, for Jonty and Ava Moore and Jack Thompson finished in fourth with Christine Brownlee getting her second ticket of the day with Monsoon in fifth place. The last ticket went to Eagle Girl for Linda Neale, Mark, Josh and Georgia Bryden.
Miterdale Duchess continues to lead the veteran points competition with Adele close behind with only four points between the two hounds. Shrewd punters could have got 3/1 on Adele winning.
Next up were the senior hounds and there was a slip of 13 hounds with Winterfell sent off favourite alongside Embrace and Glamorous Ava. At the road it was Cautious that was leading but things had changed when they came onto the finish.
Six hounds were close together as they showed but it was the long stride of Embrace who broke clear from the rest and came home to win by a couple of lengths.
It was a tight affair for the rest of the tickets with only a couple of yards between the next five hounds. Alan Blacklock’s Busy Again got second with Glamorous Ava being awarded third place for James and Ava McClelland and Mel for Les Reid and Ellie Napier taking fourth.
Sportsman, for Willie and Daphne Mark, was fifth and Cautious, the early leader, had to settle for sixth for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley. Winterfell was unplaced again so still not back to his usual self.
The win was Embrace’s fifth for Laura Steele, Andrew and Joel Bulman and Ian Rumney. He goes back to second place in the table alongside Huntsman’s Rebel and Winterfell and had been 3/1 as the race progressed.
Next to slip were the senior maidens with 26 and Ruby was the favourite but as they came onto the finish it was Joanna, Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrows’ Thorn Thunder who showed in front and maintained his lead to win.
Eagle Girl finished really strongly, coming from third place to take second ticket for the Neale and Bryden camp with Ruby, who had the early race lead, having to settle for third place for Isla and Stephen. Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Dusk finished well to take fourth place and then the Foxparke team took fifth and sixth with Foxparke Dealer and Foxparke Danny Elliot.
The open pups were next with the favourite Thornton, although after a strong sequence of seven wins on the trot, he seems to have gone off the boil slightly with his last placed ticket being over a week ago.
As they showed on the finish it was a good race between the three leading hounds but Thornton wasn’t among them. Countess Ava for James and Ava McClelland; Sonny Bill for Laura Steele, Andrew Bulman and Billy Birkett, and Blue Striker for Erin and Brian Rowlandson were battling it out.
In the end Countess Ava hung in well and just crossed the line in front of Sonny Bill while Blue Striker stayed on to take third place before a slight gap to fourth hound which was Thorn Soul for Martin, Molly, Teddy Burrows and Sarah Jackson. The favourite Thornton finished fifth while the last ticket was claimed by Tom and Ryan Bell’s Lassie.
James McClelland would be pleased with his little bitch as it is her first win for a while after such a good start to the season before struggling to find her winning ways again. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come and she might be just coming back into form for the Bitch produce Stakes next week. Again there was a good price on offer towards the end of the race – 3/1 for Countess Ava.
The last race of the day was the open restricted race with the biggest slip of 27 with Sarah Jane the favourite amongst the punters after winning the All In race at the look round trails earlier in the week.
As they crossed the road it was Huntsman’s Sparkle who was leading from Sarah Jane but as they came back on to the finish Sarah Jane had developed a nice lead and won easily for Nicola McMaster.
It was rather tighter for second and third with the verdict going to Foxparke Fair Lady for the Napier and Butler Kennel with the Bell’s Ron getting third place. In fourth place it was Foxparke Sidekick followed home by kennel mate Foxparke Honk Honk with the last ticket of the day going to the Hill’s Huntsman’s Sparkle who had been the early race leader. Sarah Jane had been odds on at 4/5.
July 6 – Festival of Hound Trailing at Kirkland Leaps
- Puppy Maidens – 1. Ben; 2. Baroness Ava; 3. Senorita; 4. Busy Lad; 5. Peggy Sue; 6. Apache Brave. 17 ran, time 21.42.
- Open Non Winner – 1. Eden Rosanna; 2. Zeta; 3. Thorn Star; 4. Maeve; 5. Baz; 6. Spring Remedy. 16 ran, time 22.33.
- Veterans – 1. Adele; 2. Miterdale Duchess; 3. Kinniside Jacko; 4. Crazy; 5. Monsoon; 6. Eagle Star. 18 ran, time 20.47.
- Seniors – 1. Embrace; 2. Busy Again; 3. Glamorous Ava; 4. Mel; 5. Sportsman; 6. Cautious. 13 ran, time 28.02.
- Maidens – 1. Thorn Thunder; 2. Eagle Girl ;3. Ruby; 4. Miterdale Dusk; 5. Foxparke Dealer; 6. Foxparke Danny. 26 ran, time 29.23.
- Pups – 1. Countess Ava; 2. Sonny Bill; 3. Blue Striker; 4. Thorn Soul; 5. Thornton; 6. Lassie. 11 ran, time 21.07.
- Open Restricted – 1. Sarah Jane; 2. Foxparke Fair Lady; 3. Ron; 4. Foxparke Sidekick; 5. Foxparke Honk Honk; 6. Huntsman’s Sparkle. 27 ran, time 19.34.
Copshaw Common Riding
- Pups – 1. Millie’s Lad; 2. Millie’s Lass; 3. Mister Mally; 4. Minnie Million; 5. Meadow Lane; 6. Castle Cairndhu. 8 ran, time 20.04.
