Wednesday night saw the last of the trails for this year at Cold Fell for 2024 and they have been a successful series of meetings.
The Cold Fell trails, as well as hosting the Whitehaven Classic, have been well supported and have raised money for local and national cancer charities. So well done to everyone for supporting them over the season.
The senior hounds got underway with a reasonably good slip of 15 with the favourite Mel and Foxparke Beep Beep both running well at the moment.
Mel won last time round the venue and it seems to be one of her favourite running places.
Outside on the trail reports were coming in that it was Mel who was dominating the race and was followed by Foxparke Fair Lady, Foxparke Beep Beep and Croft Lass.
As they returned and onto the finish it was Mel for Ellie Napier and Les Reid who was clear and won comfortably from Croft Lass who had made some ground up on the second half of the trail for Carole and Stanley Jackson.
Strawberry Mick for Graham Reid finished well in third place with Foxparke Beep Beep taking fourth. Graham’s other hound Money Talks finished in fifth with Foxparke Fair Lady back in sixth place for the Napier kennel.
The win for Mel was her seventh of the season and she is now second in the Championship table with Huntsman’s Rebel, Silver Dream and Rodney Raider all on ten points.
It’s worth noting, too, that Mel, Croft Lass, Money Talks and Foxparke Fair Lady are all out of the same litter of Jenny’s Aura and Foxparke Billy Elliot.
Next to slip were the open pups with thirteen involved and Thornton was back out with connections looking to make-up ground on Huntsman’s Time who had onle been second at Lowick the night before.
As the hounds went through it was a good race with the lead changing several times. Onto the finish and it was Denise Bland and Co’s Huntsman’s Trouble, Erin and Brian Rowlandson’s Blue Striker and Debbie and Lana McGee’s Apache Chief who were altogether.
But it was Huntsman’s Trouble who just gained a few yards and crossed the line in first place, led home by Ellie Napier who was slipping and catching the hound for Denise.
Apache Chief just got up in the last stride to take second place from Blue Striker. Just slightly off the pace was Thornton who finished in fourth place for Darren McMaster, Anthony Skelton and Sadie Wilson.
Good Enough for Graham Reid finished in fifth place, a little dog that is starting to mature and come good with Countess Ava for James and Ava McClelland in sixth.
Huntsman’s Trouble claimed her fourth win of the season and seems to be coming into her own having been overshadowed by kennel mate Huntsman’s Time for much of the season.
The last race of the night, and for the season at Cold Fell, was for the open maidens. There was a good slip of 19 hounds with Lucky Moon for Tony Jackson and Ian Rudd running and Castle Callant for Marti Borthwick and Co both looking to get tickets again following their success last time round.
As they showed on the finish it was a good race with a number of dogs in with a chance of winning but it was Tania Satterthwaite’s Paddy The Plasterer who just got up by a short head to win from Lucky Moon in second.
Foxparke Dealer for Robyn, Ellie, Grace Napier and Brooke Butler took third ticket, with Martie’s Castle Callant in fourth place. Jenny Horn’s Spring Remedy wasn’t too far back and claimed fifth place with Foxparke Danny Elliot raking sixth.
Trailing moves to Fellside again tonight with three races, starting at 5.30pm.
September 4 – Cold Fell
- Hounds – 1. Mel; 2. Croft Lass; 3. Strawberry Mick; 4. Foxparke Beep Beep; 5. Money Talks; 6. Foxparke Fair Lady. 15 ran, time 29.42.
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Trouble; 2. Apache Chief; 3. Blue Striker; 4. Thornton; 5. Good Enough; 6. Countess Ava. 13 ran, time 19.43.
- Open Maiden – 1. Paddy The Plasterer; 2. Lucky Moon; 3. Foxparke Dealer; 4. Castle Callant; 5. Spring Remedy; 6. Foxparke Danny Elliot. 19 ran, time 19.28.
