4th WCRA Championships and Superstars Veteran Sprint – Full Write Up

at Heart of England PWRC, Shuttington on 13 SEPTEMBER 2026
150 yards straights; veterans 140 yards at ½yd/lb plus yd/yr

Photos © & courtesy of Rob Cuss. Images may not relate to the text above or below them.

With the drought breaking too late for the bend to be ready we made an early decision to convert to a straight. We were rewarded with a decent entry of 118, and of these only nine non-runners. After a wet night it turned out a lovely day’s racing with near-perfect sunny weather, good company and great sport.

We had three new Racing Champions. Tom Moody’s Rocket Stan, Dave & Sandra Bursey’s Markamy’s Black Bertie, and Denise Pitcher’s Secret Squirrel. Well done, getting that coveted “other half” can be a stressful business.

Order of play was First Round Heats and Semi Finals, then veteran Heats before the big break then restarting with the Veteran Finals.

SUPERSTARS VETERAN SPRINT

After the competitiveness of the Veteran Crowns last time, much to the relief of the judges we were back to more “normal” veteran racing.  The 14-20lb final, the two heat winners, Mike Head & Ilid Davies’ VC *Along Came Betty and the Rixons’ M’Lady En Rouge came in first and second respectively, with Terry Wheeler’s WCRCh(s) Mamma Mia 3^rd and the Priests’ Scratchybrat 4^th.

The 21-23lb group had an entry of eight, two littermates making their veteran debut and both carrying good form forward. No surprise they each won their heats; Clare and Paul Sanderson’s *Thieves Accomplice comfortably leading home Terry and Mandy’s Now U Sia, and Steve Miller’s Apache Cheyenne beating Dave William’s Odds On Willow by a length.

In the final, *Thieves Accomplice was clear favourite with a heat time 3½ yards faster than his sister and he duly prevailed by four lengths, with both Odds On Willow and Now U Sia also replicating their heat performances for 3^rd and 4^th.

The 24-27lb group, only five runners but on times marginally the toughest veteran class. In the first heat, the Jennings’ Machine Gun Kelly, a decent performer himself found himself drawn against the Harts’ WCRCh Scrappy Doo and the Cuttlers’ back-to-form WCRCh VC Call Me Enchanting, he acquitted himself well to stay a close up third while Scrappy Doo edged Call Me Enchanting a length and a half. The second heat was a tight two-dogger, Terry Wheeler’s WCRCh Tik Tok Tia beating John and Sheila Strain’s VC The Mighty Finn half a length.

 The final proved a close race, with the two back dogs coming through for first and second. WCRCh VC Scrappy Doo, giving three yards came through for 1^st, WCRCh Tik Tok Tia giving four yards was a length back in 2^nd, a good 3^rd was front dog WCRCh VC Call Me Enchanting and 4^th VC The Mighty Finn.

 Eight in the 28-32lb group. In the first heat, the two big boys, Colin & Tina’s WCRCh Chiefton Challenger and Graham Gilfeather’s *Rising Sun came through for 1^st and 2^nd while heat two saw Kevin Coe and Keeley Bradshaw’s WCRCh VC Moonlight Millie edge home Gwen Heppenstall’s Come Fly With Me by a length.

In the final WCRCh VC Moonlight Millie beat Come Fly With Me two lengths, WCRCh Chiefton Challenger another two back in 3^rd, two yards ahead of *Rising Sun.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

16lb group. This was the only Champs group without semi-finals, but with two Racing Champions and one half-coat it certainly wasn’t short of class. In the first race of the day, Liz and Richard Villis’ WCRCh Ameesha Little Devil led home Christine Howard’s Ryamber Trish’s Star. In heat two Mark Jervis’ WCRCh Cheadle Heart beat William and Julie’s *Riverside Nefertiti.

The final was won impressively by WCRCh Ameesha Little Devil, fast away and coming home four lengths clear of WCRCh Cheadle Heart, two lengths further back 3^rd *Riverside Nefertiti and 4^th Ryamber Trish’s Star, tight between 3^rd and 4^th.

18lb group. Heat wins for the Villis’ Ameesha Wild Orchid and Ameesha Atomic Blonde, who beat Sarah Layfield’s WCRCh Winterfell Tangfastic a neck in a brilliant two-dog race, Maxine Thompson’s WCRCh Girl On Fyre who comfortably beat Liz and Richard’s WCRCh Ameesha Born To Run in a fast time of 9.80, and Sarah’s Winterfell A Dash Sunny. In the first semi, WCRCh Ameesha Born To Run led home kennelmate Ameesha Wild Orchid by a length to eliminate the two Winterfell girls; while WCRCh Girl On Fyre skated home four lengths clear in the second semi, race time 9.81, chased home by Ameesha Atomic Blonde. Maxine’s Girl Almighty and Ian Tegart’s *Fantazi Just Like Heaven bowed out.

