HOW THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE WON
Over the next few weeks we will write a series of articles telling the stories of the season and documenting how the various championships were won.
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LITTER OF 2010
During the 2010 season, one litter of puppies stood out above the rest – that bred by Barbara Shields out of her six year old bitch Lady Ryans by the Jackson & Graham’s Fleetwood Mac. Seven youngsters produced by this union competed regularly during the campaign and between them they accumulated more than 230 tickets in open puppy trails alone, 61 of which were winning ones.
They filled no less than four of the top seven positions in the championship table and top of the crop was Shauna Donaldson’s Angel who eventually had to settle for the runner-up award behind Sarah Mackereth’s Westgate Gypsy with a tally of 19 wins. The Cleator Moor based bitch put together an impressive string of successes during the first three months of the season and by the beginning of June it looked as though she was going to be the runaway winner of the championship title but a loss of confidence affected her form badly and unfortunately her challenge came to a premature end.
Two litter brothers also found their homes in Cleator Moor and James McClellan & Steven Irving enjoyed an exceptional season with their duo Da Look and Pot Look. The first named achieved fourth place in the championship table, earning 15 wins from an overall ticket haul of 57. He performed with great consistency throughout the whole of the season and finished in the first three on no less than 41 occasions. It was this consistency that gained him the Bert Sowden Trophy which is given each year in memory of Black Diamond (possibly the best hound never to have won a championship title). It is awarded to the hound gaining the most points in either the senior or junior championship table.
Pot Look won seven trails and collected 30 other place tickets to finish in seventh place in the table. The dog hound ran particularly well in the Cockermouth vicinity and five of his seven wins were forthcoming over the field and dyke terrain of Bridekirk, Gilcrux (2), Redmain and Millstone Moor. He also won twice at Lowick, the second of these at the Show meeting and this victory came with the added bonus of the Gordon Bell Memorial Trophy.
John Palmer chose Medwyn from the litter and this talented bitch also looked at one time to be a contender for the championship title as she put together a good winning sequence during the months of August and September. The youngster ended the campaign with 13 victories from a ticket total of 39 and this lifted her into fifth position in the table. Medwyn was campaigned almost exclusively in her native Whitehaven area and this was the scene of all her triumphs. She won plenty of silverware after coming out on top in several points competitions in the region including the Cash for Points, the Three Shows and Cleator Moor Support Group.
Barbara Shields in partnership with her daughter Adele and Colin Donaldson, retained two bitches namely Ryans Lady Anna and Lady Anna Ryans and they both played their part in the success of the litter, earning more than fifty tickets in open trails between them. The former won four puppy trails and appeared amongst the tickets on a regular basis whilst the latter, although only winning a puppy maiden trail at Wasdale Show was also second at Snow Hill in the same grade at the HTA August Premier Trails and gained plenty of places in puppy trails and open maidens.
The breeder of the dam, Penny Swanton chose a bitch and retained a share alongside her daughter Wendy Dawson who trained Ooh La La! from her Kendal establishment with husband Russell. The youngster was blighted by injury problems during the first few weeks of the season but regained some form and went on to earn 22 tickets, two of which were winning ones.
As well as the major titles for the senior and junior championships, there are also various points contests in the HTA for the lower grades of trail. The competition for the top honours in these grades are just as keenly contested as the major prizes and there is more opportunity for these hounds now that each is permitted four victories per term across the maiden classes and three every year in the open restricted. This has heightened the interest for owners and trainers and often results in good banter between the rivals in each class, particularly towards the end of the season.
SENIOR MAIDENS
Lynn & Kathryn Pawley, Martin Burrow, Donald Hodgson & Ronnie Bell’s Davina was the 2010 winner of the senior maiden championship with a total of 45 points. The Kentmere based bitch, which was bred by Ben Lomond out of Crafty, led the competition right from the start of the term and performed with great consistency during the first half of the campaign. The four year old earned no less than eleven tickets from thirteen outings in this grade and her first triumph came at Ambleside Sports at the end of July. She then went on to win at the HTA August Premier Meeting which was held at Snow Hill near Uldale and despite relinquishing eligibility this early in the season, managed to hold and take the title by a margin of three points ahead of Malcolm & Ann Holmes’ Spot On. The last named came very close to bettering Davina’s tally with several good ticketing performances but she had won at Helton in July and returned in mid October to score again (thanks Brad the Lad - I owe your owners a pint ha ha!) and the Ellonby five year old finished with a score of 42. Jayne also gave us a scare with Cannavaro who also got a bit close in the last few weeks. He also won at Helton in the penultimate week or the outcome could've so easily have been very different!
