Saturday saw a return to Shap with a four-race card and there was an excellent turnout for the senior race with 25 runners.
Denise Bland and co’s would be keen to close the gap with Huntsman’s Rebel on the two leading hounds in the championship.
As the hounds showed there were plenty of dogs in a long line heading into the finish. However, it wasn’t Huntsman’s Rebel who was leading it was Embrace for Laura Steele, Andrew and Joel Bulman and Ian Rumney who held on in the long run in to the tape to cross the line a length and a half in front of Sarah Jane for the Dearham kennel and Border Reign for Annabelle Connolly in third place.
Sportsman, for Willie and Daphne Mark, was close behind in fourth with Mel running on well for Les Reid and Ellie Napier into fifth. Huntsman’s Rebel showed in sixth but couldn’t make up any ground and crossed the line to claim the last tiis cket.
The win for Embrace was an indication that he fully recovered after his spell off much to the delight of Laura and Andrew. The win was his sixth of the season and moves him into joint third place in the championship table.
Next to run were the restricted hounds, and it was unusual to see this grade being run over the longer distance with 14 runners.
As they showed on the finish it was Cracking Last One Two, in front by a couple of lengths, who came in well to win for Bill and Pat Mellon and Tina and Robert Airey.
Lily finished well in second place for Barbara and Geoff Jones but she just couldn’t catch Cracking Last One Two.
Castle Callant finished in third place and then there was a gap to the fourth hound which was Eagle Love for Linda Neale and Mark, Josh and Georgia Bryden. Their other hound Eagle Rock finished in sixth with Christopher Henderson’s Shine On taking fifth place.
Next to slip were the open pups with 10 runners and the two table leaders were involved – Thornton and Huntsman’s Time – so it had the makings of a good race.
However as the hounds showed on the run in it was Huntsman’s Time who was just in front with five or six hounds in close pursuit. As they neared the line they spread out and any one could have come through to win.
Huntsman’s Time was still just in front a yard away from the line but the hounds have to navigate the rough finish. Last time it was the water they had to manage but this time it was the reeds and rough grass which just knocked Huntsman’s Time out of her stride and it was the big hound Apache Chief who powered through to take the win by half a length from the unlucky Huntsman’s Time.
It was close for third and fourth but Come Fly With Me for the Chisholm family just beat Thorn Heart for Colin Satterthwaite.
Senorita finished in fifth for Malcolm Holmes while Graham Reid’s Good Enough got up to take sixth ticket. The win for Debbie and Lana McGee’s Apache Chief was his third of the season but title challenger Thornton was unplaced.
The last race of the day was for the puppy maidens with a slip of 16. Again there were plenty of hounds on the finish when they showed but it was David Clifford’s Eden Rosanna who just got up to take the win from sibling Discover for the Lindsay Sisters, Kerry and Anna. Both hounds bred from the same litter, Sweet Harmony and Sir Robert.
Debbie and Lana McGee’s other hound Apache Brave finished well to take third ticket with Thorn Star for the Burrows taking fourth place. Senor, also out of Sweet Harmony by Sir Robert, finished in fifth place for Malcolm Holmes who had bred the litter.
Peggy Sue, for Gillian Bulman-Brown and Mickey O’Brien, finished in sixth place.
After a successful days trailing at Shap and the weather set fine, action moved to the annual Loweswater Show trails.
There was a good crown in attendance at the show but the number of hounds in the senior trail were down compared to normal with only four entered. Foxparke Beep Beep likes the course and was the 2/1 on favourite in the bookies ring.
As they came back in to view above the trail field Foxparke had established a good lead and was at least 30/40 seconds in front of the other hounds. Miterdale Honesty for Katie and Sophie Steele was in second place once they showed with Miterdale Duchess for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill in third place and Foxparke Honk Honk in fourth place.
As they climbed up the back fell Foxpake Beep Beep’s lead had reduced but she was still clear in front. Once on the long drop down into the bottoms she was still comfortably in front.
However, once they came through the gate on to the finish, she only had a few yards lead and Miterdale Honesty was finishing well. In the end Foxparke Beep Beep only won by a short head with Robyn, Ellie and Grace over the moon with the win.
There was a gap before Miterdale Duchess (third) and Foxparke Honk Honk (fourth) came in together.
Next to slip were the open pups with 10 runners out of which Minnie Million and Countess Ava were 2/1 in the bookies ring with Baroness Ava and Huntsman’s Trouble both at 5/2 and Thorn Soul was 4/1.
