Result: Georgia Derby Classic and Georgia Open Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Waynesboro, Georgia

Post Date: Feb 27, 2025

Submitted By: Nell Mobley Assisted by Mike Jackson

Georgia Open Shooting Dog Championship (front): Nell Mobley, Mike Tracy and Hailey Moreland with Miller's Extreme Heat, Silver Wings with Shawn Kinkelaar, and Mary Kimbrell. (Behind): Jeff Crouch, George Tracy, Mike Jackson, Susan Moser, Tricia Rentz, Joe Bush (judge), Bill Primm, John Ray Kimbrell, Whitley Stephenson (judge), Muriel Primm, and Tracy Swearingen.

The drawing for the above-titled stakes was held on Wednesday, January 8, at the home of Nell Mobley. Sitting at the drawing table were John Ray Kimbrell, Craig Elliott, and Chuck Miller.
Entries were accepted until 7 p.m. They were down again; however, we had a trainer with us for the first time. Scott and Jammey Miller from Beaufort, South Carolina, entered six for the Derby Classic and five for the Shooting Dog stake.

Prior to the scheduled trials, Ryan Meckel, wildlife technician at Di-Lane Plantation, and his staff worked many hours to clear the courses and paths. On September 27, our county was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Hundreds of trees were uprooted on Di-Lane. FEMA has been in our area for over four months, and clean-up has not yet been completed.

A highlight of the 2025 trials took place at the annual fish fry held on January 10 at the Waynesboro Exchange Club building, with members preparing the meal. The event is sponsored by the first-place Classic winner and Georgia Shooting Dog champion in 2024. Mike Tracy handled the Classic winner for owners Jim and Theresa Moore and Tim Moore. The Open Shooting Dog champion is owned by Debbie Ozner and handled by Shawn Kinkelaar.
"J" Mosher of Jefferson City, Tennessee, and his wife Susan have financially supported the Championship for many years. "J" passed away on May 24, 2024. John Ray Kimbrell, stake manager, presented Susan with a plaque in memory of "J," renaming the Georgia Open Shooting Dog Championship to the "J" Moser Georgia Shooting Dog Championship. Susan humbly accepted the honor while Joe Bush sang (acapella) "Glory, Glory, Glory, I Lay My Burdens Down," dedicating it to Susan. This was with a standing ovation.

Georgia Derby Classic
With eleven entries, the Classic got underway on the morning of January 10 in freezing temperatures. Riding in the saddles to name the top three dogs were John Lee of Statesboro, Georgia, and Mike Jackson of Battleground, Indiana.

Both sportsmen have judged trials in the past for us. They rode and watched each dog to name, in their opinion, the top three.

Moore's Base Hit took first place for handler Scott Miller and owner Marty Miller. Moore's Base Hit had multiple finds at 9, 21, 25, 31, and 42. Her race was forward and steady. She deserved first place.
Second place went to Millers Customized Upgrade, handled by Mike Tracy for owners Allen Linder and Madison McDonald. Upgrade had two finds at 7 and 45. She had a medium race to the front.
Third place, Cool Hand Luke, had a find at 31 with Mike Tracy navigating her for owners Bob and Linda Bergen. Point was called at 31, all in order. No birds were seen at a point at 33. The first 30 minutes were a big race, with him settling in the second half. A young derby ran a fast, forward race.
Others running in the Classic were Miss Bullette (Tracy), "Jim" (Miller), Thunder Road (Tracy), "Buzz" (Miller), "Boom" (Miller), Deena Jet (Tracy), "G" (Miller), and "Stone" (Miller).

Georgia Derby Classic. 1st place Moore's Base Hit, shown with Jammie Miller; 2nd place Miller's Customized with Hailey Moreland; 3rd place Cool Hand Luke with Payton Gunby; others Nell Mobley, Scott Miller, Joe Bush, Jeff Crouch, George Tracy, Muriel Primm, Tracy Swearingen, Madelyn McClain, Bill Primm, Mike Tracy, Joe Rentz, Tricia Rentz, Mary Kimbrell, John Ray Kimbrell.

Waynesboro, Ga., January 10
Judges: Mike Jackson and John Lee
GEORGIA DERBY CLASSIC [One-Hour Heats] - 11 Pointers
1st-MOORE'S BASE HIT, F1716833, pointer male, by B K Bonafide Stallion-B K Hirollins Wild. Marty Moore, owner; Scott Miller, handler.
2d-MILLERS CUSTOMIZED UPGRADE, F1708330, pointer male, by Miller's Upgraded Version-Hackberry Hustler. Allen Linder & Madison McDonald, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.
3d-COOL HAND LUKE, F1714223, pointer male, by Southpoint's Speedy G-Lone Tree Last Snow. Robert J. Bergen, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.

