Event: Shagtime Bill Winner of the
Result: American Derby Invitational Championship

Location: Grospring, Missouri

Post Date: May 22, 2025

Submitted By: Steve Auxier

The National Qualifier American Derby Invitational Championship was conducted over the premier grounds of the Field Trial Sportsmen Association at Grovespring, Missouri. The trial started on March 26th and 27th and has been held on these grounds since 2018! This year marks the 32nd running of the American Derby Invitational Championship! This Derby Invitational Championship is the ultimate test of the top 12 open all-age derbies in the nation, showcasing one day of running for 60 minutes, followed by a callback series of qualifying dogs determined by the judges for 90 minutes. This is a true test of endurance, stamina, grit, and strong bird-finding ability to determine the overall champions!

Each season, the competing dogs are ranked by points received for placements in All-Age Derby stakes throughout the nation. The top 12-ranked derbies are invited to compete in this prestigious invitational championship! It is quite an honor to be invited among the top derbies in the nation! There are four Derby Championships that automatically qualify a dog for the American Derby Invitational Championship: The Continental, Georgia, the National Derby, and the All-American Derby Championship.

We would like to thank all the breeders, owners, handlers, and everyone involved in the development of these youngsters throughout the season.
Here are your top 12 derbies who accepted their invitation, ranked in order from their point winnings. These derbies represent a great lineup of young dogs that will be the future winning open all-age dogs and breed prospects!
Erins War Eagle, pointer male, by Erin's Redrum-Erin's Pearl. Claudia McNamee & Dr. Bill Bruchey, owners; Sean Derrig, breeder; Luke Eisenhart, handler.
Erin's Three Amigos, pointer male, by Erin's Redrum-Erin's Pearl. John Mathys, Mike Sweet, Jerry Moisson, owners; Sean Derrig, breeder; Judd Carlton, handler.
Shagtime Bill, setter male, by Shagtime Bobo-Shagtime May. Chris Cagle Sr. & Chris Cage Jr., owners and breeders; Ike Todd, handler.
Erin's Bold Ruler, pointer male, by Erin's Grey Justice-Erin's Miss Sam Houston. Claudia McNamee & Dr. Bill Bruchey, Sean Derrig, breeder; Luke Eisenhart, handler.
Sunset Sam Houston, pointer male, by Lester's Storm Surge-Purpleline Sally. Matt & Stacy Brown, owners; Rob Englert, breeder; Ike Todd, handler.
Bonner's Lynn Grove, pointer female, by Miller's King Poast-Bryson's Dialing On Line. Scott Griffin & Derek Bonner, owners; Al Bryson, breeder; Ike Todd, handler.
Beeler's Master Design, pointer male, by Haney's Silver Dollar-Bandit's Hill Lady. Gordy Jones, owner; Shannon St. John & Ann Forrester, breeders; Ike Todd, handler.
Miller's Triple Crown, pointer male, by Lester's Front Porch-Bryson's Dialing Jo. Gary Lester, owner; Al Bryson, breeder; Korry Rinehart, handler.
Intensive Aint She Purty, pointer female, by Texas Cool-Hey Suga Suga. Steve Auxier, owner; Dr. Buck Neil, breeder; Larry Huffman, handler.
Erin's Copper Colt, pointer male, by Erin's Perfect Storm-Erins Redrum Maiden. Allen Linder, owner; Sean Derrig, breeder; Judd Carlton, handler.
Wynona's Rebel, pointer male, by Dominator's Rebel Heir-White Smoke's Angel. Bruce Sooter & Dennis Beauford, owners; Clifford Clinton, breeder; Allen Vincent, handler.
Haney's Double Down, pointer male, by Valiant-Haney's North Star. Chris Cagle Sr. & Chris Cagle Jr., owners and breeders, Ike Todd, handler.

As with owners, sponsors are crucial for field trialing. We greatly appreciate Purina and Garmin for their amazing support of our field trials. A special thank you to Matt and Stacy Brown of Sunset Ranch Bird Dogs and Piedmontese Beef for their sponsorship of this wonderful trial.
The judges for the Invitational Championship were a great pair! This year, we had Mr. Rich Robertson of Payette, Idaho, who recently judged the National Championship in Grand Junction, Tennessee, and Mr. Dan DiMambro from Big Rapids, Michigan, a very successful open German shorthair pro! Thank you for your time in the saddle!

