HEART OF ENGLAND PWRC, Shuttington on 30 June 2024 – 240 yards bends, veterans 140 yards at ½yd/lb plus yd/yr
A typical midsummer day in the world of whippet racing i.e. cloudy/drizzly with a chill breeze just when we’d all started to get used to sunshine. It was quite the contrast to Saturday, warm, sunny and high-pollen. We all thought the sun would arrive sometime, and there were those who dressed accordingly, but no, it wasn’t going to oblige and we shivered our way through. The fine rain obviously didn’t help the bend-racers either, but to their credit they gave us some marvellous racing.
Our thoughts were with Liz and Richard Villis and their family, WCRCh Ameesha A Touch Of Sass fell seriously ill in the days leading up to the Championships and sadly Sassy passed away on Saturday. A young whippet who had already given them so much fun, go with love.
We had two new Champions, WCRCh Black Fairlane and WCRCh Gimme Delight, both upgrading the half-coats won on the bend last October. Black Fairlane additionally had the distinction of taking Fastest Time from the 20lb group in her final – to the surprise and delight of her owner, Avril.
The veterans kicked off the finals. Jacquie Mullin and Dean Leonard’s VC *London Girl won a tight 14-20lb final from the Rixons’ M’lady En Rouge, six only the day before. I look forward to the rematch in the August Veteran Crowns!
The 21-23lb group, Avril Caunce’s newly-crowned VC Ms Moneypenny had a solo, while the remaining two groups were heavily contested. The 24-27lb final was taken by the eight-year-old VC Winterfell Let Me Loose, the first leg of a win treble for Sarah Layfield. The winner held off the Cuttlers’ WCRCh VC Call Me Enchanting who was staying on well after a so-so trap, 3rd the Strains’ The Mighty Finn and 4th Christine and Mark’s Ryamber Stan The Man.
In the heavyweights, the Burseys’ Markamy’s Reddie Eddie (who’s had a fine start to his veteran career) narrowly won heat and final from the Brearleys’ WCRCh VC Feilly’s Gold. Feilly trapped wonderfully in the final but Eddie somehow hauled him back, a marvellous race. This group’s been tough for several years now and unusually for veterans, every heat seems full of jeopardy, very few “guaranteed” wins, sometimes you’re glad to scrape second. Third was my WCRCh The Cooler King and 4th Denise Pitcher’s good showbred JayJay, having a wonderful day out.
On to the bends, first up a solo for Sarah’s *Winterfell Tangfastic, while in the next group she completed that win treble with a three-length win for *Winterfell Must Be Love from Avril’s Kissy Suzuki, third Terry Wheeler’s WCRCh(s) Mamma Mia.
Avril went one better in the 20lb group, two half-coats first and second, well done to the new WCRCh Black Fairlane who prevailed by two lengths from Mike Head and Ilid Davies’ *Along Came Betty. Both went through heat and semi finals unbeaten. Third was the Gilfeathers’ Bruce Almighty and fourth, a great result for Gary and Andrea Brown’s Pearl Keep The Faith.
The Waltons also had a day to remember, two weight class wins and breeding the 30lb winner. In the 22’s, their WCRCh Pure Delight added another weight class, beating Sarah’s Winterfell What The Heck by a length, third John & Maggie’s Bertie’s Gold and 4th a special mention for Jacquie’s WCRCh Glad All Over, almost seven. We had several other veterans doing the bends, a tough ask competition-wise with no age concession but they all ran honourably.
Nicola and John’s second winner was the very next race. To get two litter-sisters “made up” is a considerable achievement. Their WCRCh Gimme Delight impressively won both heat and semi final, then in an eventful final led home Christine Howard’s Ryamber Too A T by a couple of lengths to gain her title, again kudos to Foxie Flyer 3rd and WCRCh Ryamber That’ll Do, a close fourth.