PUPPY MAIDENS
The early pacesetter in the puppy maiden championship was Joanna Satterthwaite’s Thorn Boy. The dog hound began the term well and bagged a good few points but wins at Dean and Sandale put paid to his challenge and this left the way clear for the next contender to emerge, namely Edward, Lisa, Jonathan & Warren Crosby’s Temperance. The Whitehaven bitch began ticketing in this grade in July and a couple of second places at Latrigg Top and Lorton preceded an emphatic victory at Ambleside Sports and from this point the home-bred pup by Dairy One out of Regularity went on to ticket consistently until the end of the campaign. By this time, Gordon Tinnion & Laura Steele’s Quiet Goldfinch had also built up a good tally and the pair were closely matched but Temperance always had the upper hand and despite using up her quota when winning at Bower House, Eskdale in mid October held the advantage to take the title by a margin of two points with a total of 40.
OPEN MAIDENS
There was another close battle in the open maiden class and it was Nicola & Darren McMaster’s Rhinestone Cowboy that took the title with a huge total of 76 points. The Dearham based dog hound was bred from the first Westgate Ruler – Toffee Girl litter and was the model of consistency in this grade. He gained 17 tickets and finished in the first three on no less than fourteen occasions, nine of which were second places. The four year old first got his nose in front at Oulton in mid May and then again on home ground at Dearham in late October and held off the strong challenge from Donald McClean, Katherine Lyon & Jean Metcalfe’s Wattmore which also performed with great credit, earning 20 tickets which translated into 68 points.
OPEN RESTRICTED
Another of Toffee Girl’s progeny emerged as top dog in the open restricted championship. White Diamond, a three year old sired by Calzaghe is owned by Enid & Sharon Taylor & Adam Baxter and the bitch hound amassed 87 points courtesy of 19 ticketing appearances in this grade. ‘Diamond’ had a relatively quiet start to the campaign and gained most of her points during the second half of the season. By then, the early pacesetters which included the eventual runner-up, John & Carla Graham’s Jordan’s Tyke as well as the McMaster’s Brannigan and Yvonne Wilson’s pair Toytown and Bonny Lass had all used up their quotas. During the final three months, White Diamond added steadily to her tally earning wins at Dean and two at Dearham , taking the initiative in early October and going on to take the title unopposed.
OPEN NON WINNERS
John & James Oldcorn’s Denial joined the veteran champion, the Scott family’s Sophisticated Lady in successfully defending the title she won in 2009. The Cark-in- Cartmel bitch became the first hound to win back to back titles in the open non winner class when recording a total of 28 points in this grade. This was eleven more than nearest challenger Malcolm & Ann Holmes’ See the Light. The three year old, which was bred by Lofty out of April Lady finished fourth on four occasions at Bower House, Helton, Rusland and Shap and also earned fifth place at Cold Fell Festival before going on to lose her ‘non winners’ status in very emphatic style at Lowick in late August when coming absolutely on her own.
THE VETERAN CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2010 veteran championship was completely dominated by one hound, namely the Scott & Chadwick’s Sophisticated Lady. The Cleator Moor bitch successfully defended the title she shared with the Graham family’s Outrageous in 2009 and in doing so became the third hound since the inception of the competition in 1985 to claim back to back crowns. Outrageous (2008-09) and Claire Waite’s Sooty (1998-99) being the only other two hounds to have achieved this feat.
Sophisticated Lady, which was bred by Southern Dale out of A Lot of Fun travelled widely in the pursuit of points and ticketed within each of the six areas that hosted veteran trails. The Carlisle & Penrith area was the only region that didn’t have any trails of this grade at any of their fixtures.
