Saturday’s HTA Premier trails at Uldale provided some entertaining races for a good-sized crowd.
The trails were hosted by the Aspatria and Wigton Area and were sponsored through a combination of donations from Holmen Iggesund, the Aspatria and Wigton Area and Oulton Supporters club.
The association would like to thank all those who sponsored the trails as well as the farmers and land owners for their continued support in allowing the trails to take place.
After some early rain the afternoon got out and it was a pleasant day’s trailing with a warm wind blowing. There was also a good turnout of just short of 130 hounds over the six races.
The senior hounds were first to race with a slip of 18. Table leader Rodney Raider was back out running after a fairly long absence and his Dearham kennel had four hounds in the race.
Their in-form Silver Dream was top of the bookies board followed by Rodney Raider then Sarah Jane. Lady Million was 2/1 with Mel also up there at 6/4.
As the hounds crossed the first set of roads there were reports coming in that a number of the hounds had ran on and missed the turn which took them up on to the back fells.
Then as the hounds showed again on the back fell there were two hounds with a lead. Punters were struggling to identify the hounds with some thinking it was Lady Million and Strawberry Mick, with others thinking that it might be Silver Streak.
Once down into the bottoms the hounds showed again as they started the run in and the same two hounds were still out in front.
By this time the hounds could clearly be identified as Lady Million who was out in front with several yards lead followed by Silver Streak who had been 8/1 in the bookies ring.
As they crossed the last road Lady Million was still in front but as they climbed up to the finish Silver Streak was catching her.
Just as they got to the line the pair were alongside each other and in a desperately tight finish it was Silver Streak who just got her nose in front as Lady Million turned her head to see what was coming.
The judge checked the camera several times before giving the verdict to Silver Streak. It was hard luck for Lady Million and Joy and Brian Lister.
There was gap to the third hound which was Foxparke Beep Beep, another hound which has had a break for a number of weeks so nice to see her back and ticketing. The Foxparke team were highly delighted with her performance.
In fourth place was Busy Again who is also running well at the moment with Alan Blacklock getting some additional help from daughter Carol.
In fifth place was Graham Reid’s Money Talks and in sixth it was Eleanor’s Lass for Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm.
The overall time for the race was six minutes longer than last year, perhaps a reflection of the warm windy conditions.
The win for Silver Streak is her second win of the season as she outran her other kennel mates, all of whom finished outside of the ticketing hounds.
Next to run were the senior maidens with a good slip of 26 taking part.
The hounds got underway and there were similar reports coming in from the first set of roads with hounds running on.
A small group had got away from the main pack and they continued on the course. As they showed on the back fell there were reports of two hounds being clear followed by another two hounds.
Once on the finish it was Summer Spirit for Willie and Daphne Mark who was in front with Thorn Thunder for Martin, Joanna, Molly and Teddy Burrows in pursuit.
As they climbed up to the finish Thorn Thunder couldn’t make-up any ground and Summer Spirit came away for an easy win.
Thorn Thunder ran on well and claimed second place but there was a gap to the next two hounds and it was Audacity and Black Legend for Lisa and Holly Whitfield and Susan Passon. Both hounds had ran a cracking race as Lisa was over the moon with how they had performed.
In fifth place was Clementine for Stanley and Carol Jackson, with Imagine for Joy and Brian Lister taking sixth ticket.
Once again, comparing times to last year, the race was a good eight minutes longer.
Minute’s silence for Dickie Smithson
Just before the trophies were presented the field held a minute’s silence in memory of Dickie Smithson who died midweek. Dickie was the chairman for Aspatria and Wigton Area and used to organise the trails in the area. It would have been his 93rd birthday today.
There were lots of conversations over the day among the crowd remembering Dickie and all his work he put into hound trailing for as long as he was able to do so. Lots of fond memories from everyone.
Dickie spent most of his adult life involved with hound trailing having been the chairman of the Aspatria and Wigton Area, chairman of the International Committee, member of the executive committee and a life member of the association.
A message from the Aspatria and Wigton Area had said: “He was a strong advocate of hound trailing and even in his nineties he was attending the AGM and the Executive Meeting which followed. Our thoughts are with his family. RIP Dickie.”
The open pups were up next and there was a slip of 16. All of the top three hounds were running, with Thornton and Huntsman’s Time being at the top of the bookies board.
As they showed on the back fell there were plenty of hounds still in with a chance. Huntsman’s Time and Sonny Bill appeared the most prominent hounds as they dropped out of sight.
As they came back into view there was still plenty of hounds, but as they crossed the last road and started to climb up it was Thorn Soul for Colin Satterthwaite who broke clear of the other hounds and crossed the line a couple of yards in front of Minnie Million. It was another hard luck story for Joy and Brian with their second second of the day.
Sonny Bill for Laura Steele, Andrew Bulman and Billy Birkett stayed on well to get third place with Millie’s Lass a close fourth place for George McGimpsey and Gillian and Millie Telford.
