Hunting Great Yorkshire Hound Show
Huntsman Paul Larby enjoys a superb day at Harrogate, taking both championships, while High Peak Batman 10 dominates in the harrier ring
FOXHOUND classes at the Great Yorkshire Show were contested by 19 different packs, including the Thurlow and North Shropshire showing here for the first time, but 2018 was also notable for the absence of established southern raiders that have often secured top honours. Richard Tyacke MFH, who is in his 15th and final season as the Wynnstay’s jointmaster and huntsman, judged the doghounds with Henry Bailey MFH, who is in his first season at the Ludlow.
Tynedale Asteroid won the opening class after he moved gracefully and stood over more ground than the Bedale’s wellproportioned Rustic in second, with the North Shropshire making a good start by securing third place with Target. Asteroid’s siblings, Ascot and Ashby, were clearly the best unentered couples, with the Bedale again having to settle for second place in front of a smart old English couple from the Percy. Asteroid was a convincing winner of the unentered championship, and is an exciting prospect for the future.
The entered couples class was a triumph for the North Shropshire, whose MFH Peter McColgan has tasted many previous successes at Harrogate during his time as kennel-huntsman to the Middleton; Spaniard and Spartan 17 are a well-matched couple with old English lines to the Percy and West Waterford in Ireland.
A combination of uniform size, substance and quality won the two-couple class for the Grove and Rufford in a contest with a smaller but active Zetland quartet, which have more than a smattering of hill blood and moved like quicksilver across the ring. Old English blood was again prominent when the Percy reminded spectators of their hounds’ quality by taking third place in this prestigious class.
The judges agreed that the stallion class for the Anthony Preston memorial trophy was the most competitive of the morning, and awarded first prize to the Grove and Rufford’s Latimer
16, ahead of his litter brother, Lancer, and classy entries from the Zetland and West of Yore. Six packs contested the doghound championship, which had in effect been decided in the strong previous class, in which Latimer prevailed over his brother Laxton. According to Richard Tyacke, the
lemon and white broken-coated champion “has lovely size and scope without being heavy.”
Dominic Jones, recently retired after a decade at the helm of the South Dorset, and Oliver Dale MFH, in his first season at the North Cotswold, appraised the bitches after lunch.
The Thurlow’s elegant Starling and Stonechat impressed the moment they came into the ring for the opening restricted class, which was stronger than the morning equivalent. These striking pale bitches duly secured first and second place, and also edged out their Grove and Rufford cousins to win the subsequent couples class.
Thurlow Starling was deemed to be the best unentered bitch at the show, which meant that both unentered championships had, unusually, been won by contestants from classes restricted to packs that have not won an open class at a recognised hound show in the preceding two years. The Thurlow’s triumphant siblings were bred by their new MFH Nigel Peel at Broadway, who has delighted the hunting world by taking on these hounds after 20 successful seasons at the North Cotswold.
The Zetland’s quality northern hounds garnered a red rosette in a carefully deliberated entered couples contest with their lovely broken-coated and blue mottled duo, Apple and Avril 16, but had to settle for second place behind the Grove and Rufford’s commanding two-couple in the following class. The same pack produced Lusty 16 to win the Bobby Corbett Memorial Trophy for the best brood bitch, with her kennel-mate, Bangle 14, preferred to the Morpeth’s attractive Crayfish 14.
Lusty, who is a beautifully proportioned yet rangy bitch, went one better than her reserve championship at Harrogate last year to secure the supreme accolade ahead of her kennelmate Glitter 17 and put the seal on a remarkable day for the Grove and Rufford. Dog and bitch champions are both by Curre and Llangibby Lancer 14, whose blood goes back to lines nurtured by the Grove and Rufford huntsman Paul Larby since the very start of his career in hunt service.
“Lusty is an exceptional bitch, but it was wonderful to see the show well supported by so many other northern packs as well as some quality old English hounds competing on level terms,” said Oliver Dale afterwards.
