IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • JUNE/JULY 2013
Mrs. Alastair Jackson, ex-MFH Moreton UK, judged the “35 or more Couple” ring, which looked at first like a sparring contest between Midland and Live Oak, but turned into Mooreland’s day of glory. Live Oak “Assault” claimed the Reserve Dog Champion and Best Unentered Hound. Midland “Tony” garnered the Crossbred Dog Championship. Mooreland came into its own when “Wary” won the Entered Bitch class and continued to dance her way into the record books, earning the Crossbred Bitch Championship over Why Worry “Agatha” who garnered the reserve tri-color. The daughter of 2007 Grand Champion Fox River Valley “Keg” met and bested “Keg’s” grandson, Midland “Tony,” for the Crossbred title. Jones-Evans had every reason to celebrate nine seasons as Mooreland’s huntsman. He had spent two years each with Midland and Fox River Valley, learning and establishing great connections. He arranged a mating between Whiskey Road “Windfall” and Midland “Penn” that produced Mooreland “Wedlock” and three years ago Jones-Evans bred “Wedlock” to “Keg”: the result was Mooreland “Wary,” this year’s Grand Champion, who just finished her first season. English Foxhounds Blue Ridge “Monarch” placed first in Unentered Dog and carried home the Reserve Dog Championship. Live Oak added to their trophy collection with wins by “Steamy” (Best Brood Bitch), “Farquhar” (Best Stallion Hound), and “Maximus” (Stallion Shown With Three Get). Alastair Jackson, ex-MFH Moreton (UK), bestowed the English Dog Championship on Live Oak “Dandy.” Hillsboro earned bragging rights when their “Sable” won the Bitch championship, Best Unentered English Hound over Blue Ridge “Monarch” and then triumphed over Live Oak “Dandy” for the English breed title. Hillsboro Hunt Secretary William D. Haggard IV said, “Henry Hooker’s pack has been a running pack, a great hunting pack, and our hounds were good in field trials, and now all of a sudden we’re getting there in the hound shows. This was our first championship at the Virginia Hound Show. It’s the best we’ve ever done, and the whole club is ecstatic.” Huntsman Johnny Gray declared, “Sable was a gift from Live Oak as a puppy, and we’re awfully grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Wood for their generosity. Sable will be important and improve our breeding program for Champion English Foxhound years to come. It Hillsboro “Sable.” was great – all day our people were calling Henry. Henry’s nephew Orrin Ingram, one of our three masters, and Bill Haggard were both updating him. Henry’s still on cloud nine – we all are.” Gray has been Hillsboro’s huntsman for 33 years and served as one of the panelists for Saturday’s whipper-in seminar. “I think they should have more seminars like this, even for field members – any aspect of hunting that’s educational and makes the public better aware,” he emphasized. “It was a great seminar and had a lot of information and positive thoughts about hunting and hounds.” Penn-Marydel Foxhounds Mrs. Jane T. Fowler, AKC judge, and Scott Dove, MFH
Old Dominion, awarded top honors to Aiken’s Shakerag “Sarah” as Best Registered Brood Bitch. With two offspring that had won two years ago with their sire, “Sarah” won the Brood Bitch or Stallion with Get class. “Sarah” harvested the Registered Penn-Marydel Bitch Championship, but curtsied to Golden’s Bridge “Phoenix” for the breed championship. Long Run Hounds won four classes, and their “Shawnee” claimed the reserve tri-color for the Listed Hound Championship, won by Marlborough “Snowie.” Golden’s Bridge winners included three firstplaced Couple, “Riley” won Stallion Hound and their “Savvy” (Registered Bitch, Unentered) beat Moore County “Ensign” for the Registered Unentered PennMarydel Hound Championship. “Phoenix did well as a puppy and, last year, as an unentered hound, he won every class at Virginia, so I expected him to do well this year,” admitted Ciaran Murphy, huntsman for Golden’s Bridge. “He’s very correct. He has great legs and great feet. It’s also great that he’s such a good hunting dog. It was nice to see so many nice hounds across the boards. We did well with our bitches and with our dogs – eight first place ribbons overall, six seconds and thirds and fourths. It was a very good show.” Performance Hound Class & Sporting/ Social Traditions The Ben Hardaway III Perpetual Cup, awarded to the Best Sanctioned Performance Trial Hound, went home with Full Cry “Clifton.” Midland “Lottie” finished second, followed by Full Cry “Lara” and “Luxury.” The class takes place after the pack classes and before the judging of the Grand Championship. A good-sized crowd stayed the distance, enjoying “hospitality” courtesy of Farmington Hunt’s Pat Butterfield, MFH; Sherry Buttrick, ex-MFH; and Tom Bishop, ex-MFH. At noon on Sunday Junior Handlers competed in the Penn-Marydel ring for judges K.T. Atkins and Amanda Choby. Willow Bennett, representing Golden’s Bridge, won the 10 and unders, while Old Dominion’s Connor Poe prevailed in the 11 to 16 group. Tactics to coax hounds to strut their stuff entertained all who watched. The official reception to celebrate the seasonal opening of the Museum of Hounds and Hunting of North America took place Saturday evening in the MHHNA wing of the Morven Park mansion. The exhibits are delightful and worth a trip to bask in the hallowed timelessness of ars venatica. Upstairs in the ballroom, enthusiasts enjoyed the buffet while meeting up with people they might not have seen since last year. The Virginia Foxhound Club’s annual subscription dinner took place under the big tent on the mansion’s front lawn. When the horn blowing contest got underway, a decent crowd jockeyed for position. Ciaran Murphy (Golden’s Bridge) won his first ever hornblowing contest, Dale Barnett (Live Oak) finished second, with third place to Steve Farrin (Amwell Valley). On Sunday after the Grand Championship guests mingled near the big tent on the lawn. The Decorated Museum of Hounds and Hunting “limos” continued to ferry guests to the kennels and various parking areas. Perfect weather continued, the air spiced with the melodious voices of hounds enjoying themselves after an eventful day. “In my opinion there is no finer show than Virginia and both Joan Jones and Bob Ferrer deserve all the credit in the world,” commented van Nagell. “Joan has stood for excellence for so many years and, since Bob joined the show, Virginia is even more outstanding.” For more information: www.mfha.org and www.virginiafoxhoundclub.org.
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Single English Dog Unentered and Reserve Dog Champion Blue Ridge “Monarch.”
Reserve Penn-Marydel Foxhound Aiken’s Shakerag “Sarah.”
Champion Penn-Marydel Golden’s Bridge “Phoenix” and Ciaran Murphy.
The Ben Hardaway III Perpetual Cup, awarded to the Best Sanctioned Performance Trial Hound Full Cry “Clifton.”