On a bright and sunny Wednesday night 28 hounds turned out at St Helena for the three races on offer.
Seven were entered in the senior race in which James and Ava McClellan’s Countess Ava was sent off the favourite after her win around the course last time.
Neil and Gillian Brown and Joel and Derrick Bulman’s Hey Mac led them out of the first field, accompanied by Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s pair of Let It Be and I Am It.
Crossing the first road, before they show into the field, Countess Ava and Hey Mac were sharing the lead with a 10-yard gap to Let It Be and I Am It.
However, once they showed again Hey Mac led from Countess Ava with a gap to Let It Be and I Am It.
The hounds are then seen after roughly eight minutes running where the same two hounds were battling it out at the front and having a good race.
Onto the back fell Hey Mac and Countess Ava were still leading but had been joined by I Am It and when seen again dropping out of the woods the same three hounds were going well at the head of affairs.
Onto the run-in Hey Mac finished best to claim his second win of the season over I Am It and early leader, the favourite Countess Ava.
Let It Be finished fourth ahead of Caroline Clough and the late Barry Laidler’s Snowfell with the final ticket going to Geoff and Gillian Higgins’ Lucky Moon.
There were also seven in the puppy race and as so often Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Is It It got off to a flyer ahead of Geoff and Gillian Higgins and Jake and Zach Green’s home-bred bitches, littermates and kennelmates Acacia and Azalia.
After three minutes running Acacia and Azalia were leading and setting the early pace ahead of Is It It and his kennel mate What Is It.
On the fell Acacia and Azalia had slipped the field and had a 50-yard lead on Stephen Riley and Isla Hetherington’s Fable.
When they dropped down out of the forest Acacia was still leading from Azalia and Fable.
Once they showed on the finish Acacia had a small lead and went on to claim her fifth puppy win of the season over Azalia (both out of Lucky Lottie by Miterdale Steel).
There was a small gap to Fable in third while What Is It was fourth. James and Ava McClellan’s Ava Jean took fifth and the final ticket went to Tony Jackson, Ian Rudd, and Jake and Zach Green’s Kinniside Nugget.
The final race of the night was the All-In with 13 entries. Going out of the first field the McClellan’s Baroness Ava led them out and over the lonning ahead of Neil, Gillian, Joel and Derrick Bulman’s Dundee and Raymond and Glenis Farren and Denise Bland’s Miss Becky.
When they came back into sight after roughly three minutes running Baroness Ava and Miss Becky had gone about 40 yards clear of the chasing hounds which were being led by Gillian Brown and Mickey O’Brien’s Peggy Sue.
On the back fell Baroness Ava was still leading the way but Peggy Sue had closed into second with a small gap to Miss Becky.
Dropping down out of the woods Baroness Ava had a 15-yard lead on Peggy Sue, who in turn had a 30-yard lead on Miss Becky.
Onto the finish Baroness Ava managed to hold on to claim the win by two lengths from the fast-finishing Peggy Sue.
There was a small gap to Miss Becky in third and another gap to Dundee while Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s two kennel mates Foxparke Whoosh and Foxparke Sassy Girl took the last two tickets.
Racing resumes on Saturday, April 25, at Cold Fell for the Whitehaven Classic with a five grade meeting (Seniors, Senior Maidens, Pups, Puppy Maidens and Open Restricted). Seniors slip at 11am.
Wednesday April 22 – St Helena
- Hounds – 1. Hey Mac; 2. I Am It; 3. Countess Ava; 4. Let It Be; 5. Snowfell; 6. Lucky Moon. 7 ran, time 29.13.
- Pups – 1. Acacia; 2. Azalia; 3. Fable; 4. What Is It; 5. Ava Jean; 6. Kinniside Nugget. 8 ran, time 19.36.
- All-In – 1. Baroness Ava; 2. Peggy Sue; 3. Miss Becky; 4. Dundee; 5. Foxparke Whoosh; 6. Foxparke Sassy Girl. 13 ran, time 19.26.
