PrintIt all came down to size in the judging of the Mid-America Hound Show's grand champion foxhound, on May 7 in Lexington, Ky.
The event, hosted by Iroquois Hunt and Woodford Hounds, drew more than 400 hounds to the Kentucky Horse Park, but Live Oak's English bitch Staple topped all competitors to take the coveted grand champion trophy.
Staple bested Midland's Crossbred bitch Kill and Long Run's Penn-Marydel dog hound Sanction after careful consideration by the judges. The men--North Cotswold MFH Nigel Peel, former Vale of the White Horse MFH Martin Scott, and Howard County-Iron Bridge (Md.) huntsman Allen M. Forney--seemed to relish all three hounds but agreed that Staple's size gave her the edge.
"Midland Kill was a beautiful bitch, a really outstanding bitch, and a great mover," said Peel. "But the Live Oak won because she was bigger and moved very well. But we very much like the Penn-Marydel that was in there as well."
Scott, who had given Staple the English championship earlier in the afternoon, concurred. "Really, she was flawless," he said. "She was a class act. She was beautifully balanced, had great presence, and had wonderful movement."
Staple was bred at England's Cattistock Hunt, but it was Live Oak (Fla.) Jt.-MFH Daphne Wood who suggested breeding Cattistock Starter '96 to Cattistock Laurel '98.
"I was asked to judge Ardingly with Brian Fanshawe," she explained. "When it came to the championship, he wanted another dog, and I wanted Cattistock Starter. So I just sort of said to him, 'I am a junior judge, and I will defer to whatever you say, but look at the shoulders. My dog's got better shoulders.' So I browbeat him into picking Cattistock Starter."
Visiting the Cattistock kennel some days later, Wood suggested the mating that produced Staple.
Live Oak Rolls On
The grand championship capped a triumphant day for Wood and her husband, Marty. Their unentered Mascot also won the Crossbred dog hound championship, much to Marty Wood's delight.
"Mascot is one week past his first birthday. I thought he was a good-looking dog, and the judge thought he was, but you never know with an unentered hound," Marty said.
The Woods' Live Oak hounds were also successful in the English ring. Peel gave the nod to their Live Oak Digger, last year's grand champion, as this year's English dog hound champion.
For Peel, even the day's unplanned moments gave him an opportunity to spot some quality.
"The nicest of the unentered was a Blue Ridge hound called Pilot," he said. "He jumped out of the ring twice before we got it in, so you could see it move very well!"
A highlight for Peel was judging the stallion-with-get class, featuring two entries Peel bred. Peel chose one of them, sixth-season hound Iroquois Grundy, as the winner and cited the veteran hunter as an example of the longevity he breeds for.
In the Crossbred ring, where Peel also judged, Midland (Ga.) Jt.-MFH Mason Lampton overcame an early disappointment in the unentered bitches class to triumph in the end.
"I did show one bitch that I really liked that was small, and [Midland Jt-MFH Ben] Hardaway liked another bitch who is big," Lampton said after losing in the un-entered class. "I thought the small one might have tickled Nigel Peel's fancy, and it didn't."
The event, hosted by Iroquois Hunt and Woodford Hounds, drew more than 400 hounds to the Kentucky Horse Park, but Live Oak's English bitch Staple topped all competitors to take the coveted grand champion trophy.
Staple bested Midland's Crossbred bitch Kill and Long Run's Penn-Marydel dog hound Sanction after careful consideration by the judges. The men--North Cotswold MFH Nigel Peel, former Vale of the White Horse MFH Martin Scott, and Howard County-Iron Bridge (Md.) huntsman Allen M. Forney--seemed to relish all three hounds but agreed that Staple's size gave her the edge.
"Midland Kill was a beautiful bitch, a really outstanding bitch, and a great mover," said Peel. "But the Live Oak won because she was bigger and moved very well. But we very much like the Penn-Marydel that was in there as well."
Scott, who had given Staple the English championship earlier in the afternoon, concurred. "Really, she was flawless," he said. "She was a class act. She was beautifully balanced, had great presence, and had wonderful movement."
Staple was bred at England's Cattistock Hunt, but it was Live Oak (Fla.) Jt.-MFH Daphne Wood who suggested breeding Cattistock Starter '96 to Cattistock Laurel '98.
"I was asked to judge Ardingly with Brian Fanshawe," she explained. "When it came to the championship, he wanted another dog, and I wanted Cattistock Starter. So I just sort of said to him, 'I am a junior judge, and I will defer to whatever you say, but look at the shoulders. My dog's got better shoulders.' So I browbeat him into picking Cattistock Starter."
Visiting the Cattistock kennel some days later, Wood suggested the mating that produced Staple.
Live Oak Rolls On
The grand championship capped a triumphant day for Wood and her husband, Marty. Their unentered Mascot also won the Crossbred dog hound championship, much to Marty Wood's delight.
"Mascot is one week past his first birthday. I thought he was a good-looking dog, and the judge thought he was, but you never know with an unentered hound," Marty said.
The Woods' Live Oak hounds were also successful in the English ring. Peel gave the nod to their Live Oak Digger, last year's grand champion, as this year's English dog hound champion.
For Peel, even the day's unplanned moments gave him an opportunity to spot some quality.
"The nicest of the unentered was a Blue Ridge hound called Pilot," he said. "He jumped out of the ring twice before we got it in, so you could see it move very well!"
A highlight for Peel was judging the stallion-with-get class, featuring two entries Peel bred. Peel chose one of them, sixth-season hound Iroquois Grundy, as the winner and cited the veteran hunter as an example of the longevity he breeds for.
In the Crossbred ring, where Peel also judged, Midland (Ga.) Jt.-MFH Mason Lampton overcame an early disappointment in the unentered bitches class to triumph in the end.
"I did show one bitch that I really liked that was small, and [Midland Jt-MFH Ben] Hardaway liked another bitch who is big," Lampton said after losing in the un-entered class. "I thought the small one might have tickled Nigel Peel's fancy, and it didn't."
