The Cill Dara ( Kildare ) Gundog Club held it’s Spring Open Stake on Grouse on the Liffy Head on Saturday 25th February 2006. The Judges for the day were Davey Byrne, Pat Rohan and Barry Coady. The day was bright and sunny and any cloud cover was high but there was a biting easterly wind that at times made it seem very cold and there was plenty of thin ice on the dhu lochs at the Sally Gap end of the ground and light snow cover on the surrounding hills. The was a full card of thirty dogs plus reserves and there were eight brace called back for the second round Scenting conditions were surprisingly good and most dogs that had opportunities made good use. I saw the winners first round including her find and a very sound piece of work it was. She made it look simple.
1st Maodhog Luas Tom Dunne’s Red Setter Bitch ( Excellent)
2nd Capproe Lassie Billy Grace’s English Setter Bitch (Excellent )
3rd Glynlark Flynn Carol Calvert’s Red Setter Dog.
4th Lefanta Hawk Henry Joe Magill’s English Setter Dog
I am not entirely sure what the third placed dogs’s grading was but Carol tells me that the points she gained today were enough to make him an Irish Field trial Champion.
This was an excellent trial and credit must go in abundance for dogs that produced this level of achievement in these less than ideal conditions. The only flat note was that my own dogs didn’t compete to the level I would have liked.
Jump:- He did all that I wanted of him in the first round but we were in amongst the dhu lochs. These are pools of water mostly today about three feet deep but if an adult person jumped in feet first they would disappear into the soft spagnum bottom. Some are no bigger than a dining room table top but some might be the size of a tennis court. They are dotted about the ground where Jump had to run in the first round and they make a dog run round thm and dispupt their pattern and pace. It made him look a bit indecisive and I was surprised to get back.While the judges were discussing the brace before we were due to take part in the second round two deer jumped up from a peat hag about seventy yards in front of them and made off up the beat, disappearing behind a shoulder of the hill and when I released Jump he made off up the middle of the beat disappearing behind the same shoulder, and disappearing from the trial. It’s the only situation I can’t control him in and I’m not going to start worrying about it now.
Judy :- She also had to contend with the dhu lochs and I thought did a good job of it. The Judges obviously didn’t agree and she didn’t get another run. She handled well, ran with a bit of pace and was nice and wide. If I was to have any dog back I would have thought it should have been her.I go to trials to compete first, and report second. Yesterday was the sort of day that it was important to get the dogs back to the car after their run and I didn’t see as much of the trial as I would have liked.