Terry and Mandy had two runners in the 26lb final. Their WCRCh Tik Tok Tia won her third Championship weight class after being “only” second in her heat, but it was another one of those heats you just pray your dog can get through. She was beaten a length by John & Sheila Strain’s *Return Of The Mac and just edged out Vince and Sarah Hart’s fine WCRCh Scrappy Doo, unlucky in running in this his first bend race since injury last year, pleased to see he came off sound. Tia led kennelmate Here Hugo home in a more comfortable semi final then gained her revenge on *Return Of The Mac in a close final, three lengths covering all four runners, classy bend-racers all. Christine and Mark’s Ryamber Room At the Top placed third then Here Hugo fourth.
The 28lb final started out with two half-coats and ended up with three. Mark and Charlotte Bursey’s *Mach’s Kamikaze Mars ran well at the last straights Championships and showed he could run bends even better. He convincingly won the first heat, Vince and Sarah’s Sandy Shore holding off Jo Lock’s *Sea The Moon in a tight contest for second. The second heat was a bit of a bruiser, all three dogs running shoulder to shoulder. Holly McClean’s *Do You Love Me broke well from the inside trap, with the 2 trap dog, Philip and Crystal Fusi’s *Danger Dash pushing up on the outside to gain a head advantage going into the bend; but *Do You Love Me held his ground and kept him on his shoulder all the way thereafter, eeking out inches to win by a head. Christine Padmore’s Trouble In Store was baulked making his move on the second bend, unlucky.
The final was more clear-cut, *Mach’s Kamikaze Mars running a terrific race to beat *Danger Dash by two and a half lengths, with *Do You Love Me third and Sandy Shore not at all disgraced in fourth.
The 30lb group may have been only two dogs but they gave us a very close final. It also demonstrated that you need not pay much attention to heat win times in changeable, blustery conditions, Trish and Graham’s *Gimme It All recording 15.99 and Gearge Whalley’s Joe Cocker 15.17. In the final, *Gimme It All, always a gutsy performer won by a neck in a good time of 14.89, Trish has been very ill these past months and Woody’s win was a popular one.
The 32lb group produced another close finish to end the day. In their heat, Mark and Charlotte’s Machs White Toed Brodes beat Colin and Tina Jennings’ *Chiefton Challenger by a length (Colin didn’t think he’d get through, but he did). Come the final the placings were reversed, you never can tell with bend racing. *Chiefton Challenger saw and gained a smooth run on the outside while Brody couldn’t get out of traffic and couldn’t quite get back, beaten about a third of a length, a brave run with what turned out to be a bruised toe. Third and fourth, honourable runs both, were the Gilfeathers’ *Gimme Some Action and Karen Bridge’s veteran Bombalong.
All that remained was the clear-up, usually on a miserable day the sun comes out to taunt us during the presentation but it didn’t even extend us that courtesy. The general plan was to finish well before the footie, with a screen set up in the committee room, the workers’ “reward” for a weekend of hard graft. We managed that but it proved even less relaxing than an afternoon of Championship racing!
Once again, huge thanks to the Heart of England team, on the racetrack and in the canteen who all make us very welcome. We couldn’t do this without you and all the other racers who help out, and I hope you all enjoyed the day as much as I did.
Photographs are courtesy of Vince Hart.
Mark Etheridge Reporting.
Full Results
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Superstars Veteran Sprint
14-20lb
- VC *LONDON GIRL (Ryamber Chiquitita – Goodad Special Duty x Ryamber Keep On Running. Owners: Jacquie Mullin & Dean Leonard.
- M’Lady En Rouge
Heat Wins: M’Lady En Rouge, VC *London Girl
21-23lb
- VC MS MONEYPENNY (Ryamber Miss Money Penny – Star Of Mountdillon x Ryamber A Moment In Time). Owner: Avril Caunce.
Heat win: VC Ms Moneypenny
24-27lb
- VC WINTERFELL LET ME LOOSE (Winterfellin Let me Loose – Winterfellin Tinkers Lad x Winterfellin Frosted Dawn). Owner: Sarah Layfield.