Georgia Open Shooting Dog Championship
There were 53 drawn for the Shooting Dog competition. Gary Futch was scheduled to judge the stake with Whitley Stevenson of Smithfield, North Carolina. Gary's wife, Becky, suffered from a horse accident, requiring Gary to drop out. A call to Joe Bush of Sylvester, Georgia, was made, and he gladly agreed to fill in with Whitley. Whitley and Joe watched every dog carefully and named, in their opinion, a champion and runner-up.

Miller's Extreme Heat was named champion. Mike Tracy handled her for owner Joe McHugh. Heat was credited with multiple finds at 18, 23, 36, and 45. Her race was the one to watch. She could be seen out front covering the course with a fast, classy race for the hour.
Runner-up honors went to Silver Wings, which ran in the third brace of the stake. Silver Wings set a standard to beat with two well-spaced finds at 24 and 50 and honored bracemate at 10. Tracy Swearingen guided him with a good forward race and showed in the right spots, requiring limited scouting. Wings is owned by S. Tucker Johnson of Hobe Sound, Florida.

The Others
Brace 1: Pine Straw Hot Chocolate was handled by Mike Tracy. She ran in the first brace of the stake and had hunting on her mind, requiring minimum scouting. Birds were seen when flushed at 10, 14, 23, 28, and 47, looking good on point. Chocolate backed bracemate at 17. When time was called, she could be seen out front. Upfront's Southern Star (Kinkelaar) backed Chocolate at 14. No game was seen at 10 and 17.

Brace 2: Miller's Lock and Loaded (G. Tracy) and Hirollins White Lightning (Miller). Divided finds were shared at 12 and 20. Not pleasing handlers resulted in a call for the tracker at 51.

Brace 3: Miller's Automatic Upgrade (M. Tracy) and Silver Wings (Swearingen). Upgrade had good finds at 3 and 10 and backed bracemate at 24. The retrieval device was requested at 36. Silver Wings' performance is recorded earlier in the runner-up position.

Brace 4: Waybetter Rebel (M. Tracy) and Lester's Another Shockwave (Kinkelaar). Rebel had a find at 20 with bracemate honoring. Shockwave pointed at 24 with no birds seen and ran a nice forward race. Kinkelaar picked up at 38.

Brace 5: Steel Valley Raven (M. Tracy) and Silver W. Thunderbolt's Storm (Kinkelaar). A short hour for these two with tracker requested at 15 for Raven. Storm was picked up at 27.

Brace 6: Mo's Curtain Call (M. Tracy) and Oliver's Fast Cash (Miller). Call had finds at 5 and 30 and picked up at 36 for not heeding to training. Cash honored call at 5. The tracker was requested at 17.

Brace 7: Miller's Extreme Heat (M. Tracy) is reported as the champion earlier in the report. Erin's Primetime (Swearingen). Time stopped at 5 following a commendable relocation. Primetime's favorable finds were at 9 and 36 and honored Heat at 23. For the most part, his race was forward.

Brace 8: Miller's High Heat Index (M. Tracy) and Hale's Smooth Touch (Kinkelaar). Index was hunting in the right place and it turned profitable with multiple finds at 5, 12, 15, 29, and 36 and complemented with a forward race. Touch pointed feathers at 5 and was picked up at 15.

Brace 9: Miller's Little Duce Coupe (G. Tracy) and Haney's Pure Joy (Kinkelaar). Coupe had a nice find at 15. Tracy requested the tracker at 26. Joy had an up at 6 and backed bracemate at 15, followed by a pick up.

Brace 10: Miller's Southern Gossip (G. Tracy) and Great River Yellowstone (Swearingen). Gossip had hunting on her mind with finds at 14, 20, 31, 41, and 51. All in order complimented with a medium forward race. Yellowstone had finds at 14 and 20, honored bracemate at 31 followed with early pick up.

Brace 11: Backcountry Snake Eyes (M. Tracy) and Thunder Bolt's Storm (Kinkelaar). Short time for these two. Tracy asked for the tracker at 20 with Storm picked up at 37.

Brace 12: Miller's Heat Seeker (G. Tracy) and Hirollins Talkin Smack (Miller). Heat Seeker pointed early in the brace at 2, followed by well-spaced finds at 36, 50, and 59. The find at 2 required relocation. His race was strong and forward. Smack backed Seeker at 2, followed with back luck, and was harnessed at 28.

Brace 13: Miller's Strolling For Gold (G. Tracy) was picked up at 17. Georgian (Kinkelaar) ran a forward race with good finds at 25, 31, 34, and 52.

Brace 14: Pal's Prestigious Pete (G. Tracy) and Erin's Three Leaf Shamrock (Swearingen). Pete was not pleasing Tracy with a request for the tracker at 26. Shamrock started well with finds at 13, 16, and 45. He was running a medium race when picked up at 52.

Brace 15: R Q's Saddle (G. Tracy) and Big Man On Campus (Kinkelaar). No birds were seen for Saddle, with a point at 10 and the tracker requested at 30. Campus had an unproductive at 14 and was picked up at 19.

