1st WCRA Championships and Veteran Crowns 2015, Report and full results

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3 MAY 2015 at The Whippet Meadow, Detling. 150 yards straights; veterans ½yd/lb & yd/yr.

WCRA 1st Champs May 2015

Fitting that following the loss of the Moreton venue – it turns out the Cricket Club needed the ground to accommodate a fellow club – we revert to one of our old secondary venues as a neutral ground. Historically, Maidstone and East Anglia have done such duty in past years, both with honour.

Huge credit is due to Ray Pond and his team for overhauling the venue. The bend track is back to form already, the old standby (mushroom compost) has given a wonderfully spongy surface all the way round and although I’m biased (well I was there when Alf Barnard set up the bend in early 2000!) it gives a very fair test of a bend-racer.

But back to the straights for the first Champs. A fine, but typically for mid-Kent a dry blustery spring day with firm going after a similarly dry spring. The Maidstone track run in reverse, SSW to NNE towards the M20 to give a slightly uphill track. With the wind, the WCRA marquee set for take-off. But somehow, tethered by dog and held down by human, it stayed.

Very pleasing to report for Roy Winrow that his Dollybyrd was made up the WCRCh in the 16lb group, followed by half-coats for Great Fun and Vino. Polly Flinders, who was looked after last year as still a youngster, was “made up” in the 22lb final, an impressive winner and very much in the mould of Gavin and Dawn’s Nippy Girl.

An emotional win for the new WCRCh Satin Sunshine. Dave Brown put his heart and soul into pedigree whippet racing, it was a tough day for Carol and family but Dave, this was one for you.

The 26lb, 28lb, 30lb and 32lb groups were triumphs for the old-school racing breeders Trish Billingham, Linda Turner and Jean Goode. Trish’s Fenland Whisper gaining her half in the 26lb group, and Pat Gant getting Scallywag made up to WCRCh in the 28lbs. Her Nip ‘N Tuck won the 30lb class for his third weight class win – and then the Burseys’ Markamy’s Red Fred gained his title at the very first time of asking. Well done.

In the Veteran Crowns, Summerleaze Bay, always a classy individual, gained his second WCRA weight class to win the 6/7yrs 20lb group. Angie Parker almost had two winners, Sapphire’s Queen’s Topaz a standing dish in the 25lbs (surely one of the greats) but her sister Sapphire’s Gem, moving up a weight class to avoid her sister, found a genuine 26lb WCRCh (Game On) too hot to handle. Always tough when going up a class – but us at the finish line savoured a good race. This was a tough final; and Game On the only whippet today to win the “full set” WCRCh and VC.

The two senior veteran finals were won by Gavin Cairns’ Pretty Color and the Moores’ Blade Bunny, both decent campaigners in their own right and certainly up to the standards of other senior winners.

Pleasing to note that even with the Superstars presentation, which always makes us late at the first Champs, we finished racing at half-past four with only the one race re-run. Well done to Ray and his team.

Results

Main Championships

N/E 16lb

  1. WCRCh DollyByrd (Late Not Never) Busby Babe x Gypsy Cream Owned by R. Winrow (time: 9.37)
  2. Sapphire’s Peridot

Hts: *DollyByrd, Sapphire’s Peridot

N/E 18lb

  1. *GREAT FUN (Chalkner’s Great Fun) Owned by L. Turner (time: 9.54)
  2. *Ameesha Little Ebs
  3. WCRCh Jett Black
  4. Ameesha Red Rascal

Hts: WCRCh Jett Black, Great Fun

N/E 20lb

  1. *VINO (Am I Bothered) owned by D & M Sawyer (time: 9.63)
  2. *Cheeky Devil
  3. Satin Secret
  4. *Wonderwag

Heats: Vino, *Wonderwag, *Cheeky Devil
Semis: Vino, *Wonderwag

N/E 22lb

  1. WCRCh POLLY FLINDERS (What a Beauty) Chalkner’s Flaming Arrow x Our Little Dink. Owned by Gavin Cairns (time: 9.31)
  2. HOT RIGHT NOW
  3. RUDY ROO
  4. *THE POET

