Ambleside Sports take hosted five hound trails and with prize money set at over £800, it can be an attractive proposition for the owners.
The running can be a bit tricky but nevertheless 50 hounds contested the trails.
The senior hounds only had a field of eight hounds with Miterdale Duchess for Denis Pear and Jackie Gill and Huntsman’s Quantum for Jim, Alan and Adrian Little at the top of the bookies board as the most fancied pair.
Early reports were that Huntsman’s Quantum had a small lead from Countess Ava for James and Ava McClellan. However when they showed to drop in it was Miterdale Dusk for Sophie Steele who was leading followed by Countess Ava then Eleanor’s Lass for Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm.
When they dropped in, Countess Ava finished well to win, with Miterdale Dusk finishing in second place and James and Ava’s other hound, Baroness Ava, taking third place.
Eleanor’s Lass had to settle for fourth place with Miterdale Duchess finishing in fifth and Huntsman’s Quantum taking the last ticket.
The senior maidens had a slip of 10 and Reebok was favourite.
Once slipped, it was Stephen Riley and Isla Hetherington’s Ruby and Robyn, Ellie, Grace, Nicola Napier and Brook Butler’s Foxparke Dealer who went on.
However once on the finish it was the favourite for Brian Graham who was clear and won easily from Sophie Steele and Zack and Jake Green’s Miterdale Green Queen.
Geoff Higgin’s Lucky Moon finished in third with Christine Brownlee’s Maeve in fourth place followed by Foxparke Majesty and Foxparke Dealer who took fifth and sixth tickets for the Napier Kennel.
The pups had a field seven and Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Wow was sent off as the favourite.
There’s limited viewing of the hounds now due to recent changes to the trail to accommodate a newly erected deer fence so spectators didn’t see the hounds until they came back onto the finish.
When they showed it was Let It Be for Ruth and Charlie Dixon who had a good lead and who came away to win, followed in by the favourite Miterdale Wow in second place.
Then came Zoya and Zaya for Stephen Irving and Caroline Graham in third and fourth. Zaya was completing her first trail for a while and after managing to get a ticket they would be very pleased after she had showed a lot of promise early on in her career.
Foxparke Oink Oink took fifth place for the Napier’s and the last ticket went to Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s I Am It.
The puppy maidens had a slip of eight runners with Jenny’s Chance the favourite but when they showed on the finish it was the Foxparke kennel, who had been knocking on the door in the other races, which came good.
Foxparke Pip Pip beat Foxparke Cheese and Beans while the favourite Jenny’s Chance for Denise and Jenny Bland had to settle for third place.
Laura Steele and Andrew Bulman and Gary Woodend’s Affirmation ran a good race to take fourth place with Denton Adonis for the Wall family taking fifth ticket as the only other hound to finish.
The last race of the day was the open restricted with 17 runners.
Bretton for Julie Birkenshaw was sent off as the favourite, but once they showed on the finish there were five hounds together and all in with a chance to win.
In the end it was Brian Graham and Eleanor and Oliver Chisholm’s Young Harry who pulled away by a yard to take the win with Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Let’s Go For It a close second.
Black Eyed Shadow for John Lyon finished well in third with Sophie Steele’s Kinniside Bobby in fourth. Christine Brownlee’s Malia was also in contention and finished in fifth place.
The remaining hounds came in a group but it was Sophie Steele’s Miterdale Rambler who crossed the line first to take sixth place.
Given the extra work that had to be done regarding setting a new trail Roy Laidler should be congratulated at the age of 76 on doing a marvellous job. It needed a lot of hard work in the background to ensure the trails took place.
Ambleside Sports – July 31
- Hounds – 1. Countess Ava; 2. Miterdale Dusk; 3. Baroness Ava. 4. Eleanor’s Lass; 5. Miterdale Duchess; 6. Huntsman’s Quantum. 8 ran, time 32.32.
- Maidens – 1. Reebok; 2. Miterdale Green Queen; 3. Lucky Moon; 4. Maeve; 5. Foxparke Majesty; 6. Foxparke Dealer. 10 ran, time 33.08.
- Pups – 1. Let It Be; 2. Miterdale Wow; 3. Zoya; 4. Zaya; 5. Foxparke Oink Oink; 6. I Am It. 7 ran, time 18.50.
- Puppy Maiden – 1. Foxparke Pip Pip; 2. Foxparke Cheese and Beans; 3. Jenny’s Chance; 4. Affirmation; 5. Denton Adonis. 8 ran, only five finished. Time 18.27.
- Open Restricted – 1. Young Harry; 2. Let’s Go For It; 3. Black Eyed Shadow; 4. Kinniside Bobby; 5. Malia; 6. Miterdale Rambler. 17 ran, time 15.13.
