Hound Racing Association mourns loss of colleagues

The 2026 season is just around the corner and this senior start at Tallentire Hill last year was during the international. Picture: Darren Clark.

Members of the Hound Racing Association are mourning the loss of two long-time colleagues, Alf McCarren and David Niles.

Alf passed away on February 3 after a short illness. He and his wife Margaret had many hounds over the years, remembered for Enigma, Ensign and Galemire just to mention a few.

Alf used to organise races at Low Place and had many friends in the sport.

David has died aged 95. He was a long-time member of the Whitehaven Area and the Charity support group.

David used to run hounds with his brother Jackie, with one well remembered dog Norbeck Lad. Thinking of David’s family at this sad time.

Over the past few weeks there have been a number of practice races taking place to help new pups as well as the senior hounds.

James McClellan has been hosting them at Kirkland while Joanna Burrow has been running them at Oulton alongside her father Colin Satterthwaite.

Both venues have been ran a good few times now giving the pups an opportunity to race properly and gather more experience and for older hounds to get fitness into them for the coming season.

Father and daughter team of James and Ava McClellan have got a pup this year called Ava Jean (Sarah Jane/Cuckoo Lane) which has been winning at Kirkland with Stephen Riley’s Fable (Silver Streak/Cuckoo Lane) also showing promise at Kirkland too, rarely being out of the first four.

Martin and Molly Burrow, Ian Freyne, Ger and Jennifer Kenneally’s Thorn Daisy (Sarah Jane/Cuckoo Lane) has been winning at Oulton with Colin Satterthwaite and Teddy Burrow’s Thorn Dot (Clementine/Reebok) also showing promise.

Finally this week news that there has now been 11 bitches lined for the 2027 season but unfortunately two have not held in pup.