A special thank you to Mrs. Sharleen Daugherty for her organization and help with setting up our lunches, appetizers, and cocktail hours each night. A big thank you to Mr. Kirk Loftin for grilling the sponsored NY Strip steaks from Piedmontese Beef and to Ms. Sherri Tangsrud for helping with setting up and organizing supper for all. We had a large crowd in attendance, with owners and handlers. The steaks turned out great! Thank you to Mrs. Bonnie Hildago and Mr. Tony King for doing the drawing; also, to Tony for bird planting and driving the dog wagon. Thank you to Mr. Andy Daugherty for his help with organizing the trial.

First Series, Day 1:
Brace 1: Sunset Sam Houston (Todd) and Wynona's Rebel (Vincent). These two had a special season, garnering many placements across the country with an exciting breakaway showing their speed along the edges. Both dogs headed south, with Sunset Sam Houston scoring a nice find for Ike, all in order, and a great piece of birdwork in Davis Bottoms at 19. "Rebel" for Allen took the left side of the course and dipped up high into the cover. Approaching the road crossing, Allen requested his tracker for Rebel, as he had been out of pocket and had no contact with Allen for some time, ending his debut. "Sam" for Ike went on to score two more finds in his opening brace to finish the hour.

Brace 2: Haney's Double Down (Todd) and Erin's Copper Colt (Carlton). Both dogs turned loose, heading up the hill to the far north, heading into the hill loop, showing great speed and style. Double Down (Todd) was on the board first at 9, showing style and good manners. All in order, as both dogs showing a forward race. Copper Colt (Carlton) was found standing at 19 with great style and intensity. Both dogs headed north with a strong, fast, and forward pattern. Double Down scored two more finds at 24 and 43 with beautiful style and composure on game to finish the hour.

Brace 3: Erin's Three Amigos (Carlton) and Beeler's Master Design (Todd). The pairing of these two dogs was an exciting group to watch, showcasing their forward race, showing style, and speed with their ground performance. Three Amigos (Carlton) was found at 11 with impeccable style and composure for his handler. Three Amigos was found again two more times, showing great intensity on his birds with a fast and forward race. Master Design (Todd) had not been in contact with Ike as his brace ended at 43, with Ike requesting his tracker.

Brace 4: Erin's War Eagle (Eisenhart) and Miller's Triple Crown (Rhinehart). Turned loose on course one, they showed forward on the way to the first creek crossing. Triple Crown (Rhinehart) scored his first find with impeccable style at 13. War Eagle continued to show his strong and bold forward race. Triple Crown (Rhinehart) was found on the south line of the double gates field at 19 with style and intensity. War Eagle was pushing the front going into Davis Bottoms, hugging the lines, pushing the front. Triple Crown scored another find just before Horse Killer Hill. War Eagle had not been in contact with Luke as the hour concluded, requesting his tracker. Triple Crown finished the hour with speed and range.

Brace 5: Shagtime Bill (Todd) and Erin's Bold Ruler (Eisenhart). The afternoon showed to be a bit warmer with no cloud cover. Shagtime Bill, the orange and white setter, and Erin's Bold Ruler, a big, strong, all white pointer, were turned loose heading up the hill loop. Chris Cagle Jr., owner of Shagtime Bill, was in attendance to watch his stylish setter. Both dogs headed north, showing speed and a forward-reaching race. Bill (Todd) was found standing at 23 with a beautiful style, his head high and a twelve o'clock tail! Moving through the course below the barns at 31, Bold Ruler (Eisenhart) was found on the right edge with impeccable style and intensity. Luke was unable to produce a bird in the briar patch. Luke relocated Bold Ruler and reestablished point, but was unable to produce a bird in the patch again. Bill (Todd) was found on point, heading west at 32 with manners and style. Both dogs turned loose with Bill (Todd) found on point at 49 with manners and style for Ike. Both dogs finished the hour with extreme stamina and range to the front.