HARRIERS
THERE is a real buzz around the harrier stud book at the moment following work by the Association of Harriers and Beagles led by their vice-chairman Sue Simmons, who is also master of the Holcombe Harriers. After some welcome research by Ed Knowles (now master of the Tedworth but formerly with the Waveney) into the remaining bloodlines of what is an endangered breed, there is a determination to preserve as many as possible despite packs breeding and keeping fewer hounds in the current climate.
This enthusiasm for these most stylish of hounds has spilt into the show ring and all the northern packs and two from Norfolk were present.
With many of the packs local to the show, the ringside was packed with vociferously partisan supporters and victorious holloas greeted each result. The day belonged to the evergreen High Peak Batman 10, shown by the Holcombe. He won the stallion hound class and sired both champions, again from the Holcombe, the black and tan Barrister 12 and the dreamy Disco 15 who, like her mother Diva 10, oozed quality, as well as being grandsire of the unentered dog winner Holcombe Beeston.
The Pendle Forest and Craven enjoyed a return to form in the bitches with Perfect 14, a lovely, agile, West Country outcross by Cotley
Saddler 08, winning the brood bitch and her daughter
Hamper the unentered class.
She was also chosen as reserve champion bitch despite Waveney
Sparkle 16 having beaten her into third in the entered class.
The Norfolkbased Waveney found compensation with a win in the interesting group class (two dogs, two bitches) with an entry that included last year’s Peterborough champion Latimer 15, while the Rockwood took the reserve doghound championship with
Hinchcliffe 15, a more traditional type than the shortcoupled champion.
The High Peak secured the bitch couples class with the well-matched Action and Actress 16. The judges Jonnie Andrews MH (Glyn Celyn Beagles) and Lydia Freeman MH (Easton) were fulsome in their praise for the depth of quality throughout
the classes and complimented all the staff on their presentation of hounds in what is unfortunately a rather tight ring with so many entries forward.
BEAGLES
FIFTEEN packs contested the classes at this most welcoming of shows, the last under the chairmanship of popular John Haigh, who was applauded enthusiastically following an appreciation by the Great Yorkshire Show’s director Chris Hills at lunch time.
The wire fencing that replaced the solid boarding on the public side of the ring was a welcome innovation, giving them a much improved view of hounds.
Ian Arnett MH (Chilmark and Clifton Foot) and Stephen Little (formerly master of the East Lincs Harehounds) judged the doghounds. Peter Barratt, master at the North Bucks, has been quietly rebuilding the pack after a less certain period following the death of their veteran master Ken George. His efforts were rewarded by a win in the restricted dogs, appropriately with Trooper 16, the namesake of Ken’s most successful show hound.
They continued in the ribbons all day but the morning’s honours were mostly a family affair (after a win in the unentered dogs for the Christchurch and Farley Hill’s Harlequin), divided between the Ampleforth, where Mike Smith is the new huntsman, and his old pack, the Old Berkeley, where his daughter Hannah has succeeded him in kennels. The exception was in the entered dogs when the Derby and Notts and Staffs Pocket 16 triumphed. A member of their consistent litter by
Linden 12, his brother Poldark was champion here last year and another, Porlock, third.
Pocket went on to take the championship over Ampleforth Farrier 17, a smaller more traditionally built hound.
Tim Hurdley MH (Shropshire) and Mary Eames MFH (Cotley) presided over the afternoon’s classes.
The restricted winner Claro Wholesome 17 drew a great cheer from her local supporters, as did Catterick Blessed 15 in third. The unentered and entered classes went to southern raiders, the Christchurch winning the former with the red and white Gossip and the Brighton, Storrington, Surrey and North Sussex the entered with Canvas 15. Both the couples and bitch and progeny class honours returned north, being won by the Yorkshire-based Hunsley Beacon. The couples trophy was presented to them by a beaming Jean Dunn, who was their master for many years and continues a close association with the pack. Her 90th birthday was celebrated at their puppy show this year.
The judges found their champion in Brighton Stammer 11, the best brood bitch. A daughter of the influential Villain 02, she crossed the ring with an ease that belied her age. Canvas stood reserve to complete an excellent afternoon for master and huntsman Ashley Doherty who showed hounds despite having to wear a surgical boot following an awkward dismount form his bicycle when out on exercise.