The road by those interested in both showing and Field Trialing is certainly a very challenging one. There has not been a Dual Champion since Mrs Wormald’s Knaith Banjo, born in 1946, but a few kennels can claim achievements in both areas. The influence of the Holgate kennel, particularly FT Ch. Holdgate Willie, has already been mentioned. He is grandfather to Susan Scales Manymills Drake, a two-day Open Stake winner and winning show dog. Drake sired Ch. Abbeystead Heron’s Court born of in 1985, out of Charway Seashell. Heron’s Court, owned my Mrs Lynne Minchella, won several Field Trial awards.
Drake also sired the Field Trial winners, Treherne Fairly Gamer at Leospring and Treherne Gameeospring, wo both won awardsFall at by Pluto at Championship shows. Leospring Mars Marine (sired by Pluto of Abbotsleigh), was another two-day Open Stake winnig dog with Championship show awards, and all three of these dogs were out of Buttsash Polly Flinders of Leospring. This bitch was a daughter of Bridget Docking’s Ch. Squire of Ballyduff, who was a winner of Field Trial awards, and the fourth in a line of Ballyduff black dog champions, who were also good workers.
Ch. Timspring Sirius was a son of Eng. Am. Ch. Ballyduff Seaman, the first in this line of Champions. Sirius was owned by Joan Macan, who owned several dogs who were sucessful at trials, and he was sired to Secret Song of Lawnwoods, owned by Marjorie Satterthwaite. Song sired FT Ch. Styleside Hawk, owned by Mr. J. Leeson, as well as Ch. Elowood Soul Singer, owned by Jean Reader, who has also Field Trial awards. He, in turn sired Eileen Ayling’s Meadowmill Tap on Wood who won a novice dog/novice handler stake at Reserve CC. Soul Singer was also grandfather to another Reserve CC winner in the Field Trial awards, and this was Westonholmer Dark Warloc, owned by Ann Clements.
The dual purpose route, although difficult, will, hopefully, always have it’s followers. There are still a few kennels who insist upon ther working dogs being good representativs of the Standard, and there are also still some show judges who work their dogs and therefore bear this aspect in mind when judging. The dream of another Dual Champion may prove to be permanently elusive. However, its pursuit can only be a good thing for the breed, helping to maintain the true Labrador type, which the forefathers of the breed sought to preserve.
Weitere Infos – Siehe Anhang | Attachments…
- written by Joy Veturi-Rose (Leospring)
- from: The Labrador Retriever Today | Carol Coode