Brace 6: Bonner's Lynn Grove (Todd) and Intensive Aint She Purty (Huffman). For the final brace of the afternoon, both dogs started prior to the Clubhouse gate and showed promise early. Lynn Grove was found standing with style and intensity on the far west fence line in climber pasture at 16. As they headed down behind the barns, they were forward through the alley and across the road. Aint She Purty made a nice cast and was found standing at 38 on the far east line with Lynn Grove backing her bracemate. A single bird was sitting in the green grass and popped over Aint She Purty, causing a breach of manners for her. Lynn Grove took a step on her back. Lynn Grove started heading north and scored another find at 39. She was turned loose heading down the line. At this time, the judges made a decision that she was not changing any of the dogs they were using, and this concluded her brace at 45.

The Callback Series
The judges called back four dogs, with two dogs on standby. The 90-minute callback is a true test of overall stamina and endurance for these future champions. This format is what makes the American Derby Invitational Championship very unique!

The four dogs were Haney's Double Down (Todd), Erin's Three Amigos (Carlton), Shagtime Bill (Todd), and Miller's Triple Crown (Rhinehart). The two standby dogs were Sunset Sam Houston (Todd) and Erin's Copper Colt (Carlton).

Brace 1: Haney's Double Down and Erin's Three Amigos. Breakaway at 7:56 on course one for the final. A lot of excitement in the air to watch the final dogs. Double Down scored at 6 with Three Amigos backing. Everything all in order as Three Amigos, standing at 13 with style and intensity, with Double Down backing with style. Double Down kept left and was seen coming off the ridge, making a large cast. Three Amigos came down the right edge, making his way south, then heading on the left edge, where he scored a flawless find at 25. Next, Double Down was found styled up at 33. Todd attempted to flush but was unable to produce a bird. Double Down was relocated by locking down the pair of birds, looking great on game. Three Amigos was found on Fox Hill, standing with style and intensity at 43 with perfect birdwork. Double Down was then found on Apple Tree Hill at 48 with Three Amigos honoring. Three Amigos continued to push the front, showing extreme style, and was found one more time at the 83-minute mark. Both dogs finished the 90 minutes pushing the front and showing heart and grit.

Brace 2: Shagtime Bill and Miller's Triple Crown. Breakaway at 9:45. Shagtime Bill scored first at 11 with the young setter standing proud with great style on his game with Triple Crown backing. Shagtime Bill was released with the pursuit of finding game on his mind. He was found at 23 with all in order. Triple Crown was found standing on the backside of the camp gates with amazing style for the stylish young dog. The day prior was tough on dogs as the ground conditions were tough on their feet. Triple Crown had blown on all four pads even after taping prior to running and was starting to shorten up a bit, but still had the desire to search for game, showing heart and desire. Korry elected to pick him up at 48, concluding his brace. Miller's Triple Crown did a nice job overall with a successful season. Bill continued in pursuit of game and staying on the front, he was found on game 36 and 51. He showcased picture-perfect style on his game. Handler Todd from the day prior was struggling with laryngitis and found calling on the dog to be a struggle. Ike's scout Luke Eisenhart stepped in to handle Bill to finish an amazing brace. Bill continued to show extreme range and scored two more finds with style and intensity. Luke did an amazing job handling and showing the young dog as he stayed on his lines. Luke pointed him out to the judges as Bill continued to gain more strength and stamina as the brace continued. Bill concluded his brace with an extreme all-age performance showing stamina, grit, and endurance for his championship performance! This brace was exciting to watch, and the overall sportsmanship and teamwork with Ike and Luke!
A great team effort to win this championship as the first setter in American Derby Invitational Championship history. Congratulations to all!

Grovespring, Mo., March 17
Judges: Dan DiMambro and Rich Robertson
AMERICAN DERBY INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 11 Pointers and 1 Setter
Winner-SHAGTIME BILL, F1716536, setter male, by Shag Time Bobo-Shagtime May. Chris Cagle Sr. & Chris Cagle Jr., owners; Ike Todd, handler.
Runner-Up-ERIN'S THREE AMIGOS, F1714259, pointer male, by Erin's Redrum-Erin's Pearl. John Mathys, Mike Sweet & Jerry Moisson, owners; Judd Carlton, handler.