Thursday saw a return to both Fellside and Cock How for an exciting night of hound trailing as the season heads towards its climax.
Competition at the top of the Championship and points tables hots up as hounds try and maximise any running to gain wins and points across the various grades.
At Fellside the seniors were slipped first with a good field of 14 hounds and as they showed on the finish there were two with a slight lead. They were Sportsman and Embrace, both in good form at the moment who were fighting it out to the line.
In the end it was Willie and Daphne Mark’s Sportsman who just came away from Laura Steele, Andrew and Joel Bulman and Ian Rumney’s Embrace to win his third trail of the season.
Alan Blacklock’s Busy Again wasn’t too far behind in third place with the Dearham kennel of Joseph Abram and Nicola McMaster picking-up the next three tickets with Silver Dream, Rodney Raider and Silver Streak fourth, fifth and sixth.
It was good to see Rodney Raider back out indicating that he was sound after his recent run back from injury at Moss Peteral. He was slightly off the pace in fifth but with a few more runs he will be back to race fitness.
New table leader Huntsman’s Rebel had ran but finished seventh, perhaps a little tired after her impressive run at Buttermere on Tuesday night.
The pups were next to slip at Fellside with 19 runners, a good field given the number of trails recently.
Both the top two young hounds were running, Huntsman’s Time and Thornton but in the end neither were among the tickets.
As the hounds came back onto the finish it was a tight affair with six or seven dogs in with a chance of winning but it was Denise Bland and co’s Huntsman’s Trouble who came through to just get up to win with Come Fly With Me for the Chisholm family in second spot.
He certainly has come good over the last few weeks notching up several tickets and nearly his first win of the season.
Minnie Million for Joy and Brian Lister was third with Christine Brownlee’s Maeve finishing in fourth place. Malcolm Holme’s duo of Senor and Senorita finished in fifth and sixth.
The last race of the night at Fellside was the open restricted race with 15 runners and as they came onto the finish it was David Clifford’s Eden Romina who had a good lead but just before the line she slowed down and stopped and let Dream Catcher and Thorn Star pass her before she came in.
Dream Catcher for Joy and Brian Lister finished well and claimed first place with Thorn Star in second for Colin Satterthwaite. Eden Romina finally crossed the line in third place with Meadow Artisan for Paul Airey and Joanne Hodgson finishing in fourth.
There was a gap to fifth to Huntsman’s Delight for the Little family with Overwater Hunter for George Burgeon and Carol Logan taking the sixth ticket. The win for Dream Catcher moves her up to third place in the open restricted points competition.
At Cock How the number of runners were down slightly with the senior hounds getting things underway.
Connections of Mel would be looking to repeat her win from last time as she seems to like the venue and she is slowly catching the top three hounds in the senior championship.
Third in the championship table she is only two points behind Silver Dream and Rodney Raider and three points behind Huntsman’s Rebel.
As the eight runners slipped it was Mel who took up the lead and led for the majority, if not all, of the trail.
When she came back on to the finish she had a good 200 yards lead and was shouted in by new co-owner Ellie Napier. The win was her ninth of the season and moves her a step closer to the leading hounds.
Ron for Tom and Ryan Bell finished in second place with the Foxparke team taking third and fourth with Foxparke Side Kick and Foxparke Beep Beep. Eleanor’s Lass for Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm finished in fifth place with Hey Mac finishing in sixth for Neil and Gillian Brown.
The pups were next with seven runners and Baroness Ava was fancied for another win but as they showed on the finish it was Thorn Soul for the Burrows and Sarah Jackson team who had two or three length lead over the favourite Ava who couldn’t make any distance up as they approached the line. Thorn Soul was winning her fifth trail win of the season.
Blue Striker finished well in third place for Erin and Brain Rowlandson with Stephen Irving and Caroline Graham’s Zeta taking fourth. The much improved Good Enough for Graham Reid finished in fifth place with Delta Scroll for Sarah Harper and family taking sixth.
The open maidens were next with a slip of eight it would most likely be a Foxparke affair with the kennel having a large contingent of runners.
Once the hounds were back on the finish it was a case of which one of the first four Foxparke hounds would get the win.
Initially it looked as though it would be Foxparke Danny Elliot who would win but he was passed by his kennel mate, as though he was standing still, which allowed Foxparke Elliot’s Lad to win much to the delight of Ellie Napier.
Third and fourth tickets were claimed by Foxparke Whoosh and Foxparke Bugga Boo. The fifth ticket went to Mike Watson’s Persian Gold with little Off-Spring taking the sixth ticket for Stuart and Jacob Jeynes.
The last race of the night was for the Veterans which is another one of the points competitions and is proving exciting with the two top hounds only being separated by six points.
As they came back on the finish it was Denis Pear and Jackie Gill’s Miterdale Duchess who came with a lead and crossed in first place. Hot on her heels was Adele for Sarah Bell who finished in second place with Zola for Stephen Irving in third place.
Brian Graham’s Reebok finished in fourth place with Delta Script for Sarah Harper and family in fifth. The last ticket of the night went to Foxparke Parma Violet.
Just to note that quite a few of the hounds that ticketed at Cock How were from the same breeding line with Jenny’s Aura and Foxparke Billy Elliot being the dam and sire involving two litters over the last few years, a combination that obviously works.
Action moves to the weekend with trails taking place at Eskdale for the Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhound Puppy Show on the Saturday. They have five trails with the first one getting underway at 2.15pm.
Then on Sunday there will be the Michael Renney Memorial Trails which will take place at Millstone Moor with the first trail slipping at 2pm.
September 12 – Cock How
- Hounds – 1. Mel; 2. Ron; 3. Foxparke Side Kick; 4. Foxparke Beep Beep; 5. Eleanor’s Lass; 6. Hey Mac. 8 ran, time 30.21.
- Pups – 1. Thorn Soul; 2. Baroness Ava; 3. Blue Striker; 4. Zeta; 5. Good Enough; 6. Delta Scroll; 7 ran, time 22.20.
- Open Maidens – 1. Foxparke Elliot’s Lad; 2. Foxparke Danny Elliot; 3. Foxparke Whoosh; 4. Foxparke Bugga Boo; 5. Persian Gold; 6. Off-Spring. 8 ran, time 23.08.
- Veterans – 1. Miterdale Duchess; 2. Adele; 3. Zola; 4. Reebok; 5. Delta Script; 6. Foxparke Parma Violet. 6 ran, time 20.59.
Fellside
- Hounds – 1. Sportsman; 2. Embrace; 3. Busy Again; 4. Silver Dream; 5. Rodney Raider; 6. Silver Streak. 14 ran, time 27.02.
- Pups – 1. Huntsman’s Trouble; 2. Come Fly With Me; 3. Minnie Million; 4. Maeve; 5. Senor; 6. Senorita. 19 ran, time 21.01.
- ;Open Restricted – 1. Dream Catcher; 2. Thorn Star; 3. Eden Romina; 4. Meadow Artisan; 5. Huntsman’s Delight; 6. Overwater Hunter. 15 ran, time 20.37.