As they dropped in there were four or five together and once through the last gate it was a great race with Minnie Million finishing really well, coming away from the others to win comfortably from Thorn Soul in second place for Martin, Joanna, Molly and Teddy Burrows.
Blue Striker had improved and finished in third place for Erin and Brian Rowlandson with Huntsman’s Trust finishing in fourth place for Ruth and Daniel Graham. James and Ava McClelland had to make do with fifth and sixth place with both their Ava hounds having ran a good race.
The win for Brian and Joy Lister’s Minnie Million takes her to six for the season so far with more to come as she has matured and come on in leaps and bounds as the season has progressed.
Next were the puppy maidens with only five runners. As they went out of sight on the fell it was Foxparke Elliot’s Lass that was leading followed by kennel mate Foxparke Elliot’s Lad.
These two hounds were still in the lead as they started the drop down in to the bottoms with Maeve and Miterdale Ruler not too far behind.
As they came on the finish it was Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Ruler and Christine Brownlee’s Maeve who were in front with Miterdale Ruler just coming away to take the win with Maeve finishing in second place.
Foxparke Elliot’s Lass finished in third place with kennel mate Foxparke Elliot’s Lad stopping for a drink which let Sophie Steele’s other hound Miterdale Rumble through to take fourth with Foxparke Elliot’s Lad eventually finishing in fifth.
The last race of the day was the open restricted race with the biggest slip of 25 hounds.
Foxparke Fair Lady was the favourite with last time round winner of Overwater Eddie sitting at 5/2 and as they came on the finish it was two of the Foxparke kennel who were racing neck and neck.
Foxparke Fair Lady, known as Nellie, just got up by a short head to win from Foxparke Side Kick, also known as Spice. Both siblings are out of Jenny’s Aura by Foxparke Billy Elliot.
Stephen Riley and Isla Hetherington’s Ruby finished in third place just half a length behind the first two with Willie and Gillian Todd’s Trinket finishing in fourth. The Foxparke Team notched up another ticket with Foxparke Lady Ava in fifth place with Brian and Joy Lister’s other hound Dream Catcher finishing in sixth.
This coming week is action-packed with hound trailing events taking place every night in some part of the county and beyond.
Tuesday night sees a return to Lowick for the second in the series to be held there. Wednesday it’s back to Cold Fell for the last trail this season to be held there.
Thursday will feature Fellside for the second in the series and then on Friday its back to Cockhow.
There are more at the week-end – with Lowick Show and Benty Show on the Saturday then on the Sunday, Aspatria and Wigton Area are hosting trails at Sandale which will be the memorial trails for the late Dickie Smithson with all proceeds going to charity.
September 1 – Loweswater Show
- Hounds – 1. Foxparke Beep Beep; 2. Miterdale Honesty; 3. Miterdale Duchess; 4. Foxparke Honk Honk. 4 ran, time 32.40.
- Pups – 1. Minnie Million; 2. Thorn Soul; 3. Blue Striker; 4. Huntsman’s Trust; 5. Baroness Ava; 6. Countess Ava. 10 ran, time 19.50.
- Puppy Maiden – 1. Miterdale Ruler; 2. Maeve; 3. Foxparke Elliot’s Lass; 4. Miterdale Rumble; 5. Foxparke Elliot’s Lad, 5 ran, time 25.22.
- Open Restricted – 1. Foxparke Fair Lady; 2. Foxparke Side Kick; 3. Ruby; 4. Trinket; 5. Foxparke Lady Ava; 6. Dream Catcher. 25 ran, time 18.17.
August 31 – Shap
- Hounds – 1. Embrace; 2. Sarah Jane; 3. Border Reign; 4. Sportsman; 5. Mel; 6. Huntsman’s Rebel. 25 ran, time 30.50.
- Restricted Hound – 1. Cracking Last One Two; 2. Lily; 3. Castle Callant; 4. Eagle Love; 5. Shine On; 6. Eagle Rock. 14 ran, time 31.17.
- Pups – 1. Apache Chief; 2. Huntsman’s Time; 3. Come Fly With Me; 4. Thorn Heart; 5. Senorita; 6. Good Enough. 10 ran, time 19.26.
- Puppy Maiden – 1. Eden Rosanna; 2. Discover; 3. Apache Brave; 4. Thorn Star; 5. Senor; 6. Peggy Sue. 16 ran, time 19.14.
