Saturday’s five-grade meeting at Spadeadam started at 10am to give the hounds cooler running conditions.
A total of 45 hounds contested the races with the seniors off first and six of them turning out.
Willie and Craig Mark and Billy Lindsay’s Sportsman, the recent International winner, was sent off favourite and made a typical speedy start alongside Sarah and Baz Harper and the late Hartley Robinson’s Delta Fortune.
The hounds are seen after six minutes running where Sportsman and Delta Fortune were still at the front and had a handy lead over George McGimpsey, and Gillian and Millie Telford’s Millie’s Lass.
However when they came back into sight climbing up four minutes later Delta Fortune and Millie’s Lass had taken over the lead with a few lengths to spare on Sportsman.
Back into view going by the wood after 14 minutes running Sportsman had gone back to the front from Delta Fortune and Millie’s Lass.
Word from the final road crossing before they turn for home was that Sportsman was leading from Denise and Jenny Bland’s Huntsman’s Time.
But onto the finish Sportsman and Millie’s Lass were at the front again and were having a great battle to the line with the lead changing in every stride.
In the end Sportsman managed to just get up on the line to win with Brian and Joy Lister’s Minnie Million running on late for third.
Denise and Jenny Bland’s pair of Huntsman’s Unite and Huntsman’s Time finished next with Delta Fortune claiming the final ticket.
The first of the shorter races was for the Open Pups with a slip of eight and Duncan, Amy, Oliver, Liam, Eleanor Chisholm, Harry Turner, and Brian Graham’s Let Me Try Again along with Nicola McMaster and Barbara Telford’s Rodney Ranger were sent off as joint favourites.
Climbing up Anna and Kerry Lindsay and Janie McAulay’s Zinger was leading from Darren and Julie McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Tartan Raider and Let Me Try Again.
Going past the field Zinger and Let Me Try Again had a slight advantage over Tartan Raider.
Reports then came in from the road crossing where Zinger was leading from Let Me Try Again, George McGimpsy, Gillian, Millie and Charlie Telford’s Charlie’s Dream, Rodney Ranger and Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s What Is It.
Onto the finish a group of four had forged ahead – Rodney Ranger, What Is It, Charlie’s Dream and Let Me Try Again.
It proved to be another great race to the line with Rodney Ranger getting up to win by half a length over What Is It. Let Me Try Again was third and Charlie’s Dream took fourth.
There was a small gap to Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Is It It, currently trained by Denise and Jenny Bland, with Tartan Raider in sixth.
The Puppy Maidens had six entries with Paul Airey, Joanne, Sophie and Lauren Hodgson’s Meadow Rosie being sent off as favourite.
Once underway Meadow Rosie took the lead from Andy and Alan Horn’s Showboat and Linda Neale and Josh Bryden’s Eagle Grace.
Going past the field Eagle Grace was leading from Meadow Rosie, Show Boat and Colin Satterthwaite’s Thorn Dot.
But onto the finish Meadow Rosie had gone clear and won like a favourite should, from Sarah White and Elsie Horn’s Something Else and Show Boat.
Thorn Dot finished fourth with George McGimpsey, Gillian, Millie and Charlie Telford’s Millie’s Pride in fifth ahead of Eagle Grace.
The Open Maidens had the largest slip of the day with 15 and Darren McMaster, Sadie Wilson and Anthony Skelton’s Silver Streak was the one most fancied.
Climbing up from the slip Anna and Kerry Lindsay’s Discover was leading from kennel mate Inspect and George Burgon and Carole Tunstall’s Mr Mally.
Going past the field the same three hounds were still battling it out at the front and starting to pull away from the chasing hounds.
Onto the finish those same three had it between them and after a good race to the line Inspect beat Mr Mally with the winner’s kennel-mate Discover in third.
Silver Streak finished fourth while Jim, Ann, Alan and Adrian Littles Huntsman’s Delight was next ahead of Joy, Brian and Cathy Lister’s Lady Million.
The final race was for the Veterans with a line-up of 10 and Willie and Craig Mark and Jack Lindsay’s Summer Spirit and Colin Satterthwaite’s Thorn Pop were dispatched as the joint favourites.
From the start it was Ian Fleet’s High Crag who was leading from Andy and Alan Horn and Simon Walker’s Overwater Louie; Linda Neale, Mark, Josh and Georgia Bryden’s Eagle Rock and Carole Tunstall and George Burgon’s Overwater Hunter.
Going past the field Brian Graham and Eleanor Chisholm’s Eleanor’s Lass had taken over at the front from Eagle Rock and Thorn Pop.
When they arrived on the finish Eleanor’s Lass and Overwater Hunter had five lengths on Eagle Rock.
But how things can change, as Eleanor’s Lass hung on to win from the fast-finishing Summer Spirit who came from fourth to claim second with Eagle Rock in third.
Overwater Hunter dropped back to fourth.Sandra Mordue, Ted Storrow and Lee Wall’s Denton Shamrock finished fifth ahead of Thorn Pop.
Saturday June 26 – Spadeadam
- Hounds – 1. Sportsman; 2. Millie’s Lass; 3. Minnie Million; 4. Huntsman’s Unite; 5. Huntsman’s Time; 6. Delta Fortune. 6 ran, time 29.50.
- Pups – 1. Rodney Ranger; 2. What Is It 3. Let Me Try Again; 4. Charlie’s Dream;. Is It It; 6. Tartan Raider. 8 ran, time 21.19.
- Puppy Maiden – 1. Meadow Rosie; 2. Something Else; 3. Show Boat; 4. Thorn Dot; 5. Millie’s Pride; 6. Eagle Grace. 6 ran, time 23.27.
- Open Maiden – 1. Inspect; 2. Mr Mally; 3. Discover; 4. Silver Streak; 5. Huntsman’s Delight; 6. Lady Million. 15 ran, time 22.00.
- Veteran – 1. Eleanor’s Lass; 2. Summer Spirit; 3. Eagle Rock; 4. Overwater Hunter; 5. Denton Shamrock; 6. Thorn Pop. 10
