Saturday saw the annual trip out to the Eskdale Show where they hosted five hound trails.
The course was the same one which had previously been used for the Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhound Puppy Show a couple of weeks ago so those who had ran there would have some knowledge of the course which can sometimes help.
Winners last time round included Cautious in the senior hounds; Thorn Thunder in the Maidens; there was a dead heat for the puppy race between Countess Ava and Baroness Ava with Foxparke Sassy Girl winning the Open Restricted race and Kinniside Dan taking the veterans race.
The senior hounds were slipped first with a small field of eight and the favourite had to be Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley’s Cautious after her performance last time round.
However. out on the trail it was Graham Reid’s Money Talk’s who was leading the race. He was in front when they crossed the first road and had a nice lead. He was able to maintain this lead as he completed the trail and came in to win nicely.
Any sharp-eyed punter would have realized that he must like the course as he won the same trail last year as a pup. Ellie Napier gave Graham a hand to shout the dog in. Cautious ran well and finished in second place but it just wasn’t to be her day.
Foxparke Honk Honk for the Napier and Butler kennel finished in third place with Huntsman’s Quartz in fourth for Ian Donaldson with local hound Miterdale Honesty in fifth place for Sophie and Katie Steele. The last ticket went to Christine Brownlee’s Malia.
Title contender Huntsman’s Rebel was running, but she hasn’t ran there before and finished outside of the ticketing hounds.
The breeding line of Foxparke Billy Elliot and Jenny’s Aura shone again in relation to Money Talks.
Next to slip were the senior maidens with eight setting off with Geoff Higgins, Tony Jackson and Ian Rudd running their duo of Luckie Lottie and Lucky Moon. Over recent weeks they have been picking up a few tickets so they were looking to feature again.
The Napier and Butler kennel also had a few hounds running and they also have improved over recent weeks and were expecting to be in contention. The kennel always does well at the local shows and must have a wall full of rosettes.
As the hounds dropped in it was Foxparke Danny Elliot who was in front of kennel mate Foxparke Dealer but Dealer is the better finisher and she came through to win by a short margin from Geoff Higgins, Tony Jackson and Ian Rudds duo of Luckie Lottie and Lucky Moon.
Foxparke Danny Elliot finished in fourth place with Green Queen for Denise Bland and the Green family in fifth. Ruby for Isla Hetherington and Stephen Riley took sixth place.
The open pups were next with a slip of 11 and last time round resulted in a dead heat between James and Ava McClelland’s two hounds Baroness Ava and Countess Ava.
After the hounds were slipped the reports were coming in that it was Blue Striker who was heading up the race but would he be able to hold on to the finishing line.
As they came through the last gate he was still in front of his sister but the fast finishing Countess Ava just came past him to take the win. Blue Striker as again not to win for Erin and Brian Rowlandson. Both Countess Ava and Blue Striker were out of the same litter Spring Rascal and General James.
Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Rambler finished in third place with Baroness Ava taking fourth place. Sophie also got fifth place with Miterdale Rumble with Daniel and Ruth Graham’s Huntsman’s Trust taking sixth.
The open restricted race was next with 13 runners. Once again there was a strong contingency of Foxparke’s running. As they dropped down it was Foxparke Sidekick, who has been ticketing recently, that led from Julie Birkinshaw’s Bretton.
When they came through the last gate Foxparke Sidekick had maintained the lead and won nicely from Bretton in second place. Ian Fleet and Jayne Petersen’s Chapel Stile ran on well to finish in third place with the Foxparke team bagging another two rosettes with Foxparke Sassy Girl and Foxparke Lady Ava taking fourth and fifth.Little Off-Spring claimed the sixth ticket for Jacob and Stuart Jeynes.
The last race of the day was the Veterans with a slip of nine runners. Last time round it was Kinniside Dan who took the honours and he was in the line-up again.
When they came down the fell he was in front with kennel mate Kinniside Jacko in close pursuit. Once onto the finish and through the gate it was still neck and neck between the two hounds, and on the line it was difficult to part them. It ended up being a dead heat between the two hounds.
Miterdale Duchess for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill just got up to beat Adele for Sarah Bell with Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm’s Reebok claiming fifth ticket. Stephen Irving’s Zola took the last ticket of the day.
There were no major changes at the top of the Championship tables and the points competitions. Foxparke Side Kick’s win moves her into to second place and just eleven points behind Christine Brownlee’s Malia.
Foxparke Dealer moves up in to fourth place in the Senior Maiden point’s competition but is some way off current leader Ruby who has thirty five points but there is still a few senior maiden races left to run as the season draws to a close.
In the veterans Miterdale Duchess has extended her lead over Adele in second place and has an eleven point lead at the moment.
Action moves to Carret Rigg which provides open running for the hounds and its likely that the Dearham kennel of Joseph Abram and Nicola McMaster will be out in force not having ran on Saturday.
With Huntsman’s Rebel failing to ticket at Eskdale they will be looking to take advantage and to pull away with a win for either Silver Dream or Rodney Raider if running. Both Huntsman’s Time and Thornton didn’t run at Eskdale so may be out at Carret Rigg and going head to head.
September 28 – Eskdale Show ;
Hounds – 1. Money Talks; 2. Cautious; 3. Foxparke Honk Honk; 4. Huntsman’s Quartz 5. Miterdale Honesty; 6. Malia. 8 ran, time 26.31.
Maidens – 1. Foxparke Dealer; 2. Lucky Lottie; 3. Lucky Moon; 4. Foxparke Danny Elliot; 5. Green Queen; 6. Ruby. 8 ran, time 28.49.
Pups – 1. Countess Ava; 2. Blue Striker; 3. Miterdale Rambler; 4. Baroness Ava; 5. Miterdale Rumble; 6. Huntsman’s Trust. 11 ran, time 20.53.
Open Restricted – 1. Foxparke Side Kick; 2. Bretton; 3. Chapel Stile; 4. Foxparke Sassy Girl; 5. Foxparke Lady Ava; 6. Off Spring. 13 ran, time 19.29.
Veterans – 1. Dead Heat – Kinniside Jacko and Kinniside Dan; 3. Miterdale Duchess; 4. Adele; 5. Reebok; 6. Zola. 9 ran, time 19.37.
