Monday night’s HRA meeting was at a new venue, Kelton Fell and it gave the hounds a look round ahead of the 2026 Dog Produce meeting.
There was a great turn-out as well with 112 hounds contest the four races on the card, so it was a bit special for the Dearham kennel of Joseph Abram and Nicola McMaster to land a treble on the night.
It had started with a win in the opening senior race when 22 went to the slip with Darren and Julie McMaster and Anthony Skelton’s champion and current table leader Silver Dream sent off as favourite.
Going out of sight Les and Graham Reid and Ellie Napier’s Mel was leading with Neil and Gillian Brown and Joel and Derrick Bulman’s Hey Mac and James and Ava McClellan’s Baroness Ava in close attendance.
Back into sight just three minutes later they were seen climbing up the fell on the fence line with the bunch being led by the McClellan’s Countess Ava along with Silver Dream, Baroness Ava and Mel.
Once over the top this quartet had an advantage over the chasing hounds and when they reappeared dropping down the trod towards the Kirkland finish Hey Mac was leading from Countess Ava, Silver Dream and Baroness Ava.
Once in the bottoms it was down to three – the two Avas and Silver Dream but over the final road crossing and onto the steep climb to the line the champions does what she does best and got up to win by half a length from Countess Ava and Baroness Ava.
There was a small gap to Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrow and Sarah Jackson’s Thorn Soul ahead of Hey Mac with the final ticket going to Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Honk Honk.
The second leg of the treble came in the pups when 29 were slipped and Sadie, Kessi and Graham Wilson’s Cinderella was sent off as favourite.
It was another Dearham hound, Darren and Julie McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Tartan Raider who led them out ahead of Geoff and Gillian Higgins and Jake and Zach Green’s pair of Acacia and Azalia.
Back into sight on the back fell and dropping down from there they had a scale and Acacia then led them ahead of a long line of hounds.
Down the fell and to the old Kirkland finish Acacia and Azalia were still leading from Christine Brownlee and Eric Cockbain’s Merle and Anthony, Steph, Sophie, Katie and Alfie Steele and Roy Laidler’s Miterdale Sauvage.
Unfortunately there was another scale before they headed towards Potters Park and it was hard to make out which hound was actually leading but Merle and Cinderella were both in the mix.
Going through the bottoms Cinderella was leading from her kennel mate Nicola McMaster and Barbara Telford’s Rodney Ranger and Acacia.
Once over the last road crossing and onto the long finish the Dearham pair had a great battle to the line with Cinderella just getting up to claim the win over Rodney Ranger with Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Jiggle in third.
Stephen Riley and Isla Hetherington’s Fable was fourth while Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s What Is It finished fifth and the final ticket went to Acacia.
The Open Maidens had a line up of 33 and Nicola McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Sarah Jane and her kennel mate Darren McMaster, Sadie Wilson and Anthony Skelton’s Silver Streak were sent off as joint favourites to land a kennel treble.
Climbing up the fell Silver Streak was leading from Malcolm Holmes’ Senor and Graham Reid’s Money Talks.
Dropping down and onto the trod at the Kirkland finish Silver Streak was still leading but from Stuart Jeynes’ Heartside and Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier’s Foxparke Danny Elliot.
Unfortunately the leaders then made a mistake and Sarah Jane took the opportunity and went ahead in company with Malcolm Holmes’ Senorita and Colin Satterthwaite’s Thorn Pop.
Sarah Jane was still leading them into the bottoms closely followed by Senorita and Colin Satterthwaite’s Thorn Heart.
But crossing the final road and up the final steep hill Sarah Jane finished well and secured the win and the treble for Team Dearham by four lengths from Senorita and then Thorn Pop.
Senor finished fourth ahead of Thorn Heart and then in sixth was Les and Graham Reid, Erin Rowlanson, Barbara Telford’s and Steven Walker’s Minnie.
The final race off the night was the All-In with a slip of 28.
Climbing up the fell out of the bottoms Laura Steele and Andrew and Joel Bulman and Ian Rumney’s Embrace was off to a flyer ahead of Willie and Craig Mark’s Sportsman and Ellie and Grace Napier’s Brown Sugar.
Dropping down the fell on the trod and down Kirkland finish Brown Sugar and Embrace were having a great race at the front ahead of Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier, Brooke Butler and Donald Hodgson’s Foxparke Oink Oink.
Coming out of the bottoms Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Sidekick and Brian and Erin Rowlandson and the late Billy Birkett’s Blue Striker were having a good race at the front.
Once over the final road crossing and climbing up the steep finish Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Beep Beep had taken over but as they almost reached the line it was Foxparke Oink Oink who came from sixth to finish impressively and grab the win by half a length over Blue Strike.
They were followed in by three – Foxparke Sidekick, Foxparke Beep Beep and Foxparke Rita’s Rose with the final ticket going to Sportsman.
May 18 – Kelton Fell
- Hounds – 1. Silver Dream; 2. Countess Ava; 3. Baroness Ava; 4. Thorn Soul; 5. Hey Mac; 6. Foxparke Honk Honk. 22 ran, time 28.32.
- Pups – 1. Cinderella; 2. Rodney Ranger; 3. Foxparke Jiggle; 4. Fable; 5. What Is It; 6. Acacia. 29 ran, time 21.19.
- Open Maiden – 1. Sarah Jane; 2. Senorita; 3. Thorn Pop; 4. Senor; 5. Thorn Heart; 6. Minnie. 33 ran, time 20.15.
- All In – 1. Foxparke Oink Oink; 2. Blue Striker; 3. Foxparke Side Kick; 4. Foxparke Rita’s Rose; 5. Foxparke Beep Beep; 6. Sportsman. 28 ran, time 20.36.