Brace 16: Trumped (G. Tracy) and Bellstar (Miller). No game was seen with a point at 3 for Trumped, and he was harnessed at 26. Bellstar had finds at 3 and 13. Birds were lifted at 47 in deep cover. For the most part, she was credited with a forward race.

Brace 17: Bittersweet War Cry (M. Tracy) and Chelsea's Mae West (Kinkelaar). Birds were in flight with a find at 13 for War Cry. West had a find at 10. She was picked up at 37, along with War Cry.

Brace 18: Miller's Special Cinderella (G. Tracy) and T's Crazy Train (Swearingen). Trackers were requested at 20 for Cinderella and Train, not pleasing handlers.

Brace 19: Faithful (M. Tracy) and Attitude's Black Widow (Miller). This was a nice hour to watch. Faithful knew what she needed to do. With hunting on her mind, she had multiple finds at 2, 7, 12, 19, 34, and 42. The point at 34 required a great relocation. Her birds were mostly in cover. With a strong finish forward race, she finished her time to the front. Widow was picked up at 7 for breach of manners.

Brace 20: Parkway (M. Tracy) and White Privilege (Kinkelaar). Parkway honored Privilege with a back at 8 and had two nice finds at 14 and 19. Performance was not what it needed to be, so he was picked up at 27. Following a second unproductive, Privilege was picked up.

Brace 21: Erin's Envy (M. Tracy) and Silver W Jill Z (Kinkelaar). Envy had nice, stylish finds at 3 and 10 but had a fruitless attempt at 32. Jill Z had a nice find at 22, with no birds at 12, and honored bracemate at 32. Bad luck for Envy and Jill Z at 42 when they moved on relocation.

Brace 22: Raag's Rich and Rare (M. Tracy) and Shagtime Sunny (Kinkelaar). Short time for these two. Rare had finds at 11 and 23. He was picked up at 28, following a pick for Sunny at 12.

Brace 23: Calico's Sky's The Limit and Upfront's McQuade (Kinkelaar). Limit had finds at 8 and 12, following a fruitless attempt at 2. The tracker was requested at 32. McQuade had a nice find at 12 and was picked up at 15.

Brace 25: Thunderbolt's Wild Agin (Kinkelaar). This was the last brace of the stake. Wild Agin ran as a bye. He pointed at 3, all in order, and was picked up at 28.

Judges: Joe Bush and Whitley Stephenson
GEORGIA OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 42 Pointers and 5 Setters
Winner-MILLER'S EXTREME HEAT, F1685698, pointer female, by Just Irresistible-Miller's Bring The Heat. Joe McHugh, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.
Runner-Up-SILVER WINGS, F1705325, pointer male, by Touch's Red Rider-Southpoint's Dixie Chic. S. Tucker Johnson, owner; Tracy Swearingen, handler.

Some Sidelights
A huge thanks goes to Greg Blair, Field Consultant for Purina Pro Plan. I communicated with him in September to let him know what we want for our upcoming trials. Everything is delivered in a timely manner. Samples of Purina Pro Plan are distributed to the handlers. Food vouchers are given to the winners, along with gifts for the judges. Year after year, Purina hosts the owners'/handler's dinner. Forty-five attended the dinner of pork chops with all the trimmings.

The Chamber of Commerce pays for advertising in the UKC Field with funds collected from hotel-motel taxes. The Hampton Inn gives discounted rooms for the judges.
John Ray Kimbrell of Fort Mill, South Carolina, made his first trip to Waynesboro in 1974 to run his shooting dogs in competition. Upon his retirement from running his dogs, he continued year after year to serve as stake manager, and now he handles the dog wagon.
Mike Jackson comes from Battleground, Indiana, year after year to marshal and has judged in all the stakes as needed. Jeff Crouch also helps with marshaling.

Ashley Roberts, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, is on hand to help with lunches. She also presents all the handlers with keepsake gifts.

The oyster roast sponsored by the Chamber was not held this year. With low entry, there were not enough nights to schedule it. They plan to return in 2026.
Chuck Miller has been a regular at the trials for several years. He makes certain that panels are put up to accommodate the horses. He plants the birds every morning at 6. The birds are purchased from HBM Gamebirds, and Pat Johnson bands them each day. Chuck takes care of cleaning the stalls and clubhouse after the trials have ended.
Craig Elliott, the incoming secretary, is on hand almost every day to fill in with whatever he can to assist in making certain that everything runs smoothly. He is on hand to assist with the fish fry and help with the handlers' dinner.

I want to thank all the trainers who came to run their dogs in our trials. Hopefully, anyone who missed it will include our trials on their agenda in 2026.

Nell Mobley and John Ray Kimbrell present Susan Moser with a plaque in memory of her late husband, "J" Moser, naming the Georgia Open Shooting Dog Championship to the "J" Moser Georgia Shooting Dog Championship.