Event: Miller's Heat Seeker Named Champion; Faithful, Runner-Up of the
Result: Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Lacey Township, New Jersey

Post Date: Dec 18, 2023

Submitted By: Joe Lordi

Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship Winners (l-r): Muriel Primm, Bill Primm, Mike Tracy with Miller's Heat Seeker, Gus Allimonos (judge), and Will Dunn with Faithful.

The Middle Atlantic Bird Dog Association, in conjunction with the English Setter Club of America, ran their annual events at the Dr. Hunter Wilcox Field Trial Ground in Greenwood Forest, Lacey Township, New Jersey. This included the Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship, the Bill Beyer Open Derby Classic, and the Bill & Muriel Primm Amateur Shooting Dog Classic. The grounds were in excellent shape. The birds were in abundance as the grounds were host to several trials prior to our running. The Middle Atlantic Bird Dog Association and the English Setter Club spared no expense to make sure there were numerous coveys on the grounds. The birds were fed throughout the month, making this and other events truly amazing.

We would like to thank Joe Cincotta for all his hard work. He did the lion's share of the pretrial work, from helping with judges to ordering awards and judges' gifts, planning bird releases, and working with other clubs that ran prior to this trial. There were no limits to the work he did to make these trials a huge success.

The Southern Bird Hunters Association has been a wonderful organization to work with; they definitely have the interest of supporting field trials as their core values. We cannot thank them enough for all their support. We must thank some key sponsors of the Southern Bird Hunters Association. SportDOG provided a track and train unit for the winner, a training collar for second place, and a bark collar for third place in the Bill & Muriel Primm Amateur Shooting Dog Classic. This was very much appreciated by all the winners. Eukanuba provided sample dog food that was handed out to many of the participants, judges, and spectators.

Muriel Primm provided dinner on Saturday night during the amateur stake, and Karen Saniga made a delicious lunch for all on Saturday. Matt Basilone planted birds for the amateur and derby and made daily trips to pick up birds. Lloyd Miller helped feed the birds and was helpful in planting birds and being there for morning coffee.

Bob Brooks is absolutely an unsung hero of the trial. He ran the dog truck for these trials and others during our time at Greenwood. We cannot thank him enough for giving up his time to help make these trials a huge success. Dedicating over two weeks of his time to make sure the dogs were ready to go at the breakaway and were returned to their proper spot was no small ask. Not many people would be willing to do this. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for all you do to help the field trials run smoothly at Greenwood.

The Bill Beyer Open Derby Classic judges were Dan Jolly of Chatsworth, New Jersey, and Ed McCay of Manasquan, New Jersey. We would like to thank them for their time in the saddle. This trial ran on Monday, October 16. Mike Tracy handled all three winners. First, with two finds and an outstanding race, was Pal's Prestigious Pete. Second was Jack Daniel's If You Please with four finds and a strong race, and third was Hauser's Unhinged with three finds and a good race.

The Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship judges were Jeff Smith from Chase City, Virginia, and Gus Allimonos from Tabernacle, New Jersey. We cannot thank Jeff enough for jumping in and helping us out at the last minute. This year was extremely tough securing judges, and due to an injury while working on an excavator, John Malone had to cancel one week before the trial. We wish John a speedy recovery. We were extremely close to canceling the trial when Jeff agreed to come up and judge. Both Jeff and Gus rode hard and attentively watched all the dogs, only picking up dogs when they made a mistake. Their placements were well received.

We started the Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship on Tuesday. The weather was pleasant for the dogs and participants until Friday, when the weather was rainy and cool. Both dogs that were placed ran in the cold rain on Friday.

Champion Miller's Heat Seeker took top honors with a big race and 11 finds for handler Mike Tracy. Heat Seeker ran in the second to last brace with owners Bill and Muriel Primm riding in the gallery. Heat Seeker ("Woody") laid down a strong race with 11 stylish finds, two backs, and an unproductive. Woody is no stranger to the winners' circle, having won several championships and being a consistent top performer in every trial he runs. He is owned by the partnership of Dennis Hood, Jack and Fran Miller, and Bill and Muriel Primm, and his future is bright.

