Saturday featured the annual Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhound Puppy Show where they hosted five hound trails.
The seniors were first to slip with a smaller than usual field of eight hounds and by the time they had got to the first road Cautious had established a slight lead from the rest of the group.
Once back on the finish it was Huntsman’s Quartz and Cautious who were on their own and for a moment it looked like Huntsman’s Quartz for Ian Donaldson was going to win.
But swapping sides proved crucial and Cautious was able to come through and win for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley with no more than a head in it.
Money Talks for Graham Reid finished in third place followed eventually by Foxparke Honk Honk in fourth with Sophie Steele’s Kinniside Bobby claiming fifth ticket.
Katie Steele’s Miterdale Honesty took sixth while the win for Cautious was her sixth of the season.
Next to race were the senior maidens with a slip of 12 and outside it was a competitive race.
However, once back on the finish three hounds came clear of the rest and they battled it out all the way to the line.
In the end Thorn Thunder came through the strongest from third place to win for the Burrow’s family with Foxparke Parma Violet finishing a close second for Robyn, Ellie, Grace Napier and Brooke Butler.
Ruby was a close third for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley.
Geoff Higgins, Tony Jackson and Ian Rudd’s Lucky Moon and Lucky Lottie finished in fourth and fifth places with Eagle Rock in sixth.
Third place for Ruby extends her lead in the maiden points competition but the win for Thorn Thunder moves her into contention now, just nine points behind the leader.
The open pups were next with a slip of ten runners and as they showed on the finish it was a cracking race with three hounds virtually crossing the line together.
After consulting the camera a dead heat was given between Baroness Ava and Countess Ava, both for James and Ava McClelland, with Blue Striker unlucky again in a tight finish and only managing third place for Erin and Brian Rowlandson.
Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Rumble finished close behind in fourth place with Malcolm Holmes’ Senorita in fifth. Sophie’s other hound Miterdale Ruler took the sixth ticket.
The open restricted race was next with nine runners. Again it was an exciting finish with two dogs leading but it was Foxparke Sassy Girl who finished the stronger of the two for Robyn, Ellie and Grace Napier and Brooke Butler.
She beat Chapel Stile into second place for Ian Fleet and Jayne Petersen.
The Lyon family’s Black Eyed Shadow finished well to take third place with the Foxparke Team bagging another ticket with Foxparke Fair Lady.
The old faithful Kirkhead Rebel took fifth for Sophie Steele and Roy Laidler with the sixth ticket going to Eleanor’s Lass for Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm.
The last race of the day was for the veterans race and with things hotting up in the points competition it was all to play for.
However, when they came onto the finish it was Tony Jackson and Ian Rudd’s Kinniside Dan who came on his own to win followed by Foxparke Jiggly Puff in second.
Kennel mate to the winner, Kinniside Jacko finished in third place with the fourth ticket going to Miterdale Duchess for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill.
Those were important three points for her to extend her lead further in the points competition.
Brian Graham’s Reebok finished in fifth with Stephen Irving’s Zola in sixth place.
Action moved to Millstone Moor on Sunday for the Michael Renney Memorial trails with his family in attendance.
With none of the leading championship hounds having ran on Saturday the respective connections were looking to take each other on and pick up a valuable point.
The seniors were first to get things underway with a slip of nine runners and table leader Huntsman’s Rebel was back out looking slightly more interested on the line than she did at Buttermere.
Rivals Silver Dream and Silver Streak were both running for the Dearham kennel of Joseph Abram and Nicola McMaster so although the field was only small there were plenty of good hounds capable of upsetting the fancied runners.
There was no Rodney Raider after his recent return to the trail field so hopefully he was just resting and remains sound for the rest of the season.
As the hounds headed down towards Bridekirk it was Strawberry Mick who was leading. He has certainly improved over these last few weeks and is the in-form hound.
Huntsman’s Rebel was only fifth as they went out of sight and once back on the long climb in, there was a group of four hounds together.
As they battled up the hill to the finish it was Cracking Last One Two who just came away to cross the line in first place for Bill and Pat Mellon, Robert and Tina Airey much to the team’s delight having also had a bet on her to win. The little bitch likes the trail and won a few trails as a pup there.
Not far behind was Strawberry Mick having ran a great race with Silver Dream in third and Silver Streak in fourth for the Dearham kennel.
Foxparke Beep Beep ran a good race to finish in fifth place, given that it isn’t really one of her favourite places to run, with Croft Lass for Carol and Stanley Jackson finishing in sixth place.