It was very tight for fifth and sixth place with the judge giving a dead heat between Thornton and Miterdale Rambler. Huntsman’s Time and Countess Ava were just outside the ticketing hounds.
Next to slip were the puppy maidens with 27 hounds and the one fancied the most by the bookies was Zeta with the price soon being wiped off.
Senor and Eden Rossana were at 3/1 followed by Busy Lad who was at 4/1.
As the hounds came back into view there were as five hounds with a lead. Zeta was among the hounds along with Huntsman’s Trust.
It was a good battle up the hill but it was Stephen Irving’s and Caroline Graham’s Zeta who held-on to cross the line in first place from a fast finishing Huntsman’s Trust for Daniel and Ruth Graham.
Huntsman’s Trust seems to be enjoying his holiday with them and he has certainly come on in the last few weeks.
In third place it was Sophie Steele and Co’s Miterdale Rumble followed closely by Christine Brownlee’s Maeve.
Apache Brave finished in fifth place for Debbie and Lana McGee with Sophie’s other hound Miterdale Ruler taking the sixth ticket.
The win for Zeta now takes her to joint first place alongside Ben and Thorn Heart all on seventeen points in the Puppy Maiden points competition.
The open restricted were off next with a slip of 29 and Sportsman was evens with the bookies with Huntsman’s Sparkle at 2/1 and Croft Lass at 4/1. Again it was a good finish with plenty of hounds in with a chance but it was Ian Donaldson’s Huntsman’s Quartz who came away to win with Foxparke Honk Honk a very close second.
They also bagged third, fourth and sixth with Foxparke Side Kick, Foxparke Fair Lady and Foxparke Sassy Girl making it a good result for them although they just missed out on first place.
Croft Lass took the fifth ticket for Stanley and Carol Jackson.
Huntsman’s Sparkle should have got a ticket but decided not to cross the line and lay down a couple of yards from the line eventually crossing the line but too late to get a ticket.
At last year’s October trails, which were held in the same place, she did a similar thing when coming with a lead but decided not to cross the line.
The last race of the day was the veteran race with a slip of 16 runners.
Adele was the odds-on favourite with Reebok sitting at 6/4, Miterdale Duchess 3/1 and Hunter’s Flame 4/1.
As the hounds showed on the back fell one hound had gained a lead. Punters were speculating as to what it could be with some having it as Hunter’s Flame and others not so sure.
When they came over the hill to drop down to the last road it was clear that it was actually Reebok who still had a good lead and he went on to cross the line well in front of the others.
Miterdale Duchess for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill finished well in second place, with their other hound Hawkswood finishing in third place.
The Foxparke team of Robyn, Ellie, and Grace Napier and Brook Butler bagged the fourth ticket with Foxparke Parma Violet.
Stephen Irving gained another ticket with his hound Zola in fifth with the last ticket of the day going to Howgill Meg for Iain Bell from Kendal.
Miterdale Duchess is now just two points behind Adele in the veteran points competition with Adele not ticketing.
All in all it had been a good afternoon for the hounds and punters. A few unexpected results but that makes a nice change for a wider group of people to get a look in.
Trailing returns to the same area on Monday night with the second fixture to take place at Calebreak with a three race card. The first race starts at 6pm.
Then on Tuesday action moves south to Rusland with the first of a series of three trails there with the Rusland Show taking place on the following Saturday.
It’s a busy week as there’s a meeting at Redmain on Wednesday and then the annual Rydal Show on the Thursday.
All the details are on the hound trailing association website at houndtrailingassociation.com
August 10 – Premier Trails, Uldale
- Hounds – 1. Silver Streak; 2. Lady Million; 3. Foxparke Beep Beep; 4. Busy Again; 5. Money Talks; 6. Eleanor’s Lass. 18 ran, time 33.05.
- Maidens – 1. Summer Spirit; 2. Thorn Thunder; 3. Audacity; 4. Black Edition; 5. Clementine; 6. Imagine. 26 ran, time 38.42.
- Pups – 1. Thorn Soul; 2. Minnie Million; 3. Sonny Bill; 4 Millie’s Lass; 5. Dead Heat Thornton and Miterdale Rambler. 16 ran, time 24.59.
- Puppy Maiden – 1. Zeta; 2. Huntsman’s Trust; 3. Miterdale Rumble; 4. Maeve; 5. Apache Brave; 6. Miterdale Ruler. 27 ran, time 27.22.
- Open Restricted – 1. Huntsman’s Quartz; 2. Foxparke Honk Honk; 3. Foxparke Side Kick; 4. Foxparke Fair Lady; 5. Croft Lass; 6. Foxparke Sassy Girl. 29 ran, time 22.10.
- Veterans – 1. Reebok; 2. Miterdale Duchess; 3. Hawkswood; 4. Foxparke Parma Violet; 5. Zola; 6. Howgill Meg. 12 ran, time 24.57.