The talented bitch earned 21 tickets – nine of them winning ones and this yielded a total of 99 points, 14 more than last year’s winning total and a staggering 48 more than her nearest challenger and eventual runner-up, Penny Swanton’s Some Girl. Sophisticated Lady only missed two tickets in this grade all season and it was this amazing consistency that led to a well deserved second title. There is no doubt the seven year old benefited greatly from her experience at the various venues last season and she has won many admirers with her gutsy determination and will to win.
Sophisticated Lady is the Scott family’s kennel star and her wins were forthcoming at Kendal's Sootbox, Wilton (2), Mirkholme, Wythop, Eskdale’s Low Place, Haverigg, Cunswick Fell and Millstone Moor. As well as her exploits in veteran trails she also gave them extra pleasure with open maiden victories at Low Place and Bridekirk and an open restricted win Rosthwaite. One of her best performances of the campaign came at the HTA October Meeting which was held at Kirkland Leaps when she battled gamely to beat the Messenger & Grisedale’s Roulette in the senior maiden trail.
THE JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
The mother and daughter team of Susan Glaister & Sarah Mackereth trained Westgate Gypsy to earn the title of HTA junior champion 2010. The Bewaldeth based youngster obtained 46 tickets, 21 of which were winning ones and became the kennels first ever puppy champion, adding the honour to the senior equivalents earned by West Crag (1990) and Westgate Kyza (2007-08).
Westgate Gypsy was homebred by Watt Nut Another out of Westgate Lark, a young bitch whose career was curtailed when breaking her leg part way through her puppy season. Westgate Gypsy ended the term two points clear of Shauna Donaldson’s Angel and I think it is fair to say that the battle for the title was a tale of two halves.
Angel dominated the junior ranks during the first couple of months of the season and had racked up a tally of sixteen wins by the second week of June. In contrast, Gypsy had a relatively quiet start, earning just one win in April and one in May but during June the youngster improved steadily, stringing together a few victories and beginning her climb up the championship table.
During the first few weeks, Brian & John Graham’s Tagget and Michael Hill & Lisa Nixon’s Gambler provided the early competition to Angel. The first named put in some impressive performances including major wins on May Day at Lazonby and also in the Bitch Produce Stakes at Gaisgill and the Bassenthwaite based bitch remained a threat right up until the end of August. Meanwhile, Gambler also made a good start and raced to eight victories within the first five weeks of the campaign.
However, after this he sustained a recurring shoulder injury which prematurely ended his season and also his bid for the title.
During July and August, Gypsy steadily added to her total and by this time Angel had completely lost her confidence. The Cleator Moor bitch was reluctant to race and heart-breakingly for connections, often refused to set off. The talented youngster still had a good turn of foot on the finish when she did decide to run and she added another three wins to her tally in late July and early August. Her total of 19 wins kept her at the top of the table for most of the season and was not surpassed by Gypsy until the middle of October at Wasdale Show.
From the beginning of August, Reg Bell’s Enoch became the junior in form, winning fifteen trails during the final three months and at one time it looked as though she was going to challenge for the championship honours. The Wigton based bitch had been injured earlier in the year and her only other triumph previous to this had been at Cold Fell Festival. James McClellan & Steven Irving’s Da Look, a litter brother of Angel was arguably the most consistent pup all season and at one stage also looked to have an outside chance of the spoils. Da Look won 15 trails but also finished second on 16 occasions and who knows how many he could’ve won with just a little more finishing power.
In the end, Westgate Gypsy proved herself to be a worthy champion. She made winning appearances at no less than fifteen different venues spread throughout six of the seven areas of the HTA namely Threlkeld (2), Lazonby (2), Rosthwaite, Goosewell, Grasmere (2), Coniston, Ings, Buttermere (2), Wasdale (2), Wythop, Grasmere Sports, Calebreak, Eskdale Show, Lorton and Keswick. She emerged as a fell trail specialist and as well as being an accomplished ‘climber’ was particularly impressive when ‘dropping in’ on sharp descents. The youngster possesses speed and along with this was reliable at tricky ‘one off’ trails. This was demonstrated perfectly at the first fixture at Wasdale which was held in August, in my opinion it was one of her best performances. The venue is notoriously difficult, especially for pups but this day she made it look easy, hardly putting a foot wrong and clearly enjoying every second of it, coming home well clear of her rivals to win in style.