Huntsman’s Rebel had dropped back to finish in seventh place.
There was a good slip of 18 pups and again it was a good quality field of hounds with both Huntsman’s Time and Thornton running.
As they crossed at Bridekirk, Thornton was seventh with Huntsman’s Time just behind him. Minnie Million was fourth with Huntsman’s Trouble and Thorn Soul heading the race.
Once on the finish there were four hounds together but just in the last hundred yards two came away with Minnie Million just getting the better of Huntsman’s Trouble to win by a neck for Joy and Brian Lister. The little hound can certainly finish.
Thornton ran on well to take third place for Darren McMaster, Anthony Skelton and Sadie Wilson.
The Burrow’s Thorn Soul was close behind in fourth place with Millie’s Lass in fifth for George McGimpsey and Gillian and Millie Telford with James and Ava McClelland’s Baroness Ava finishing in sixth place having doubled up from Saturday at Eskdale.
Next to slip with 17 runners were the open maidens, and as they crossed Bridekirk lonning they were already well spread out.
But it was Hey Mac for Neil and Gillian Brown who was leading, followed by Eden Romina.
Once on the finish it was the same two in front and Hey Mac finished well to came away from David Clifford’s Eden Romina.
David was happy to finish in second place as it added another five points to her tally this season and extended her lead further in the open maiden points competition.
Thorn Heart ran on well for Colin Satterthwaite to finish in third place with Inspect in fourth.
Peggy Sue, Gillian Bulman-Brown’s other dog, finished in fifth place with Paul Airey and Joanne Hodgson’s Meadow Artisan taking the sixth ticket.
The last race of the day was for the open restricted with only six runners so if everyone got round they would all get a ticket.
As they crossed Bridekirk lonning it was Foxparke Side Kick who was leading the race running alongside Milo Moon.
Once back on the finish Foxparke Side Kick had extended her lead and crossed the line to win nicely with Milo Moon in second place for Tracey Hill.
Carol and Stanley Jackson’s Charisma finished well in third place with Ian Fleet and Jayne Petersen’s High Crag taking fourth ticket.
Alan O’Fee’s Barncroft Express finished in fifth place with Flightline taking the last ticket of the day for Sarah White and Ashley Horn.
It’s a slightly quieter week as trailing resumes at Moss Peteral on Tuesday. with a three-race card followed by a return to Millstone Moor on Thursday for a three-race meeting.
September 14 – Eskdale and Ennerdale
- Hounds – 1. Cautious; 2. Huntsman’s Quartz; 3. Money Talks; 4. Foxparke Honk Honk; 5. Kinniside Bobby; 6. Miterdale Honesty. 8 ran, time 29.52.
- Maidens – 1. Thorn Thunder; 2. Foxparke Parma Violet; 3. Ruby; 4. Lucky Moon; 5. Lucky Lottie; 6. Eagle Rock. 12 ran, time 32.50.
- Pups – 1. Dead Heat – Baronness Ava and Countess Ava; 3. Blue Striker; 4. Miterdale Rumble; 5. Senorita; 6. Miterdale Ruler. 10 ran, time 24.19.
- Open Restricted – 1. Foxparke Sassy Girl; 2. Chapel Stile; 3. Black Eyed Shadow; 4. Foxparke Fair Lady; 5. Kirkhead Rebel; 6. Eleanor’s Lass. 9 ran, time 21.32.
- Veterans – 1. Kinniside Dan; 2. Foxparke Jiggly Puff; 3. Kinniside Jacko; 4. Miterdale Duchess; 5. Reebok; 6. Zola. 10 ran, time 22.08.
September 15 – Millstone Moor
- Hounds – 1. Cracking Last One Two; 2. Strawberry Mick; 3. Silver Dream; 4. Silver Streak; 5. Foxparke Beep Beep; 6. Croft Lass. 9 ran, time 26.12.
- Pups – 1. Minnie Million; 2. Huntsman’s Trouble; 3. Thornton; 4. Thorn Soul; 5. Millie’s Lass; 6. Baroness Ava. 18 ran, time 18.02.
- Open Maidens – 1. Hey Mac; 2. Eden Romina; 3. Thorn Heart; 4. Inspect; 5. Peggy Sue; 6. Meadow Artisan. 17 ran, time 17.34.
- Open Restricted – 1. Foxparke Side Kick; 2. Milo Moon; 3. Charisma; 4. High Crag; 5. Barncroft Express; 6. Flightline. 6 ran, time 17.46.