The final was much closer than form said it would be. WCRCh Girl On Fyre was truly living up to her name and duly prevailed for her third Champs weight class, but only by half a length in a blanket finish, 1½ lengths covering the field. Second was Ameesha Wild Orchid, 3^rd Ameesha Atomic Blonde, 4^th WCRCh Amesha Born To Run. All four runners had a Villis interest with WCRCh Villiers Rocketman the proud dad of the winner (not that it entered his mind, he was too busy getting all wound up for the 20lb final!)

20lb group. The aforesaid proud dad had his hands full in his heat, finishing 1½ lengths down on Pat Gant’s fine defending champ WCRCh Up Ya Kilt, a fast time of 9.88. Jacquie Mullin and Dean Leonard’s youngster Silly Games won the second heat, Rebecca Hough’s smart *Starlight Express shaded Peter Leadbetter and Christine Kerrigan’s Black Jacques half a length in the third, and Dave Williams’ Odds On Mollie took the fourth heat. 

WCRCh Up Ya Kilt breezed home in the first semi from *Starlight Express, Karen Bridge’s Rock It Along and Graham’s Bruce Almighty 3^rd and 4^th. WCRCh Villiers Rocketman led home Odds On Mollie, Black Jacques and Silly Games in the tighter second semi.

The final proved a conclusive three-length win for WCRCh Up Ya Kilt, again his third Champs weight class. *Starlight Express showed her quality with a good 2^nd, Odds On Mollie 3^rd and WCRCh Villiers Rocketman 4^th.

22lb group. Sarah’s *Winterfell What The Heck took the first heat by a length from Katherine Mansley and Jason Holden’s Fancy Pants, while in heat two Viv Thurman’s Ooh Ah A Devil beat the Waltons’ WCRCh Pure Delight 2½ lengths. Heat three, Ilid and Mike’s WCRCh Just Red (working her way back from season) also won by 2½ lengths from Katherine and Jason’s Little Treasure. Heat 4, an excellent two-dog race, Steve Miller’s Apache One Love shading George Whalley’s Here Comes Me Son.

WCRCh Just Red beat WCRCh Pure Delight two lengths in the first semi, half a length down was *Winterfell What The Heck, 4^th Here Comes Me Son. In the other semi-final, Ooh Ah A Devil also remained unbeaten, a 1½ length win from Little Treasure, 3^rd Apache One Love and 4^th Fancy Pants.

In the final, WCRCh Just Red again beat WCRCh Pure Delight two lengths, two fine champions of different generations, Ooh Ah A Devil two lengths further back 3^rd and Little Treasure another yard down in 4^th.

24lb group. No quarter-finals this time but instead, four tough heats. Heat one, the Harts’ Charlie Brown lost out to Katherine and Jason’s Fly Like A Hawk 1^st and Nicola and John’s WCRCh Gimme Delight 2^nd, heat two Aaron Booth’s Hamill Valiant did well to keep within four lengths of Clare and Paul Sanderson’s Thieves Auld Fella who beat Helen Dennis’ youngster Eye Of The Tiger by a head. Christine Howard’s new half-coat *Ryamber Too A T won the third heat well from Rebecca Villis’ Villers Mighty Mouse, while a close three-dogger in heat four went the way of David Cairns’ young Mr Joey in his first Championships, a length 2^nd Vince and Sarah’s WCRCh Monochrome Magik and half a length further back Garry Comber’s Lukatme.

In the first semi-final, Eye Of The Tiger beat Fly Like A Hawk half a length, *Ryamber Too A T and Monochrome Magik 3^rd and 4^th, 2½ lengths across the lot. Semi 2 was more clear-cut, Thieves Auld Fella beating WCRCh Gimme Delight one and a half lengths, same distances back to Mr Joey 3^rd and Villiers Mighty Mouse 4^th.

Come the final, it was *Eye Of The Tiger who won the rematch, one length 2^nd was Thieves Auld Fella, WCRCh Gimme Delight another length in 3^rd and Fly Like A Hawk another length in 4^th. Good race.

26lb group. The Moodys’ *Rocket Stan, a good young winner at the 1^st Championships was trying to gain his title at the first time of asking, but would Terry Wheeler’s new half-coat *Here Hugo do the same at his expense, or would they both go home disappointed? We’d soon know. Heat wins for Christine’s Ryamber Room At The Top, *Here Hugo who just beat Fiona Campbell’s Black Onyx, *Rocket Stan who beat Rebecca’s Villiers Rocky Road a length, and Will and Julie’s Riverside Kufu who shaded Peter and Christine’s Ace Of Spades and Graham’s *Mista T in a blanket finish.