These attributes coupled with a good turn of foot on the finish and a steely determination proved to be the winning formula in terms of the championship. Perhaps her most prestigious win was at Grasmere Sports and this proved to be a very memorable occasion for Susan and Sarah as Westgate Renney completed the double when triumphing in the senior trail. The late Jimmy Glaister would’ve have been very proud and rightly so. Well done girls and well done Mel!
THE SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Penny Swanton’s Darling is the newly crowned HTA senior champion. The talented hound was a late bred pup and because of this she has taken a little time to reach her full potential. She has always shown some sparkle, winning seven trails as a junior and continually improving towards the end of last year, her first season in senior competition, putting together an impressive string of victories to take her tally to 13 and giving an example of what was to come.
This year Darling, a home bred bitch sired by Billy Birkett’s Some Man out of the Swanton’s old favourite Quinton, earned 44 tickets, 31 of which were winning ones. The three year old ended the season ten points clear of nearest challenger, Denise & Jenny Bland & Denis Barrow’s Huntsman’s Dazzler. In winning the championship, Kevin and Penny achieved a unique feat. They became the first owners/trainers to earn consecutive senior championship titles with different hounds following the success of Show Girl in 2009.
Darling had a relatively slow start to the season and only recorded two victories during the opening month of the campaign. Reg Smith & Alf McCarron’s Alliance began with her usual aplomb – scoring four straight wins at Askam within the first ten days. Huntsman’s Dazzler matches strides with four successes at Bower House within the opening fortnight. Darling registered her first victory at Helton in mid April at the expense of Dazzler but didn’t hit her stride properly until May when scoring seven victories from eight outings to take her overall tally to nine. It was at the beginning of June that Darling took the lead at the head of the championship and this is where she remainedfor the rest of the campaign.
Dazzler continued to perform well and kept the pressure on until the end of August and then during September, the Kendal based bitch had an exceptional month, earning six wins from seven runs and moving nine points clear to wrap up the title with a month of the season to spare.
Darling is a very versatile hound and she won at 14 different venues spread throughout five of the HTA’s seven areas namely Oulton, Gamelsby, Helton, Dean, Bridekirk, Askam, Wythop, Fellside, Sandale, Redmain, Dearham, Scawthwaite Close, Snow Hill and Cunswick Fell. Oulton was her favourite venue and set the scene for no less than seven victories. Interestingly, only one win was earned in her native Westmorland area. This was at the Kendalian Meeting in October at Cunswick when the three year old got the better of Brian & John Graham’s Velvet in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the season.
As well as her versatility, Darling’s consistency and also her ability to judge a race played a big part in her championship success. She is as comfortable driving a trail as she is coming off the pace and is particularly strong during the second half. At just three years old she is still a youngster and all these attributes added to the fact that she has only been lightly raced again this year mean that Darling is the one they will all have to beat next year and she will be hot favourite to retain her crown.
Huntsman’s Dazzler will be out to stake his claims once again and another contender could emerge in the shape of Velvet, another three year old who has enjoyed an outstanding season, particularly during the latter weeks, earning no less than eleven wins from her last thirteen outings. If the Temple’s can sort Dairy Diamond’s toe injury out she will return stronger next season and it will also be interesting to see how this year’s crop of pups fare over the longer distances of senior competition.
Huntsman’s Dazzler has also had an outstanding year and his ticketing exploits at the HTA major meetings earned him the £380 first prize in the first running of the points competition held at these events as well as the Tot Kelso Trophy. The Patterdale dog hound, which was bred by Langdale Trooper out of Huntsman’s Music won the senior trails at both Mirkholme (Dog Produce Day) and at Snow Hill (August Premier) and was fourth on May Day at Lazonby and third at Kirkland Leaps (October Meeting). His end total of 21 victories also included prestigious wins at Ambleside Sports, Ings Sheep Dog Trials and Rydal Dog Day and he almost completed a Westmorland Area Show Meeting full house when just getting beat by Susan Glaister’s Westgate Renney at Grasmere Sports.
