Monday night saw the look-round trails take place for the hounds who might decide to run at Grasmere Sports.
The event on August 25 hosts four trails and show cases the sport to the wider public. The organisers of the Sports are keen supporters of hound trailing and keen to help traditional sports such as hound trailing continue.
This is the second year the HTA have worked closely with the organisers to make sure the event goes well and the sport has the chance to showcase itself to a much wider audience.
The look round event was to help the dogs get familiar with the trail and to have an idea of what it will be like coming into the main arena on the big day.
Monday night saw torrential rain and low-lying mist which caused major problems for the trailers for the senior trail to the extent that it had to be cancelled despite the valiant efforts of the trailers to find their way round in the mist.
However the evening improved slightly, although still very wet, but the mist did lift a little which allowed the puppy trailers to navigate the course and so the youngsters were slipped.
There were 15 runners with Huntsman’s Time the odds on favourite given that it is her kind of running, although the evening was quite unpleasant for the spectators and owners it was ideal for the hounds.
As a trail you spectators don’t see much of the hounds until they show again at the top of the fell and even this was limited. The pups seemed to be a long time before they were eventually heard as they came down the fell side.
Soon they were in view and it was a good race with four or five hounds coming together. Three just got a few yards lead as they crossed the main road and came into the main arena to finish.
The three hounds leading were Huntsman’s Time, Countess Ava and Snowfell and it was the Championship table leader who just managed to hold on for Denise and jenny Bland, Greame Little and Lisa Crosby to win.
Countess Ava, for James and Ava McClelland, finished well in second, with Snowfell just half a length behind for Barry Laidler and Caroline Clough.
Huntsman’s Trust finished in fourth place and seems to be enjoying his holiday with Ruth and Daniel Graham. Miterdale Ruler for Sophie Steele and Co finished in fifth place with Classmate for Barry and Caroline taking sixth ticket.
Countess Ava and Snowfell had been 2/1 with Huntsman’s Trouble and Baroness Ava both at 4/1. The win for Huntsman’s Time takes her to two points clear in the championship but Thornton will no doubt be chasing the lead down over the next few days.
With the rain not letting up and the night closing in the open restricted hounds were slipped with 15 again.
As the hounds dropped in again could hear them before you saw them and once across the road it was Miterdale Dusk who crossed the line with a few yards to spare for Sophie Steele and her team with Carole and Stanley Jackson’s Charisma finishing in second place.
Christine Brownlee’s Malia ran a good race to finish in third place with the Steele team taking fourth ticket with Miterdale Honesty. Stanley and Carole did well with Clementine who finished in fifth place with the last ticket of the night going to Denise Bland’s Missriff.
The open restricted hounds had ran a much faster race and had knocked just over five minutes off the puppy time but all the hounds were in and everyone was keen to get home just as the evening was starting to brighten up.
Overwater Eddie had been the favourite in the open restricted race but was just out of the tickets. Miterdale Dusk had been 6/4 with kennel mate Miterdale Honesty at 5/2 along with Charisma.
Action moves to Cold Fell on Wednesday night with a four race card and hopefully the weather will have improved with the first trail starting at 6pm.
August 5 – Grasmere
Hounds – Cancelled due to the weather conditions
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Time; 2. Countess Ava; 3. Snowfell; 4. Huntsman’s Trust; 5. Miterdale Ruler; 6. Classmate. 15 ran, time 27.10.
- Open Restricted – 1. Miterdale Dusk; 2. Charisma; 3. Malia; 4. Miterdale Honesty; 5. Clementine; 6. Misriff.15 ran, time 21.30.
