2ND WCRA Championships and Superstars Veteran Sprint at RYEMEADOWS on 14 JULY 2019 – 220 yards bend; veterans over 110 yards straight
A lovely day’s bend-racing – the weather was not too hot, cloud cover keeping away a fierce sun until later in the day at the presentation so no need for waterproofs or gumboots. Thanks to the Track Manager, Dave Hunter, who had prepared another superb surface, the grass was rolled and the going was just right; added to which the good-humoured competition created a warm atmosphere. Us committee members enjoyed it which I guess is a fair measure of the success of a race meeting!
Thanks to everyone who helped out, we didn’t have a rerun all day and I think we were done just after four. Also many thanks for everyone’s understanding when we had to cancel the 16 June, we lost a few entries and while we had more non-runners than usual it was still a good turn-out.
We had two new Racing Champions made up, WCRCh Ameesha Summer Rocket and WCRCh Gimme Attraction.
It turned out brilliantly for the Yorkshire club – and the Gilfeathers in particular, Trish and Graham’s gang scooped four of the twelve groups.
We ran the veteran finals after the first break, which we lengthened to give the old ‘uns time to recover from their heats. It was close racing, just like the Ryemeadows open six weeks earlier.
First up, WCRCh VC Ameesha Little Ebs who won well from the Browns’ *Satin Secret; then in the 21-23lb group, WCRCh Polly Flinders beat club mate WCRCh The Poet by half a length. John and Sheila Strain’s Our Boy Ace won his first veteran weight class when he beat Sue Hoddinott’s VC *The Were-Rabbit by a head in the 24-27lb; then it was the turn of the two Gilfeather old boys to battle it out for the heavies. WCRCh(s) Star Attraction beat his half-brother *Max Attraction by about half a length, an excellent race but that was the easy bit, next was the job of getting them off the lure!
The Championship weight class finals were great to watch with *Ameesha Summer Rocket going for her “other half”, Richard & Liz Villis bravely left all their dogs in the 18lb final – but the girls had clearly read the script as WCRCh Ameesha Summer Rocket achieved her title at the first attempt – quite an achievement for 15 months!
The 20lb final was, well, tight. Magnificent to watch three dogs come up the straight line abreast with the fourth one also close up – Sarah Layfield’s *Winterfell Must Be Crazy edged it by a head from Kevin and Keeley’s *Twilight Twiggy, agonisingly close to that title, and another head behind her the Hunters’ youngster Zikomo Go-Quick, with Angie Parker’s WCRCh Sapphire’s Crystal Bell a length down. Next race, Angie’s luck turned for the better with WCRCh Sapphire’s Ruby Queen winning by four lengths from H’s progressive youngster Odd One Out.
After that, I watched the rest of the races from down by the traps, my dog had been snoozing in the marquee after his heat and needed a bit of time to get wound up, or rather wake up. It’s fascinating to watch the dogs trap, jostle for position on the bend then tackle the climb up from the valley floor.
The aptly-named *Rising Star trapped neatly and effectively sealed the 24lb final with a smooth entry to the first bend; after that he steadily eked out a good lead. The 26lb weight group final was missing *Call Me Amazing, who had won both her heat and semi, but an old, apparently well-healed cut reopened on one of her toes, leaving two runners. Ruth Mabb’s Trueloveways ran the race of his life, he trapped well and what a superb bend to hold a half-length lead over the Hunters’ WCRCh Zola Go-Quick, all the way round till the last of the climb… then Zola powered forward to win.
Dave Favell’s *Lovely Jubbly trapped well in the 28lb final and was first to the bend but Dave and Sandra Bursey’s WCRCh Markamy’s Son & Air gradually closed up and stayed on strongly to lead half-way up the run-in. Then in the next final, the 30-pounders, WCRCh Back To Light prevailed over last time’s winner, Jon and Maggie Brearley’s excellent *Feillys Gold to take his fourth weight class win.
We saved the best till last. Trish and Graham’s WCRCh Gimme Attraction has matured into a proper high-class heavyweight and a wonderful bend dog. He left a good field trailing in his wake to gain his title and set a new track record time of 13.54 (winning the Fastest Time Rosette in the process). Runner-up the nicely-bred Figaro, owned by Ryemeadows club members Paul and Sandra Thorpe, was running his first ever races, and what a way to start!
Report by Mark Etheridge
Racing photos by kind permission of Michael Treacher. © 2019 Michael Treacher
Main Championships Results
NE 18lb
WCRCh AMEESHA SUMMER ROCKET (Ameesha Indian Summer) – Billy On Show x Ameesha Pure Spirit. Owner: L. Villis (time 14.37)
2nd Ameesha Swift Shadow
3rd Ameesha Just A Breeze.
