Hounds run at St Helena and Oulton

Team Thorn with their 1-2-3 in all in. Caroline Graham with Thorn Soul, Martin Burrow with Thorn Daisy and Molly Burrow with Thorn Thunder.

There were only two March trials last week and both meetings took place on Sunday at St Helena and Oulton.

St Helena was first to go with 55 hounds turning out on the afternoon with the pups having a slip of 14 to get proceedings underway.

Once underway they have to cross a lonning and they made a miss by running up it, before James and Ava McClellan’s Ava Jean was the first to come back and cross the lonning.

She was ahead of Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier, Brooke Butler, Darren Clark and Donald Hodgson’s Foxparke Jubilee’s Jackpot.

The hounds are then seen going through two fields after roughly four minutes and Ava Jean was still leading, nicely ahead of kennel mates Foxparke Whoop Whoop and Foxparke Jubilees Jackpot.

The hounds are then seen on the back fell and Ava Jean was still leading and had established a good advantage on the chasing pack.

They then come back into sight dropping down with roughly about five to eight more minutes running and Ava Jean still had her advantage ahead of Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s What Is It with another gap to Foxparke Jubilee’s Jackpot.

Once they appeared on the finish Ava Jean ran on nicely to claim the win with Foxparke Jubilee’s Jackpot in second and Ruth and Charlie’s Is It It in third.

Team Dearham with their success at Oulton Darren McMaster with Silver Dream, winner of seniors, Barbara Telford with Rodney Ranger second in pups and Kessi and Sadie with Cinderella, winner of pups.

The Seniors had a slip of 24 and Neil and Gillian Bulman and Joel and Derrick Bulman’s Hey Mac went to the front ahead of Les and Graham Reid and Ellie Napier’s Mel.

When they came back into sight going through the two fields Hey Mac was still at the front with Mel close in behind.

The mist began to fall so visibility was reduced and the hounds weren’t then seen until they came onto the finish with Hey Mac and Mel still leading, both going hard for the win but Hey Mac, using his big strides to good effect, got there by a length from Mel with James and Ava’s Baroness Ava in third.

The All-in was the final race and had a slip of 17. Once away, Jonty and Evie Moore and Jack Thompson’s Nellie’s Joy led from Graham Reid’s Money Talks.

Neil and Gillian Bulman with Hey Mac winner of seniors at St Helena

The visibility had deterioirated even more and the hounds weren’t seen again until they came onto the finish.

When they did appear Neil and Gillian’s pair of Dundee and Peggy Sue were battling it out for the win with Peggy Sue getting there by four lengths from her kennel mate to give the kennel a double on the day.

Robyn, Ellie, Grace, Nicola and Brooke’s Foxparke Whoosh finished in third.

Meanwhile, at Oulton 43 hounds turned out for the three-grade meeting with 10 pups slipped for the opener.

Once away the hounds aren’t seen again until they are going along the beck edge but before they came into sight reports came in from the second road crossing that leading the way was Sadie, Kessi and Graham Wilson’s Cinderella.

Her kennel mate Rodney Ranger for Nicola McMaster and Barbara Telford was said to be second with a litter mate Bash On in third for Christopher Henderson, Andy and Alan Horn.

When they came into sight along the beck edge the same three hounds were still battling it out and had a good advantage over the chasers.

Once they came out of the wood and onto the finish Cinderella showed a good turn of foot to claim the win from kennel mate Rodney Ranger with Bash On running on well in third.

The Seniors had a nice slip of 20 and once running Willie and Craig Mark’s Sportsman was leading from Darren and Julie McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Tartan Raider, who is actually a pup.

James McClellan with Ava Jean, winner of pups at St Helena.

Reports came in again from the second road crossing that Sarah and Baz Harper and the late Hartley Robinson’s 2025 Puppy Champion Delta Fortune was leading from Darren and Julie McMaster and Anthony Skelton’s double Senior champion Silver Dream with George McGimpsy and Gillian, Millie and Charlie Telford’s Millie’s Lass in third.

Once they came into sight along the beck edge Silver Dream and Delta Fortune were still racing on well at the front with an advantage over the chasing hounds.

Onto the finish Silver Dream went on well to take the win and to claim a double for the Dearham kennel ahead of Sarah and Elsie White’s Malfunction with Millie’s Lass in third.

The All-in had a slip of 13 and once away Thorn Soul for Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrow and Sarah Jackson went into the lead.

Gillian Bulman with Peggy Sue, winner of all in at St Helena

The reports from outside indicated that Thorn Soul was still leading at the road crossing from Thorn Daisy, who is a pup for Martin and Molly Burrow, Ian Freyne and Ger and Jennifer Kenneally, with Jenny Horn’s Spring Return in third.

When they appeared along the beck edge Thorn Soul and Thorn Daisy were still leading away nicely from the chasing hounds.

On the finish Thorn Soul had gained herself a nice lead and went on to win easily ahead of fast finishing Thorn Daisy with Joanna, Martin and Molly Burrows Thorn Thunder in third.

St Helena – March 22

Pups – 1. Ava Jean; 2. Foxparke Jubilee’s Jackpot; 3. Is It It.14 ran, time 25.43.
Hounds – 1. Hey Mac; 2. Mel; 3. Baroness Ava. 24 ran, time 20.28.
All-In – 1. Peggy Sue; 2. Dundee; 3. Foxparke Whoosh. 17 ran, time 21.08.