March Trials begin for hounds

Tartan Raider with Sadie Wilson after winning the pups at Grassings.

This week the traditional March Trials began with the first one on Sunday at Grassings and the second on Monday held at Kirkland.

The Sunday meeting had 43 hounds turning out over the three grades with the new pups first into action.

There was a slip of 13 and unfortunately at Grassings you don’t see the hounds apart from when they are slipped and when they appear on the finish.

Once they did appear on the finish it was Tartan Raider (Fire Lass/Maverick) who had developed a small advantage and finished well to take the win for Darren and Julie McMaster and Sadie Wilson ahead of Charlie’s Dream (Sarah Jane/Cuckoo Lane) for George McGimpsy, Gillian, Millie and Charlie Telford with Rodney Ranger (Sarah Jane/Cuckoo Lane) a couple lengths back in third for Nicola McMaster and Barbara Telford.

The Seniors had a slip of 20 and once they appeared onto the finish, 2025 Puppy Champion Delta Fortune had developed an advantage and finished well to take the win for Sarah and Baz Harper and the late Hartley Robinson, ahead of Sarah and Elsie White’s pair of Flightline and We Get By battling it out for second and third.

It was Flightline who gained the upper hand and We Get By had to settle for third.

The final race of the day was the All-In with a slip of 10 and on the finish there was a great race to the line with Mel winning by half a length for Les and Graham Reid, and Ellie Napier with Thorn Soul taking second for Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrows and Sarah Jackson.

Graham Reid with Mel who won the All in at Grassings.

She had tried really hard but the line came just too soon for Thorn Soul while Sarah and Elsie White’s 2025 runner-up in the Open Restricted points competition, Malfunction finished third.

On Monday there were 46 hounds competing at the three-grade meeting staged at Kirkland.

There were 16 for the opening pups race and leading them away over the first jump was Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Is It It (Silver Streak/Cuckoo Lane).

The hounds can then be seen going through the fell and three had established a small advantage with Croft Mist (Clementine/Cuckoo Lane) for Sarah Jackson, Willie Gill, Lisa Crosby, David Loan and Ricky Deacon leading from James and Ava McLellan’s Ava Jean (Sarah Jane/Cuckoo Lane) and Stephen Riley’s Fable (Silver Streak/Cuckoo Lane).

Sarah Harper with Delta Fortune after winning the seniors at Grassings.

Once they appeared onto the finish Croft Mist and Fable were both desperate to claim the win but the home-bred bitch for the Jackson Family, Croft Mist just managed to get home by half a length from Fable with a 150 yard gap to Ava Jean in third.

The Seniors had a slip of 22 and leading them out was James and Ava’s Countess Ava and Ruth and Charlie’s Let It Be.

James McClellan and Countess Ava won the seniors at Kirkland.

When the hounds were seen going through the fell three litter-mates (Spring Rascal/General James) had built an advantage – James and Ava’s pair of Countess Ava and Baroness Ava and Brian and Erin Rowlandson and the late Billy Birkett’s Blue Striker.

Ellie Napier and Foxparke Elliot’s Lad who won the All in at Kirkland.

Once they appeared onto the finish Countess Ava and Blue Striker were neck-and-neck but in the end Countess Ava just managed to make the line a length ahead of Blue Striker with Baroness Ava claiming third.

Stanley Jackson and Croft Miss, puppy winner at Kirkland.

The final race of the night was the All-In with a slip of 10 and out in front when they were slipped was Robyn, Ellie, Grace, and Nicola Napier’s and Brooke Butler’s pair of Foxparke Danny Elliot and Foxparke Elliot’s Lad.

When the hounds were seen going through the fell James and Ava’s Duchess Ava was leading from Foxparke Elliot’s Lad.

Onto the finish Duchess Ava had a length’s lead but after a great race to the line Foxparke Elliot’s Lad managed to grab the win by half a length from Duchess Ava with Lisa, and Holly Whitefield, Brian Atkinson and Susan Passon’s Lucky Breeze in third.

Grassings – Sunday March 1

Pups: 1. Tartan Raider; 2. Charlie’s Dream; 3. Rodney Ranger. 13 ran, time 12.46.
Hounds: 1. Delta Fortune; 2. Flightline; 3. We Get. 20 ran, time 9.05.
All-In: 1. Mel; 2. Thorn Soul; 3. Malfunction. 10 ran, time 9.23.

Kirkland – Monday March 2

Pups: 1. Croft Mist; 2. Fable; 3. Ava Jean. 16 ran, time 17.34.
Hounds: 1. Countess Ava; 2. Blue Striker; 3. Baroness Ava. 22 ran, time 14.43.
All-In: 1. Foxparke Elliot’s Lad; 2. Duchess Ava; 3. Lucky Breeze. 8 ran, time 16.06.