Last night saw a return to Cold Fell where there was a good turnout of hounds and the weather was nice for a change.
That was good because any money made on the night would go towards supporting national and local cancer charities.
The senior hounds got things off to a start with a slip of 20 but there was still no sign of Rodney Raider, the Championship leader although the other top hounds were running. Winterfell, Huntsman’s Rebel and Cautious all have a good record round the course.
Winterfell and Huntsman’s Rebel have been slightly off the boil of late but Cautious has been running well for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley, must be all those Custard Creams she gets from Isla.
As they went through it was Cautious and Huntsman’s Rebel who were heading up the race. As they came back onto the finish they hadn’t changed and it was Cautious who crossed the line in first place for Isla and Stephen taking her senior wins to four.
Huntsman’s Rebel had to settle for second place but it’s good to see her back out running again.
Strawberry Mick for Graham Reid finished well in third place with Lady Million hard on his heels for Joy and Brian Lister in fourth. Winterfell ran a solid race to finish in fifth place for Barry Laidler and Caroline Clough with Sarah Bell’s Adele stepping back up to the long race and claiming sixth ticket.
The open pups were next and it would prove to be a good race as Huntsman’s Time was back out running along with the in-form Thornton who is slowly but surely catching her in the championship table.
Competition would come from the local hound Countess Ava and Blue Striker. Thornton was the odds-on favourite in the bookies ring followed by Huntsman’s Time and Countess Ava.
As they came back onto the finish it was a tight race between Thornton and Countess Ava with Thornton just proving to be the stronger finish cross the line a length or so in front.
The win for Darren McMaster, Anthony Skelton and Sadie Wilson’s hound takes him to 13 now just one point behind the current table leader Huntsman’s Time.
Snowfell stayed on well to claim third place for Barry Ladler and Caroline Clough with Huntsman’s Time having to settle for fourth place. Blue Striker for Erin and Brian Rowlandson wasn’t too far behind in fifth place with the last ticket of the race going to Gillian Bulman- Brown and Mickey O’ Brien’s Peggy Sue.
The open maidens were next to slip with a good turnout of 29 hounds. It was an open race and as they showed on the finish three hounds had established a slight lead and it was the Foxparke team who just got up to take the win by a short head with Foxparke Elliot’s Lad who has been steadily improving over the last few weeks.
When he dropped in he was only fifth and then moved up to third before coming through and crossing the line in first place.
Hey Mac for Neil Brown, Gillian Bulman-Brown, Derek and Joel Bulman had to make do with second place, with Carole and Stanley Jackson’s Clementine close behind in third.
David Clifford’s Eden Romina finished in fourth place boosting his points in the open maiden competition with Joy and Brian Lister’s Imagine taking fifth place.
Meadow Maggie, also an improving hound, finished in sixth place for Paul Airey and Joanne Hodgson. The open maiden race was actually faster than the open pups race.
The last race of the night was the open restricted race with a smaller slip of 14 hounds. Charisma was out again after her win on Monday night and was the favourite in the bookies ring followed by Ron and Huntsman’s Sparkle.
As they came on the finish it was Ron for Ryan and Tom Bell and Huntsman’s Sparkle who were together. However as they came to the line Huntsman’s Sparkle veered off right and went behind the judges which perhaps cost her the race. If she had come straight it would have been a much tighter affair.
The win for Ron takes him closer to the current leader Thorn Pop in the open restricted points competition but there is still a gap of fourteen points. Milo Moon was third with Huntsman’s Quartz in fourth place.
Ruby for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley was fifth and the favourite Charisma claimed the last ticket of the night. The open restricted race being the faster race of the night.
July 17 – Cold Fell
- Hounds – 1. Cautious; 2. Huntsman’s Rebel; 3. Strawberry Mick; 4. Lady Million; 5. Winterfell; 6. Adele. 20 ran, time 32.15.
- Pups – 1. Thornton; 2. Countess Ava; 3. Snowfell; 4. Huntsman’s Time; 5. Blue Striker; 6. Peggy Sue. 32 ran, time 20.17.
- Open Maidens – 1. Foxparke Elliot’s Lad; 2. Hey Mac; 3. Clementine; 4. Eden Romina; 5. Imagine; 6. Meadow Maggie. 29 ran, time 19.57.
- Open Restricted – 1. Ron; 2. Huntsman’s Sparkle; 3. Milo Moon; 4. Huntsman’s Quartz; 5. Ruby; 6. Charisma. 14 ran, time 18.45
