The March trails have been hotting up with three meetings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Starting them off on Friday was a three-grade meeting at Kirkland where 30 turned out on the night.
The pups had a slip of nine and once on their way Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Is It It was leading them along with James and Ava McLellan’s Ava Jean.
Four hounds were then briefly seen going through the very back fell but were hard to make out.
The hounds are then seen dropping down the fell before they come onto the finish and Ava Jean had established a nice advantage over the chasing hounds which were Tony, Marlene, Connor and Carter Irving and Gary Woodend’s Bewley and his littermate for Ruth and Charlie Dixon, What Is It.
As they appeared onto the finish the three hounds were together, having a good race to the line but it was Ava Jean who got there by two lengths from Bewley who claimed second by half a length from What Is It.
The seniors had a slip of 14 and James and Ava’s Countess Ava led them away, along with Ruth and Charlie’s pair of Let It Be and I Am It.
When they were seen going through the back fell all that could be made out was a long line of hounds racing on well.
The hounds then came back into sight as they dropped down the fell before they appear onto the finish, and I Am It was now leading ahead of James and Ava’s pair of Countess Ava and Baroness Ava, with Let It Be in fourth.
As they appeared on the finish I Am It was still in front and he went on to claim the win by half a length from Countess Ava with Let It Be in third.
The All-In had seven involved and once out on the course James and Ava’s Duchess Ava was leading from Jenny Horn’s Spring Gardener.
When they were seen going through the back fell three had gained a small advantage but were hard to make out.
But when they dropped down the fell before they appear on the finish Duchess Ava and Brian and Erin Rowlandson’s Blue Derwent could be seen battling it out at the front.
Onto the finish Duchess Ava was still leading with Blue Derwent and now Spring Gardener and at the line Duchess Ava managed to hold on to win by a length from Blue Derwent with Spring Gardener in third.
On Saturday Grassings staged a three grade meeting and 44 hounds turned out.
The pups had a slip of 12 and with last week’s winner Tartan Raider competing (along with his kennel mates) his connections were looking for a repeat performance.
When they appeared some pups went through a gateway and down the lonning instead of coming onto the finish so some weren’t judged but Cinderella for Sadie, Kess and Graham Wilson came with an advantage and won over George McGimpsy and Gillian, Millie and Charlie Telford’s Millie’s Pride.
Unfortunately these were the only two to be judged.
The seniors had a slip of 16 and once they appeared onto the finish again some of them ran through the gateway and down the lonning while some correctly came down the finish.
It was the 2024 and 2025 Senior Champion Darren and Julie Mcmaster and Anthony Skelton’s Silver Dream who came on to win with Joanna, Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrows Thorn Thunder in second and Stuart Smiths Prospect Jan in third.
The All-In also had a slip of 16 and once they appeared onto the finish Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrows and Sarah Jackson’s Thorn Soul showed in front and came right down the finish to beat Paul Airey, Joanne, Sophie and Lauren Hodgson’s Meadow Artisan.
Once again some ran through the gateway and down the lonning but Sarah White and Elsie Horn’s Flightline got it right to take the third ticket.
Sunday saw a three grade meeting take place at Low Place where 77 hounds turned out on the afternoon meaning so over all three venues the turnouts have been good.
The viewing at Low Place can be great on a good weather day but this is a Cumbrian sport and the mist was slightly down making it difficult to see them on the back fell.
The pups had a slip of 25 and once running unfortunately some of them made a mistake while others went the right way.
They were then briefly seen on the back fell and from what punters could make out there were two dark coloured hounds that had established an advantage over the others.
As they appeared onto the finish it was Anthony, Steph, Sophie, Katie and Alfie Steele and Roy Laidlers’ Miterdale Sauvage who had a few yard advantage over Geoff and Gillian Higgins, and Jake and Zach’s Acacia.
As they raced on down to the line Miterdale Sauvage finished well to claim the win ahead of Acacia. Then there was a slight gap to the third hound which was Sarah Jackson, Willie Gill, Lisa Crosby, David Loan, Ricky Deacon and John Grisedale’s Croft Mist.
The Seniors had the largest slip of the day with 25 lining up and once underway Graham and Les Reid and Ellie Napier’s pair of Money Talks and Brown Sugar were leading them out.
The hounds were then seen going through the back fell and all that could be made out was a line of hounds racing well.
As they appeared onto the finish Denise and Jenny Bland’s Huntsman’s Unite had an advantage over Brian and Erin Rowlandson and the late Billy Birkett’s Blue Striker with Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butlers Foxparke Honk Honk in third.
As they dropped further down the fell and through the wall gap Foxparke Honk Honk dropped well and got to the front but just tired on the finish.It was Huntsman’s Unite who went on to win by a length from Foxparke Honk Honk with Christine Brownlee’s Maeve in third.
The All-In had a slip of 19 and early on Ann, Alan and Adrian Little’s Huntsman’s Quantum led from Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Fairlady.
Once they appeared onto the finish Neil and Gillian Bullman and Joel and Derek Bullman’s Dundee had gained an advantage over Anthony, Steph, Sophie, Katie and Alfie’s Miterdale Wow.
Dundee dropped well and went on to claim the win easily ahead of Miterdale Wow with another gap back to Huntsman’s Quantum in third.
Friday March 6 – Kirkland
- Pups: 1. Ava Jean; 2. Bewley; 3. What Is It. 9 ran, time 17.46.
- Seniors: 1. I Am It; 2. Countess Ava; 3. Let It Be. 14 ran, time 14.18.
- All-In: 1. Duchess Ava; 2. Blue Derwent; 3. Spring Gardener. 7 ran, time 15.17.
Saturday March 7 – Grassings
- Pups: 1. Cinderella; 2. Millies Pride. 12 ran, only 2 finished. Time 9.37.
- Seniors: 1. Silver Dream; 2. Thorn Thunder; 3. Prospect Jan. 16 ran, time 9.00.
- All-In: 1. Thorn Soul; 2. Meadow Artisan; 3. Flightline. 16 ran, time 8.47.
Sunday March 8 – Low Place
- Pups: 1. Miterdale Sauvage; 2. Acacia; 3. Croft Mist. 25 ran, time 24.53.
- Seniors: 1. Huntsman’s Unite; 2. Foxparke Honk Honk; 3. Maeve. 33 ran, time 18.21.
- All-In: 1. Dundee; 2. Miterdale Wow; 3. Huntsman’s Quantum. 19 ran, time 19.49.
Fixtures
- Friday March 13: Kirkland 5pm P,H,AI.
- Sunday March 15: St Helena full puppy race.
- Sunday March 22: St Helena full puppy race and Oulton full puppy race 2pm
- Saturday March 28: Oulton full puppy race 2pm.
Confirmed matings/litters
- Lucky Legend/ Samcro- 3 x Bitches 3 Dogs
- Thorn Bird/ Milo Moon- no pups
- Foxparke Bugaboo/ Best Mate- no pups
- Foxparke Sidekick/ Inspect- 3 x Bitches 4 x Dogs
- Delta Spiral/ Hey Mac- 1 x Bitch 1 x Dog
- Eagle Girl/ Eagle Rock- no pups
- Huntsman’s Sparkle/ Milo Moon- 6 x Bitches 2x Dogs
- Lady Million/ Embrace
- Let’s Go For It/ Let It Be
- Audacity/ Black Legend
- Huntsman’s Time/ Is It It
- Huntsman’s Rebel/ Foxparke Jiggly Puff
- Chase (Ireland) Spring Gardener
- Crazy/Explore
