Hound Trailing by John Walsh

Published at 11:10, Thursday, 19 April 2012

THERE was a remarkable treble at Bower House on Saturday when the Oldcorn/Petersen family sent-out three winners.

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Well actually it was a rather unique three-timer as it came from win in the open maidens with Pip’s Lad and then two of their hounds, Cancellara and Cavendish, dead-heated in the open restricted.

It will be interesting to hear when this happened before, the same connections having two hounds involved in a dead-heat for first place in any trail.

The first win came in the open maidens where Pip’s Lad profited from an error of judgement by Jenny’s Dream who slowed dramatically after racing 50 yards clear into the final field.

That gave an opportunity to Pip’s Lad and Sensation to get past and these two had a terrific scrap in the closing stages. It was desperately close but the camera showed that Pip’s Lad had triumphed by a nose.

Then came the unforgettable thrill of seeing two of their hounds battle out the finish of the open restricted and this time the camera was unable to come up with a clear winner.

Tree hounds had pulled clear but What Look was left by Cavendish and Cancellara and neither was prepared to yield an inch as they crossed the line together.

Saturday night’s Bower House event was the last of the fixtures arranged for April and it had opened with a win inn the senior trail for Tagget, one of the hounds that has been significantly backed to win the title.

John and Brian Graham’s charge was running for the first time this season but had been prominent throughout. Although losing the lead for a little while she gained control again and in the closing stages there was never much doubt she was going to win.

She had about a dozen yards on Fallen Spring at the line, while her kennel-mate Velvet was close up in third.

There was a good contest in the puppy trail as Baroness and Jenny’s Rascal got down to fight it out. In the end, after a great dash to the line, the Stainton, Wilson and Clough partner’s Baroness had a length in hand over her rival to move onto two wins for the season. The pair were clear but Lingfell battled on to take third. There were only two hounds to contest the all-in and Desire beat Jet Rose.

Looking back at the rest of the week’s fixtures we start at Egremont on Wednesday when disappointingly there were only five runners for the senior trail.

Arthur and Irene Temple’s Dairy Diamond, the classy puppy champion of 2009, was sent-off favourite and although she did not have it entirely her own way she still had three lengths to spare over Fallen Spring at the line with Da Look in third.

Jupiter had impressed on her previous run and she did so again, as this time Brian Rowlandson and Joe Fearon’s charge stormed up the rising ground to the line and beat Valiant by a length with Glory in third place.

There were only eight entries in the open restricted and it really just involved two of them. Night Shadow had the lead, and with Newtown Ghost floundering over the last obstacle, looked to have it in the bag.

But the leader was clearly tiring going up the rising ground and the Ghost finished really well to get past and win by two lengths with Black Poppy best of the rest.

On Thursday it was back to Kirkbride where 48 hounds contested the three trails and the 2011 puppy champion Hello Dolly scored again in the opening senior trail.

She was among three hounds which showed on the finish. She had Artisan and Levi for company but last year’s title winner had most in the tank and she finished really well to win by two lengths from Artisan, while Levi wasn’t far behind in third.

It was a similar story in the pups with three hounds showing, but it was the favourite Acacia who managed to see-off a strong late challenge by Endeavour to win by a length and a half with Two Tone a close third.

In the open non-winners a pup Sundance got to the line first but was disqualified for alleged interference with Cracking Moment who was subsequently promoted to first place. Rush was given second and Plan B third.

There was an excellent turnout at Helton on Sunday, with superb visibility if you could keep the binoculars steady in cold hands.

In the seniors, Black Eyed Pea brought his total to two when he just got up on the line to beat High Challenge by half a length, with Dizzee Rascal a good third.

The first three maidens were well clear of the rest as the winner Thorn Girl, beat Crusader by five yards and Wattmore was close-up third. The time was less than a min-ute longer than the seniors.

It was first time round for the pups, and it developed into a great race. Capetown was again impressive when coming away from Assert and Believe up the long climb to the tape for her fourth success of the season.

There was a desperately close finish in the open non winners as Eden Rosa just beat Thorn Dolly by a nose with Wreckless Wren a good third.

There were 35 entered in the all-in, and it was two of last year’s good pups in the front, Annie’s Bay ahead of Canny Lass, with Border River in third.

They were back at Kirkbride on Sunday where Hello Dolly was successful again. She was always prominent, pulling away from the rest with Artisan but she had too much in reserve and left her rival to win by six yards.

It was tighter in the pups where Acacia and Two Tone had got away. They battled it out to the line where Acacia triumphed by half a length with Overwater Harry some way back in third.

There were three in contention for the open maidens but Enoch prevailed by one a half lengths from Plan B with Baron a similar distance back in third.

On Monday there was a good turn-out of 57 runners for the three trails at Nook Farm where Fallen Spring was the clearest winner of the night in the opener. Delahoya and Sawdust were in contention until Fallen Spring pulled away well to win by a dozen yards or so.

Jupiter is earning a reputation for producing spring-heeled finishes and this was the case again in the pups.

She had competition from three or four rivals as they got onto the finish but she went on to record her third win of the campaign, beating Discard by a couple of lengths with Valiant in third.

There wasn’t much in the open maidens where Sensation just held on to beat Foxparke Homeward Bound after they had fought-out a gripping finish.

There was a big turnout for the first of the week’s Threlkeld fixtures, where the finish was extended almost to the road, as the normal trail field was too wet for parking.

There was a double for John and Val Loan with Jacob McClink in the seniors and Jack’s Lad in the Open Maidens. Jacob was well clear coming down the fell, and he won his third trail of the season by a good 75 yards, with Velvet second and Westgate Gypsy in third.

There were 40 open maidens and Jack’s Lad finished well over the last fence, beating Wattmore and Cracking Performer.

It was close in the pups (36 runners), and some did rather better than others at the fence. Believe, owned by Wendy Martin and Malcolm Middleton, was a close third at Helton and was strongly fancied, and she had her first win in good style from the consistent pair Jammie Dodger and Acacia. The pups ran the trail very well for the first time over it.

Yvonne Wilson has her hounds in great form, and Toytown finished nicely clear of Momentum and Casey’s Lass to take the open restricted trail.

Parking today (Thursday) will be available in the farmyard, so bear to your left as you begin to drive along the lane.

News now of a very good sponsorship for the first of the trails at Cold Fell Gate on Saturday, April 28. Border Cars are getting involved in hound trailing for the first time, putting up £100 in each of the four trails.

The Lillyhall firm will be taking a couple of display cars to the event and if they enjoy the day and see value in the exercise, they may be back with more valuable sponsorship backing.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk