Unfortunately we arrived at the race track yesterday to learn that racing was cancelled due to the track being waterlogged. However, the good news is that everyone is working hard to make sure the track is in top notch condition for next Sunday’s Derby and Fun Day. So regardless of weather conditions next week we’re guaranteed to have a great day.

Always one to turn a setback into an advantage, our little Beanie took the opportunity to flirt with the fastest whippet in the club and weedle a few training tips out of him. Now obviously we can’t divulge training secrets, but suffice to say we headed straight for Irvine beach for a serious workout. ;)

Lots of people have been asking us for more details about the Caledonian Thistle Pedigree Whippet Racing Club Fun Day.  So here it is again:

Whippet, Lurcher, Beagle racing and even Ferret racing!; Shows for all breeds and ages of dog; Any breed of dog can have a go at chasing the lure; raffles; hot and cold snacks; A great doggy day out for the whole family.

Download the flyer for more info

How to get there……

Inch Farm is close to Longannet Power Station so if you’re using Sat Nav or AA/RAC route finder head for that (FK10 4AA).

After you cross Kincardine bridge keep following the road around to the right (following the coast). After a short distance you’ll come to a roundabout. Take the third exit (towards Longannet Power Station).

A short distance down the road (perhaps 100m) you’ll see a farm road on the right. There will be cars parked in the field and Whippets & Beagles. Turn down the farm road and then an immediate left onto a muddy, bumpy track. Go straight past the little bit of parking on the left and drive into the field to park.

Racing day again, and Beanie did very well! Due to bad weather, illness and a clash with a dog show only three Beagles turned up today. Sam, Murphy and Beanie. Still, we were pleased because Sam and Murphy are two of the best dogs and it meant that Beanie would get plenty of chance to gain experience running against them.

Today’s race was a handicap. All of the dogs were weighed and were given a starting position according to weight. I think everyone would have been suprised if Beanie hadn’t won this one as the dogs weighed in as follows:

Murphy : 42 lbs
Sam : 38 lbs
Beanie : 22 lbs

Sam got a 2 foot head start over Murhpy, and Beanie got a whopping 10 foot head start over Sam. The boys did well and very nearly made up the distance. But Beanie hung on to her lead and that made her the official winner of todays racing. But things got better and better for Beanie….

In the next race the starting order was reversed, so Beanie started last, Sam 10 feet in front of her and Murhpy 1 foot in front of Sam. Sam came first followed by Murphy then Beanie. However, Beanie actually ran much faster in this race as she lost very little ground.

Then the handicap was reduced, with only one yard between each dog’s starting position. Beanie won!

Finally we did a couple of scratch races in which Beanie came a very close third in the first one (I can’t remember who won), and second in the next one (behind Murphy).

Derby day is only two weeks away, but it’s beginning to look like our little super-pup could be in with a fighting chance! OK, so maybe the boys were having an off day, but she’s still maturing and getting significantly faster every week. But then again, a couple of the Mochuisle Beagles did extremely well last week and it was their first time. So it’s hard to guess who the winner will be. It should be great fun!

Paul didn’t have the camera with him today as it was so wet, but here’s a snap that Beanie’s proud mummy just took of her with all of her medals and rosettes from the racing.

These are mostly for racing, but there’s also a couple of “Best Beagle” and “Best Dog” show wins and her 5k road race medal.

The Derby on the 17th is by all accounts a really fun day. It’s open to all breeds of dog, and anyone can take their dog to have a go at chasing the lure. I highly recommend it.

Click her to download the Fun Day Flyer in PDF format.

[Note: when the above slide show stops, click the close box in the top right to start it again!]

There was a huge turnout for the racing today, and it was accompanied by gloriously hot, sunny weather. In fact the afternoon sun was so hot that a hose was set up – so owners could give their dogs a cooling shower between races. Even then some dogs had to retire early!

It was a great day for Beanie. She ran hard…

…and came second in both of her heats, just losing out each time to race veteran and powerhouse Sam. Here’s a clip of one of her heats:

(If the video doesn’t play, try clicking here)

She made it through to the final, where she had to compete against not only Sam, but the other two speed kings Murphy and Milo.  The three boys ran a very close, fast race but Murphy had the edge and claimed the crown. Beanie came in last, but there’s no shame in that – she was up against the (current) three fastest Beagles in the club after all!

Victory clearly tastes sweet for Murphy!

Our friends Kathleen and Neil entered 5 of their Beagles this time. One of them bagged a rosette for winning the consolation race – and it was his first ever time at the racing! I think he could do very well in the coming weeks.

Once the serious racing was over, there was the traditional all-together “fun” run. With so many Beagles (and one cuddly Tibetan Terrier) on the start line, video was the only way to go:

(If the video doesn’t play, try clicking here)

Sam came in first, followed by Murphy. Beanie came in third – another great result for our little pup. When I stopped filming and went to catch her, I had trouble finding her amidst all the other Beagles. Then I spotted Sam and Murphy having a tug of war with the lure (just ‘cos it’s stopped moving doesn’t mean it’s dead!), and there she was, trying to grab her own piece of the prey. She’s definitely got the racing bug, big time!

I took a lot of shots of the racing and the fun dog show afterwards. There’s no room to post them all up here, so instead I put some of the better ones in a slideshow at the top of this post. If your dog’s in there and you’d like a full size copy of a piccie, or a full quality copy of either of the vids, please just drop me a line at BeanieTheBeagle@googlemail.com!