- WCRCh VC Call Me Enchanting
- The Mighty Finn
- Ryamber Stan The Man
Heat Wins: VC Winterfell Let Me Loose, Ryamber Stan The Man.
28-32lb
- MARKAMY’S REDDIE EDDIE (Ryamber Life On The Run – Goodad Special Duty x Ryamber Keep On Running). Owners: Dave & Sandra Bursey.
- WCRCh VC Feilly’s Gold
- WCRCh The Cooler King
- JayJay
Heat Wins: JayJay, Markamy’s Reddie Eddie
Main Championships
NE 16lb
- *WINTERFELL TANGFASTIC (Feegles Puzzle at Winterfellin – Lollipop Enzo x Goodad Bespoke Lady. Owner : Sarah Layfield (time 16.54)
Heat win: Winterfell Tangfastic
NE 18lb
- *WINTERFELL MUST BE LOVE (Winterfellin Must Be Love – Lollipop Enzo x Winterfellin Must Be Crazy). Owner: Sarah Layfield (time 16.17)
- Kissy Suzuki
- WCRCh(s) Mamma Mia
Heat Wins: Winterfell Must Be Love, Kissy Suzuki
NE 20lb
- WCRCh BLACK FAIRLANE (new Champion) (Ryamber Black Diamond – Goodad Special Duty x Ryamber Keep On Running). Owner: Avril Caunce (time 14.63)
- *Along Came Betty
- Bruce Almighty
- Pearl Keep The Faith
Heat Wins: *Black Fairlane, *Along Came Betty, Mistress, Bruce Almighty
Semi Finals: *Black Fairlane, *Along Came Betty
NE 22lb
- WCRCh PURE DELIGHT (Kentwone Theta – Freasley’s Archer x Sheer Bliss). Owners: Nicola & John Walton (time 15.67)
- Winterfell What The Heck
- Berties Gold
- WCRCh Glad All Over
Heat Wins: Winterfell What The Heck, WCRCh Pure Delight
NE 24lb
- WCRCh GIMME DELIGHT (new Champion) (Kentwone Lalande – Freasley’s Archer x Sheer Bliss).
- Ryamber Too A T
- *Foxie Flyer
- WCRCh Ryamber That’ll Do
Heat Wins: *Gimme Delight, Ryamber Too A T, WCRCh Ryamber That’ll Do
Semi Finals: *Gimme Delight, Ryamber Too A T
NE 26lb
- WCRCh TIK TOK TIA (Ryemeadows Solar Eclipse – Ryemeadows Figaro x Ryemeadows Zola). Owner: Terry Wheeler (time 15.58)
- *Return Of The Mac
- Ryamber Room At The Top
- Here Hugo
Heat Wins: Here Hugo, *Return Of The Mac, *Mista T
Semi Finals: WCRCh Tik Tok Tia, *Return Of The Mac
NE 28lb
- *MACH’S KAMIKAZE MARS (Goodad Run To Freedom – Goodad Across The Bay x Goodad High Revving Bird). Owners: Mark & Charlotte Bursey (time 14.90)
- *Danger Dash
- *Do You Love Me
- Sandy Shore
Heat Wins: Mach’s Kamikaze Mars, *Do You Love Me
NE 30lb
- *GIMME IT ALL (Kentwone Leonis – Freasley’s Archer x Sheer Bliss). Owner: Trish Gilfeather (time 14.89)
- Joe Cocker
Heat Wins: Gimme It All, Joe Cocker
NE 32lb
- *CHIEFTON CHALLENGER (Last Roll Of The Dice – Red Apache x Toyah Flowing River). Owners: Colin & Tina Jennings (time 14.89)
- Machs White Toed Brodes
- *Gimme Some Action
Heat Wins: Machs White Toed Brodes, Gimme Some Action
Fastest Time Rosette: WCRCh Black Fairlane (14.63)
Mark Etheridge reporting