We traveled to TN for our last event before Evie has her babies, and Fleura ran hard as usual. She was BOB Sunday, and then ran off with the Pharaoh Hound, Saluki, Whippet, Ridgeback and Ibizan for Best in Field, and walked away with her sixth fancy ribbon. This ultimately gave her the necessary 40 points to finish her ASFA Field Championship. We also enjoyed meeting her sister, Fera, who is sweet as can be.
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Fleura ran great this weekend at LGRA in TN. She won both meets and picked up four more points toward her GRC title, and finished her SSR title. Very proud of my girl!
We had a super fun weekend running NOTRA with our friend Kayla in Camden. We ended up staying at her house Saturday night, and the dogs were all very good house guests, despite my anxiety about not having crates. It was quite chilly, but nice during the afternoon in the sun. Dean was the meet winner both days, which finished both his Oval Racing Champion and his Senior Oval Racer. The senior titles in both NOTRA and LGRA are a nice addition, as they are based on merit vs just a participation title like the junior variety of each. They have to finish in the top half of the meet in placements to each a leg.
Dean had strong races each day, and left no question he was the fastest, as he was generally a third of the track in front of the others. However, he also showed that there's more to racing than speed, as he had a race each day where he was defeated or almost defeated due to having a softer temperament. On Saturday, he ended up boxed in by two of the girls due to a strange moment where he slowed up suddenly without obvious cause. Once he was boxed in, he wouldn't push his way through to pass them. On Sunday, Evie pulled a brat move and started harassed him right out of the box. He moved all the way to the outside with her, and then ended up behind two of the other girls. In a similar move to Saturday, once he was behind them, he would not pass them. It made me realize that he's always been so far ahead of the other dogs during racing that he isn't used to being in the middle of a group and he just doesn't know what to do with himself once he's there. Regardless, he won both his other races both days by a very long lead, and ended up as the meet winner for both days. Evie has been retired from racing - she's just too easily distracted by the other dogs when she's muzzled, and she tends to play fun police. Fortunately, she enjoys lure coursing even more than racing anyway. Another win of the weekend was watching Kayla's girl, Azula, come into her own. Azula was a very timid girl and lacked the confidence to run with other dogs a few months ago. Evie was a huge boost to her confidence in general, and specifically in lure coursing. Azula has been gradually getting more and more confident, and she was a strong runner all this weekend. It was a treat to see! We had a great time in Florida, hanging out with friends and running dogs. Dean was again the meet winner both days and finished his GRC (Gazehound Racing Championship). Fleura also won both meets and picked up two more points. We had beautiful weather and no complications. Rylan also had her first puppy run and she was on it! We had a great LGRA weekend in Ocala, FL, hanging out with great friends and running dogs. Dean was the double meet winner, earning another 5 points toward his GRC. Aiden was third on Saturday for another half point. Dean, Niko and Aiden all finished their JSR titles and Fleura got some great box practice. She is ready to run!
Fleura finished her Field Championship with a BOB for a 5 point major and a perfect score in the BOB run off. She also finished her Senior Courser this weekend and then went on to win Best in Field, running with a Greyhound, Ibizan, Basenji, Pharaoh Hound and Ridgeback. I'm super proud of this little girl!
Dean was also BOB on Saturday for 4 points toward his LCX, and Niko was third for a point. Evie was first in Specials for 5 points on Sunday, and Dean was second on for another 3 points for his LCX. The 2017 ASFA Winter Challenge in Canon, GA this year was great fun and had a wonderful Beezer entry. Everyone had a blast and Jason finished his ASFA Veteran Field Champion title with some great runs. Dean won open two days and only needs a few more points for his ASFA Field Champion after only two weekends! Evie picked up some points as well. Everyone did great, especially considering the size of the entry and the long courses.
We had a good time at my first AKC NLCC! It was held in Limestone, TN at the Kominek Farm and the courses were amazing. The first day, the hills made for the most challenging course my dogs have ever run and they did amazing. Dean and his running partner both lost the lure on their Prelim run, which was unfortunate as it put them out of the placements. They never stopped hunting for it but it was totally lost with the hills. Dean had an excellent Finals run the first day but it couldn't make up for his first score. Evie was the star, winning second and first in open, getting her second major and finishing her AKC Senior Courser title and her AKC Field Champion title in the same weekend. She also tied for the overall high scoring dog, at a full five points ahead of the next highest score. She was pretty amazing!
The hounds had a big weekend in Conyers, GA during the IHCUS Supported Memorial Day weekend trials. We had four days of all breed trials and two days of Specialties taking place in the evenings of two trial days. The trial had to be swapped from Fairburn to Conyers, GA pretty last minute due to rain and a wedding at the previous venue making the roads impassable. Everyone rolled with the change well, and the show went on. Unfortunately, the field was pretty brutal on feet and much of the Ibizan entry ended up with blown pads. However, it was still a successful weekend for the hounds! Evie debuted in Singles on Friday and finally realized what all the coursing excitement was about. She ran well, and got more sure of her body with each run. I ended up certifying her with Jason the next day and entering her in the ASFA All Breed trial, where she picked up her first 18 points. Unfortunately, she blew a pad during the Prelim run of the Specialty later in the day and it was bad enough she had to be scratched from the rest of the weekend. It was a bummer, but still overall a successful start for her. Dean was a star this weekend, picking up 36 ASFA points over three days and two AKC majors and a total of 8 AKC points, putting him at needing only a single point to finish his AKC Field Championship in just two weekends. He also finished his Senior Courser title and won the AKC Breeder Stake with his cousin, Sol, for Kamar Ibizans. Aiden ran in his usual solid manner throughout the entire trial, and picked up some more ASFA points. He is now at 71 points, so 3/4 finished with his title. Unfortunately, Aiden was recently quite sick and he vomited at one point during the final day and I scratched him. He seemed to be feeling fine at the time, and is still seemingly fine but I would rather be safe. However, Aiden and Dean did compete in every part of the event and won an "Iron Beezer" prize. Jason amazed me throughout the entire event. He won Veterans the first day for a number of points toward his V-FCh. During the ASFA Specialty, I had entered him in Field Champions to help boost points, and did not expect him to be competitive, but he surprised me by taking second place! He earned more points toward his LCM, which I had not really expected him to do. He also won the ASFA Kennel Stake with Niko. He took a day off on Sunday but came back strong on Monday to win Veterans both AKC trials for a total of 9 points, and he represented in the BOB when Niko was unable to run due to blown pads. He had a very nice run, especially for a Veteran! I'm so proud of how well he did. He won the High Scoring Veteran award, which was a very sweet prize in honor of a friend's dog who recently passed away. Niko brought home the big prizes. He had a reasonable start the first day, bringing in some ASFA points, and then blew a pad the second day. Despite this, he continued to be sound and ran heavily wrapped for the rest of the day and the ASFA Specialty. He ended up finishing his ASFA Field Championship and also won the ASFA Performance Stake and the ASFA Kennel Stake with Jason. He took Sunday off to heal and rest and came back out for the AKC Specialty. He continued to be sound, so he ran heavily wrapped and ended up winning Open for his last major, to finish his AKC Field Championship and Dual Champion title. Unfortunately, during his final run he whacked his hurt toe pad and split it open just enough to hurt. He was mildly lame when I walked him before BOB and I ended up pulling him from the run off. He also won the AKC Performance Stake again and was the Best Ibizan Male in the overall event! I'm so proud of him for hanging in there. He's come a very long way from the dog who had no interest in coursing for a whole year! |
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