Faithful, a pointer female owned by Susan and Roger Duerksen, completed the sweep for Mike Tracy. Running in the last brace Friday morning, Faithful scored nine finds perfectly with excellent style. Faithful had a smooth, forward race that required little to no scouting. This earned Faithful the runner-up spot and a clean sweep for handler Mike Tracy. Both dogs were scouted by Will Dunn.

Closest to the Winners
In the 12th brace, Waybetter Rebel had a strong race and scored six finds, a back, and an unproductive. In the eighth brace, Bittersweet War Cry was the first contender to get the judges' attention; he had a smooth race and hunted well with five finds and a back. Jolene Jolene laid down a torrid race, earning six classy finds and a back running in the first brace on the second day.

The Bill and Muriel Primm Amateur Shooting Dog Classic ran on the weekend following the Middle Atlantic Open Shooting Dog Championship. We would like to thank Doug Ray and Joe Cincotta for judging. We drew 19 dogs, and again, there were numerous coveys on the grounds, giving all the dogs numerous opportunities to prove themselves. Brian Sanchez took the blue ribbon with Great River Yellowstone fresh off his Region 1 Championship. Calico's Country Strong took second with Alex Smith handling. Cheyenne Jack completed the winners' circle for handler Joe Lordi and owner Sal Morelli. All three dogs had numerous covey finds and strong forward races.

Lacey Township, N. J., October 16 - One Course
Judges: Gus Allimonos and Jeff Smith
MIDDLE ATLANTIC OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 49 Pointers and 7 Setters
Winner-MILLER'S HEAT SEEKER, 1674886, pointer male, by Just Irresistible-Miller's Bring The Heat. William & Muriel Primm, Dennis Hood & Jack & Fran Miller, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.
Runner-Up-FAITHFUL, 1684597, pointer female, by Waybetter Rocky-Steel City Karen. Susan & Roger Duerksen, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.
Judges: Joe Cincotta and Doug Ray
MIDDLE ATLANTIC BILL & MURIEL PRIMM AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC
[One-Hour Heats] - 18 Pointers and 1 Setter
1st-GREAT RIVER YELLOWSTONE, 1688796, pointer male, by Fastforward's B K Gunner-Wiggins Miss Stella. Great River Kennel, owner; Brian Sanchez, handler.
2d-CALICO'S COUNTRY STRONG, 1679850, pointer female, by Waybetter Rocky-Calico's Touch of Class. Calico Kennels, owner; Alex Smith, handler.
3d-CHEYENNE JACK, 1668503, pointer male, by Great River Ice-Blaze's Isis. Muriel & Bill Primm & Sal Morelli, owners; Joe Lordi, handler.

Middle Atlantic Bill & Muriel Primm Amateur Shooting Dog Classic Winners (l-r): Melissa Basilone, Brian Sanchez, Marcus Ramseur (scout) with Great River Yellowstone, Sophia Ramseur, Muriel Primm, Alex and Brayden Smith with Calico's Country Strong, Tiffani Smith, Doug Ray (judge), Joe Lordi with Cheyenne Jack, and Joe Cincotta (judge).

Judges: Dan Jolly and Ed McCay
BILL BEYER OPEN DERBY - 12 Pointers and 2 Setters
1st-PAL'S PRESTIGIOUS PETE, 1702741, pointer male, by Waybetter Jay-Clarendon's Black Eyed Sue. Lou Palazzolo, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.
2d-JACK DANIEL'S IF U PLEASE, 1705284, pointer male, by Miller's High Heat Index-Osceola's Seminole Wind. Jim & Theresa Morrell, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.
3d-HAUSERS UNHINGED, 1706301, pointer male, by Lester's Storm Surge-Hauser's Cotton Dots. Sean & Deb Hauser, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.

Bill Beyer Open Derby Winners (l-r): Will Dunn with Pal's Prestigious Pete, Mike Tracy with Jack Daniel's If U Please, and Joe Lordi with Hausers Unhinged.