Heat Wins: Ameesha Swift Shadow, *Ameesha Summer Rocket
NE 20lb
*WINTERFELL MUST BE CRAZY (Winterfellin Must Be Crazy) – Winterfellin Tinker’s Lad x Winterfellin Frosted Dawn. Owner: S. Layfield (time 14.94)
2nd *Twilight Twiggy
3rd Zikomo Go-Quick
4th WCRCh Sapphire’s Crystal Bell
Heat Wins: Zikomo Go-Quick, Winterfell Must Be Crazy, WCRCh Sapphire’s Crystal Bell, Selina Pearl
Semi Finals: Zikomo Go-Quick, *Twilight Twiggy
NE 22lb
WCRCh SAPPHIRE’S RUBY QUEEN (Sunlay Rock On Ruby) – Busby Babe x Sunlay Queen’s Topaz. Owner: A. Parker (time 14.10)
2nd Odd One Out
3rd Minnie
4th Jessie-J
Heat Wins: WCRCh Sapphire’s Ruby Queen. Quick As A Flash, Minnie, Odd One Out
Semi Finals: WCRCh Sapphire’s Ruby Queen, Odd One Out
NE 24lb
*RISING STAR (Wiltwojs Joni Glen) – Jolly Pocher x Kingscastle Melody of Wiltwojs. Owner: P & G Gilfeather (time 14.28)
2nd WCRCh Sapphire’s Tanzanite Queen
3rd WCRCh Cosmic Chaser
4th Super Sonic.
Heat Wins: Call Me Enchanting, WCRCh Cosmic Chaser, Rising Star, Rileys Gold
Semi Finals: Rising Star, WCRCh Cosmic Chaser
NE 26lb
WCRCh ZOLA GO-QUICK (Ryemeadows Zola) – Wagtail Flash In The Pan x Matchington Zula of Ryemeadows. Owner: D & L Hunter (time 14.63)
2nd Trueloveways
3rd *Call Me Amazing (withdrawn)
Heat Wins: *Call Me Amazing, WCRCh Zola Go-Quick
Semi Finals: *Call Me Amazing, WCRCh Zola Go-Quick.
NE 28lb
WCRCh MARKAMY’S SON & AIR (Ryamber Little Bents) – Goodad Special Duty x Running In The Family at Ryamber. Owner: D & S Bursey (time 14.55)
2nd *Lovely Jubbly
3rd Cairdean Harry Sparrow
Heat Wins: Cairdean Harry Sparrow, WCRCh Markamy’s Son & Air
NE 30lb
WCRCh BACK TO LIGHT (Medlarway Forest Ranger) – Enchanted Forest of Medlarway x Wheatroyd Lily at Medlarway. Owner: P & G Gilfeather (time 13.92)
2nd *Feillys Gold
3rd Victor Quartermain
Markamy’s Reddie Eddie.
Heat Wins: Markamy’s Reddie Eddie, WCRCh Back To Light
NE 32lb
WCRCh GIMME ATTRACTION (Freasley’s Archer) – Drawn to Me x Lucky Me. Owner: P & G Gilfeather (time 13.54)
2nd Figaro
3rd WCRCh The Cooler King
4th Laguna Lawns Le Lundi
Heat Wins: WCRCh The Cooler King, *Gimme Attraction
Veteran Sprint Results
14-20lb
WCRCh VC AMEESHA LITTLE EBS (Ameesha Pure Spirit) – Busby Babe x Stokecourcy Hazel At Ameesha. Owner: E Villis (time 9.63)
2nd *Satin Secret
3rd VC Guye’s Goldilocks
Heat Wins: WCRCh VC Ameesha Little Ebs, *Satin Secret
21-23lb
WCRCh POLLY FLINDERS (What A Beauty) – Chalkners Flaming Arrow x Our Little Dink. Owner: G Cairns
2nd WCRCh The Poet
3rd Satin Sings
4th Hot Right Now.
Heat Wins: WCRCh Polly Flinders, Hot Right Now
24-27lb
OUR BOY ACE (Rorross Ace Venture) – Tom Boy He’s The One x Dianes Girl. Owner: J & S Strain.
2nd VC *The Were-Rabbit
Heat Wins: Our Boy Ace, VC *The Were-Rabbit
28-32lb
WCRCh(s) STAR ATTRACTION (Jolly Pocher) – Drawn To Me x Carlstream Pop Star. Owner: P & G Gilfeather
2nd *Max Attraction.
Heat Wins: *Max Attraction, WCRCh(s) Star Attraction