DOLLAR was the first new hound of 2010 to win two March trials,  scoring for the second time on Monday at Lamplugh.
 
He had finished well to win at Moota on Thursday and was equally impressive over the Lamplugh course.
 
Joseph Abram, Nicola and Darren McMaster's charge had sown with a handy lead and that was increased on the run to the line where he had a comfortable win over Sarah Mackereth's Westgate Gypsy and Ann Reay's Ruler. The winning distance was estimated at 40 yards but the first three had finished well clear of the rest.

There was an instant response from the pups when they went back to Boonwood on Wednesday, showing they had learnt well from the initial outing on Monday. They knocked four minutes exactly off the first time.

Four of the youngsters who had ticketed on Monday were again in the first six, with previous runner-up Reg Bell’s Enoch getting home first this time.

By Dairy Knight out of Nikki, Enoch beat Dobson and Shaw’s Sky’s the Limit by a couple of yards. Sky’s the Limit (by Calzaghe out of Paris) had been sixth at the opening trial. These two had pulled nicely clear of Temperance.

Monday’s winner Pot Luck was fifth this time while Warden was consistent, again finishing fourth.

The seniors knocked almost a minute and a half of Monday’s time as Malcolm and Steven Middleton's four-year-old Party Popper won comfortably from Tynan and Fowler's Molly Malone with Roly and Brenda Johnstone's Black Poppy in third.

At Moota on Thursday Dollar looked useful in the way he finished to beat Gambler with a few lengths to spare.

By Fleetwood Mac out of Toffee Girl, and trained/owned by Joseph Abram, Nicola and Darren McMaster Dollar was a handy second on the whistle before making his move.

The runner-up, Michael Hill’s Gambler is by Dairy Knight out of Nikki while Alan Blacklock’s Kirkbride bitch Blackbird (Mambo/Busy Time) was in third.

There was a tidy entry of 33 for the senior trial in which Jack and Rhona Watson's Whitby Steps just had too much toe for the Towers’ family’s seasoned veteran Calzaghe and Ian Fleet's Red Pike.

A total of 17 hounds went for the shorter trail when the verdict went to Pawley, Burrow, Hodgson and Bell's Davina from a trio of entries by Maurice Bewley -  Lady Agenda (a bitch pup by Agenda out of Howe Bess), Duet and Zenda.

At Low Place on Saturday Wilson & Stainton's Tiagress looked all over the winner as she came to the finish with a handy lead. Even at the final obstacle she still seemed to enough in hand but the chasing group swallowed her up and she could only manage fourth in the end.

It was pretty tight between the first three but the Crosby family's Temperance did enough by half a length to beat her litter sister, Ken Routledge’s Vigilant with Jackie close up in third for Laidler and Bunting.

The leading pair are out of Regularity and sired by the 2006 senior champion Dairy One. Jackie is by Agenda out of Howe Bess.

A very large slip of 45 hounds got the senior trial away and it proved a good exercise for the Geoff and Gillian Higgin’ kennel as their two Chardonnay and Shiraz were first and third.

Denying them the one-two was Pawley, Burrow, Hodgson and Bell's Della.

They were also back at Moota on Saturday for the third time in the March trial series – and a third different puppy winner.

This time it was the Johnston family’s Wicked who proved sharpest, getting home in the end from Thorn Boy with Thursday’s runner-up Gambler in third,

Wicked is by Calzaghe out of the 2004 Bitch Produce winner Paris with Thorn Boy by Brad the Lad out of Speculation.

There was a good finish to the senior trail when any one of a dozen could have won  As it worked-out Levi finished best of all to beat White Diamond with Kelly Mac in third.

The all in was won by the late Jimmy Glaister’s Westgate Renney but unfortunately the second ticket went unclaimed and no further details were given out.

There were two venues on Sunday and at Coniston conditions were beautiful for the afternoon trials.
 
Although just a small field of five pups contested the opener the two leaders knuckled down to produce a very good race.

At the tape there just about a length in it as the west Cumbrian bitch Angel followed and then passed Denise Bland and Denis Barrow’s Huntsman’s Future. Les Tyson’s Lady Louise was fairly close-up in third place.

The Donaldson’s Angel is out of Lady Ryan’s by Fleetwood Mac while Huntsman’s Future is by Shane out of Alpha Lady. The Ulverston-based Lady Louise was sired by Dairy One out of Regularity.

Sixteen senior hounds contested the second trial and it was the Bland and Barrow partnership which held all the aces, finishing first, second and third.

Huntsman's Charm beat Jenny's Dream by half a length with Huntsman's Chance close up third and this leading trio had a good advantage over the remainder.

There was good turn-out on an almost spring-like day at Plumpton, also on Sunday, and it was first time round for the pups.
 
They did it very well and several had a chance on the finish as seven of them had pulled away from the other six.
 
Consequently it was tight at the line between the first four and there were only a few yards between them.
 
The verdict involving the first four went to Alec and Jackie Steele's Poker Face, from Wendy Dawson and Penny Swanton's Ooh-La-La!; the Loan family's Jacob McClink and Brian Graham and Les McTear's Tagget.
 
Poker Face is by Hill Breeze out of Seven Up, as is Jacob McClink while the runner-up is out of Lady Ryan’s by Fleetwood Mac. Tagget was sired by Dairy One from the former champion’s mating with Bretton.
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Malcolm Holmes and Margaret Baxter's Sundown led into sight in the hounds, but was just beaten for speed to the tape by the Dawson family's three-year-old Beyoncé, with the McLean and Lyon's Claymore in third. There wasn’t much between the first three though.
 
There was better fortune for the Holmes kennel in the All-In, when Malcolm and Ann's Sunshine overtook Hugo and Hope’s High Challenge on the run-in, with Metcalf and McCluskey's Toffee Supreme in third.

The first six pups at Plumpton are pictured above - left to right: Poker-Face, Ooh-La-La!, Tagget, Jacob McClink, Blackbird and Kingdom.
 
At Lamplugh on Monday we’ve already discussed Dollar’s second trial win in the pups but in the senior trail a total of 53 hounds took part.

The Cockermouth kennel of John Grisedale and Heidi Messenger did remarkably well in such a big field to produce first, second and fourth.

There had been a good battle between the two pace-makers but it was Relentless who had two lengths on kennel-mate Matador while the third representative Roulette as just beaten for third by Reg Smith's Alliance.

The Fixtures Committee will be holding its first meeting this coming Sunday, when the April fixtures will be confirmed.

The hound trailing fraternity suffered another loss this week when Ronnie Walker of Lowick died on Sunday aged 75.

Ronnie owned a number of hounds with his wife Dot and their most memorable year was in 1983 when River Glen won the senior championship with 32 wins.
 
This year Border River is their representative, sired by their own breed line River Tyne. 

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