The first semi-final, *Rocket Stan took by a length and a half from Black Onyx; Peter and Christine’s Ace Of Spades and Ryamber Room At The Top bowing out. Semi 2 wasn’t one for the faint-hearted, a close, scrimmaging finish, half a length across the lot; *Here Hugo clear by that half a length and Villiers Rocky Road, despite being the meat in the sandwich, somehow holding off *Foxie Flyer and Riverside Kufu.

The final was almost as tough. WCRCh Rocket Stan prevailed by a length, Villiers Rocky Road edged another close finish to take 2^nd from *Here Hugo, and another length back Black Onyx. Owners of all four dogs can be especially proud.

28lb group.  With last time’s winner Darcia Gingell and Rob Hughes’ WCRCh Duncton Ghost Town recovering from a punctured lung (get well soon Ramsey) we had six dogs in three heats. Katherine and Jason’s Loki Bear beat Gwen Heppenstall’s *Frame Thi Sen three lengths, Chris Booth’s Cheadle Star beat Jason Cooper’s Gambler White Tip 1½ lengths, and Gwen’s fine WCRCh Let’s Go Nuts beat Daniel Sliwinski’s Patronum Nimbus by five. WCRCh Let’s Go Nuts took the first semi from Loki Bear with Gambler White Tip going out while *Frame Thi Sen led home Patronum Nimbus with Cheadle Star 3^rd.

Come the final, WCRCh Let’s Go Nuts added a straights weight class to her three bend wins, a comfortable 2½ length win over Patronum Nimbus, who steadily found her feet in this her first Champs. In a blacket finish for 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th she edged out *Frame Thi Sen and Loki Bear.

30lb group. Two non-runners reduced the group, again to three two-dog heats but never measure the strength of a group by numbers. Heat One, Dave Williams’ Odds On Tess did really well to hold Gary Hogan’s WCRCh Gunns Donovan at bay by a length. The Burseys’ *Markamy’s Black Bertie beat Katie and Alex Secker’s Must Be Heard in the fastest time of the day (9.56), while in heat 3 George Whalley’s WCRCh Joe Cocker beat Karen’s WCRCh Rush About three-quarters of a length.

The first semi-final was won by WCRCh Joe Cocker, a length up on Odds On Tess with Must Be Heard in 3^rd. The second semi, three class dogs with their owners hoping to get into the first two; but at traps WCRCh Gunns Donovan swerved right into *Markamy’s Black Bertie, giving WCRCh Rush About a clear run. To his credit, *Markamy’s Black Bertie all but got up on the line.

The final was the tightest of the day. WCRCh Rush About got out, *Markamy’s Black Bertie trapping 1½ yards down, but despite his youth, this dog’s used to doing it the hard way and it was WCRCh Markamy’s Black Bertie who prevailed by a head from WCRCh Rush About. Three lengths 3^rd was an excellent run for Odds On Tess with WCRCh Joe Cocker half a length further down in 4^th.

32lb group. Another strong group. Denise Pitcher’s *Secret Squirrel, who’d have been a big favourite if the meeting had been round the bend, beat the Lees’ near-veteran WCRCh Selby Lad three lengths in the first heat, Peter Goddard’s Mr Apollo 3^rd, while WCRCh Selby Wise Boy beat Graham’s WCRCh Gimme It All by four. The third heat was close, Jason Cooper’s youngster Gambler Royal Mint (*Secret Squirrel’s half-brother) beat Graham’s *Gimme Some Action by a head with Sue Manby’s Thrawn’s Nemesis two lengths away 3^rd.

The first semi final, *Secret Squirrel finished four lengths up on Gambler Royal Mint, WCRCh Gimme It All a length back in 3^rd. WCRCh Selby Wise Boy led his kennelmate home in the other, *Gimme Some Action 3^rd, distances three lengths and two and a half, the race times 9.66 and 9.70.

The final was tight, a length between each of the four. First and second have a neat little rivalry going and this time it was WCRCh Secret Squirrel’s turn to best Selby Wise Boy, Gambler Royal Mint an excellent 3^rd and WCRCh Selby Lad a game 4^th.

Like last time, we were done just before four and again the clear-up was magnificently fast, the finish-line marquee dismantled about me even before I’d departed to prep up for the presentation. Many, many thanks to all that helped then and through the weekend.

With the last Champs done, we can reflect on four great race meetings. We depend heavily on two groups of people.  Firstly, our friends at the Heart of England Club, they deserve all the praise they get, they look after us wonderfully, their breakfast sets me up for the day. Personally, travelling by train, now with two dogs, I’m grateful for their hospitality through the weekend. The months of work behind the scenes, this year more than ever with the hot dry summer.  Secondly, those from other clubs who freely give their time and help, often with no dog to race. We owe you all so much.

Mark Etheridge reporting