Heats: Hot Right Now, *Polly Flinders, Rudy Roo
Semis: *Polly Flinders, Hot Right Now

N/E 24lb

  1. WCRCh SATIN SUNSHINE (Red Spirit) Chalkners Fawn Again x Strong Resolve. Owned by D. & C. Brown (time: 9.42)

Heats: Secrets & Lies, *Satin Sunshine,
Semis: WCRCh It’s Me, Blue Dynamite Girl

N/E 26lb

  1. *Leaveit To Me (Star of Mountdillon) Chalkner’s Flaming Arrow x Dust Town Fairy Tale. Owned by Jim McLoughlin (time: 9.37)
  2. *Scallywag
  3. Nubs Shifter
  4. *Trust Me

Hts: Leave It To Me, *Trust Me, *Scallywag, Bop It (DNF)
Semis: *Scallywag, Nubs Shifter.

N/E 28lb

  1. *Hear Cat (Striata Pace) Black & White Dynamite x Goodad Storm Burst. Owned by Melissa Blackmore (time: 9.39)
  2. Gold Edition
  3. *Max Attraction
  4. WCRCh Shakira

Hts: Gold Edition, Hear Cat, WCRCh Shakira
Semis: Gold Edition, Hear Cat.

N/E 30lb

  1. *Nip ‘n’ Tuck (Goodad Arch Event) Chalkner’s Flaming Arrow x Goodad Star Addition. Owned by P. Gant (time: 9.39)
  2. WCRCh Flash In The Pan
  3. I’ze One More Rags
  4. Vensuter Wheal Chimes

Hts. Nip ‘n’ Tuck, WCRCh Flash In The Pan

NE 32lb winning whippet on box

32lb

  1. WCRCh Chermayeff (Sunlay Chermayeff) Bethnal Green Boy x Sunlay Midnite Jade. Owned by J. Fage (time: 9.20)
  2. Bomber Brown
  3. Dare To Fly

Hts: WCRCh Chermayeff, Bomber Brown.

Veteran Crowns

Veterans 6 to 7 years 14-20lb

  1. VC Dearly Devoted (Starstrike Dark Dreamer) Sunset in Gwithian Sandspring x Starstrike Little Hustler. Owned by Louise Simmonds (time: 9.80)
  2. Tinker’s Gypsy Joe
  3. WCRCh VC Mies Van Der Rohe
  4. WCRCh Storm In A Teacup

Hts: WCRCh VC Mies Van Der Rohe, WCRCh Storm In A Teacup

Veterans 6 to 7 years 21-25lb

  1. WCRCh VC Sapphire Queen’s Topaz (Sunlay Queen’s Topaz) Owned by A. Parker (time: 9.43)
  2. WCRCh Posh Paws
  3. CrackerJack
  4. Ellobiko

Hts: Crackerjack, WCRCh Sapphire Queen’s Topaz

Veterans 6 to 7 years 26-32lb

  1. WCRCh VC Sapphire’s Gem (Sunlay Sapphire’s Gem) Run At Mill x Sunlay Star of Sapphire’s. Owned by A. Parker (time: 9.62)
  2. Blade Bunny
  3. WCRCh VC Wheatroyd Gambler Boy
  4. WCRCh Have You Honey

Hts: *Master of Light, Guye’s Gone Fishing, WCRCh Have You Honey, WCRCh VC Wheatroyd Gambler Boy.
Semis: WCRCh Sapphire’s Gem, WCRCh VC Wheatroyd Gambler Boy. Non-runners: Double Diamond, WCRCh Wheatroyd Constant Chimes.

Veterans 8 to 9 years 14-23lb

  1. VC Midnight Rose (April Midnight Rose) Little Looney x Blueoak Lass. Owned by N. Walton (time: 10.27)
  2. Blithe Spirit

Hts: Midnight Rose, Blithe Spirit

Veterans 8 to 9 years 24-32lb

  1. WCRCh VC Heross (Wirrawon Steamer True) Sky Storm x China Lady. Owned by Garry Comber (time: 10.02)

Hts: WCRCh Heross.

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