The Foxparke kennel landed a points championship double in the 2025 season, winning both the senior maidens and the puppy maidens, writes John Walsh.
It’s the first time they have won both in the same year but have made a habit of regularly picking up the grade wins since the breakthrough year of 2016.
Foxparke So Be It started it all by winning the senior maidens and two years later they took the same title with Foxparke Hooligan.
They had back-to-back open non winners successes in 2020 and 2021 with Foxparke Just Got It and Foxparke Prince.
Foxparke Dealer continued the run of non-winners titles in 2023 while Foxparke Elliot’s Lad was successful in the puppy maidens last year.
Now the 2025 Puppy Maiden Championship has been won by Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier, Brooke Butler and Glenis Farren’s home-bred bitch Foxparke Cheese and Beans.
Known as Spud around the kennel and on the trail field she was bred out of Foxparke Shackalacka Boom Boom (Molly) and Miterdale Shadow (Buster), two hounds who are enjoying their retirement with their respective owners.
You can always rely on a Foxparke or two being given some, well let’s just say, interesting names. Often there’s a story behind it, and in this case there certainly is.
While the pups were being born Robyn Napier, mother to Ellie and Grace, was on TikTok and one of her favourites, Spudman was showing how to make the best cheese and beans.
So one of the pups retained by the kennel became Spud, with the official name of Foxparke Cheese and Beans.
Spud ticketed in Open Puppy races and Open Non-Winners races but didn’t take her first Puppy Maiden ticket until June 14 when she finished 6th at Roman Wall Show (Steel Rigg).
From there she finished second at Ambleside Sports on July 31 where she was beaten by kennel mate and littermate Foxparke Pip Pip.
She then finished 2nd at Cockermouth Show Trails on August 2 (Millstone Moor); 4th at Uldale on August 25; 2nd at Uldale on September 14; 3rd at Wasdale on the October 11; 3rd at Uldale on October 18; 3rd at Steel Rigg on October 25; 5th at Buttermere Show on October 26 and won on the last day of the season on October 31 at Millstone Moor.
Spud didn’t actually land her first win until October 28 when she led in the Open Non Winners race at Seaton where she beat her littermate and kennel mate Foxparke Waddle Waddle (Freddie).
Throughout the season Spud ticketed 10 times out of the 18 Puppy Maiden races available and at six venues – Steel Rigg (twice), Ambleside, Millstone Moor (twice), Uldale (three times), Wasdale and Buttermere.
In total she earned 39 points to finish 18 points clear of nearest rival Thorn Bee for Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrows.
Throughout the season Laura Steele, Andrew Bullman and Gary Woodend’s Affirmation was actually Spud’s main rival and the pair went head to head multiple times.
Spud proved that she is capable of running any ground and could turn her foot to any type of terrain.
She also finished second in the Open Pups at the 2025 Dog Produce at Dubbs Lane end on July 12, where she was beaten by Huntsman’s Unite.
Spud is very close to Robyn, and she’s quite a character around the kennels.
“When we’ve let them out into the yard and getting them ready for the night she goes and hides. From her hiding place she sits and watches what’s going on,” says Ellie.
The Foxparke Team had taken the same Puppy Maiden Championship in 2024 with Foxparke Elliot’s Lad and Ellis says their uncle Gary Napier was the brains of the operation.
“He doesn’t go to the trails but we are a close family and everyone knows about the hounds. For some reason he takes a keen interest in the maiden trails so he provides advice and guidance throughout the season and gave pep talks whenever needed.”
It’s clear this year that uncle Gary has been giving great advice as the team have won the Puppy Maiden Championship again, Senior Maiden Championship and Runner-Up in the Open Non-Winners Championship.
Meanwhile the Foxparke team are preparing their five pups for next year and all seems to be going well.
“They are going through three or four fields where there’s a bridge and a jump, and they are doing everything we’ve asked of them,” says Ellie.
All are bitches, three of them out of Thorn Dancer by their own Foxparke Billy Elliot and will run as Foxparke Whoop Whoop, Foxparke Wanderer and Foxparke Jiggle.
Foxparke One and Only is from a mating of their own pair Foxparke Palma Violet and Foxparke Billy Elliot while Foxparke Jubilee is out of Adele by Best Mate.
With a strong team in prospect, what’s the chances of the Foxparke kennel winning another points championship – or even something higher!
