Result: Dixie Field Trial Club

Location: Ochlocknee, Georgia

Post Date: Mar 12, 2021

Submitted By: Andrew Campbell

The historic Dixie Field Trial Club held its annual spring trial March 12-14 at beautiful Burnt Branch Plantation in Ochlocknee, Ga., between Albany and Thomasville. Once again, the club scheduled just two stakes -- Open All-Age and Open Derby -- both qualifiers for their respective National Championships

Judges for the two stakes are both experienced dog men, Charles Morton of Thomasville, Ga., and Ed Chance of Albany, Ga.

The Club is grateful to the landowners, Eddie and Carole Sholar, not only for the use of their grounds and their lodge, but also for their tremendous hospitality in providing meals of all shapes and sizes throughout the weekend. Eddie and grandson Flint also drove the dog wagon on frequent occasions to ensure that braces could start and stop promptly.

As is obvious from the winners' pictures, a Burnt Branch field trial is truly a family affair.

The trial would also have been impossible without the work of manager, Greg Shepherd, to prepare and maintain the grounds and that of his principal assistant, Kojac Wynn.

As it seemed to be over most of south Georgia, this quail season seemed to be a good one -- and despite a busy hunting schedule at Burnt Branch, there will still plenty of birds to be found, although the increasingly warm, dry air sometimes threw a wrench in the best-laid plans of men and dogs.

OPEN ALL-AGE WINNERS

From a field of 30 starters, 26 pointers and 4 setters, the judges named Touch's Red Rider, owned by Tucker Johnson of Hobe Sound, Fla., and handled by Luke Eisenhart, as winner, with second place awarded to Touch's Gallatin Fire, owned by Alex and Bryanna Rickert of Bozeman, Mont., and handled by Mark McLean, with third place going to Rebel Cause, owned by David Williams of Beech Bluff, Tenn., and handled by Jamie Daniels.

The judges also appreciated the efforts of Touch's Love Man (Shepherd) and Wildhawk (Judd Carlton).

The winner, Touch's Red Rider (Eisenhart), and the third-place dog, Rebel Cause (Daniels), were together in the eleventh brace and ran on the first course across Egg and Butter Road in the warmth and humidity of the second afternoon. Both dogs would go out hard to the left through woods as the course paralleled the road south before turning east across the corner of the field. The call of point came at 7 for both handlers in a scene that if it could not excite or inspire the heart or mind would mean that you were, most likely, dead. With Red Rider standing looking down into the bramble thicket above the pond, with the picnic shed above it on the far side, and Rebel Cause backing from a reputable distance, and the low-angle morning sun keeping the colors of the foliage saturated and the contrast of white-against-green sharp, a covey was flushed out ahead of Red Rider with all in perfect order.

Both dogs pushed through the woods on the other side of the picnic shed and down past the cypress pond to the backside of the course, Rebel Cause going out wide on the high side to the right, Red Rider the lower swamp edge. Dropping down off the corner of the big crop field, both dogs would come in from the long, lower drainage on the left to go out into the tongue of woods for the turnaround, with both dogs successfully gathered up for the turn back south. While Red Rider seemed to have taken the lower woodsedge on the right, Rebel Cause was seen casting down the runway into the very far, southeastern corner of the grounds and then turning west. He was found up high on the left side at 42, a large covey kicked out of the grassy cover ahead of him. As the gallery wound its way under the powerline and into the right turn, the scout would call point for Red Rider back under the powerlines, tucked in deep along the lower swamp edge at 46, the birds still tucked in the thicket ahead of him -- his second, truly quality find of the stake.

In the meantime, Rebel Cause had apparently temporarily lost a little focus on the woody arm headed back towards camp, but by the time Red Rider showed back to the front, both dogs tore off to the north down the Egg and Butter Road fenceline. Crossing the big crop field to finish, Rebel Cause would finish up coming back along the drainage to meet his handler, while Red Rider finished up over the pond dam in the back field.

(The win was a fitting piece of redemption for Red Rider having been lost on point at time on this course -- and as it turned out, less than 50 yards from the judges -- during the 2019 Masters Quail Championship when he would likely have been a strong contender for a placement.)

The runner-up, Touch's Gallatin Fire (McLean), and arguably the fourth-place dog, Touch's Love Man (Shepherd), also ran together, and also on the first course, and in the very first brace of the stake. Both dogs swung out on the first angle of woods to the left, to be found by their scouts out in the final indent of the crop field with Gallatin Fire honoring Love Man down in the holler at 7 in high style, a covey of birds successfully scared out of the tangled mess of grass and brambles. Taken back out towards the tongue of woods opposite the field trial house, Gallatin Fire was found on its top, southern edge looking into an unlikely patch of green grass on the field edge at 12 --while Love Man came to a stop perhaps 50 yards farther out towards the road looking into a cover strip. Both dogs would have seperate covey finds! Taken around the southern perimeter, both dogs punched into the next section of woods, Love Man dropping down along the draw where he would be found in a patch of tall grassy cover at 23, the covey getting up from three sides around him.

Down through the cut-through to the cypress pond, both dogs appeared to cut up to the high side, visible again in the bottom draw through to the turnaround woods. Both dogs would nevertheless make the turnaround smoothly and head back to the south. Up over the runway, while Gallatin Fire had been absent for some time (and presumed down on the lower wooded edge), Love Man had made his way down into the far southeastern corner of the course and made the turn. As the gallery proceeded along the top southern edge, the call of point came for Gallatin Fire out near the cut-through into the back course. By the time he had been located at 48, Love Man had joined the scene and honored in high style -- Carlton standing with the dog while McLean flushed the covey out of the depths of the draw.

Through into the final arm of woods towards the parking area, Gallatin Fire would break down the lower edge of the draw on the left, Love Man the upper shoulder. He would come to a stop on the high side at 57, interrupting his momentum northwest, and sadly despite a relocation, this would prove fruitless. While Gallatin Fire would finish out moving hard down the western fenceline seemingly undiminished, Love Man would also finish strong across the field in the turnaround woods to the right.

THE RUNNING

The first brace featured Touch's Gallatin Fire and Touch's Love Man and has just been covered, but immediately set a bar above which others had to climb.

The second brace drew Erin's Three Leaf Shamrock (Eisenhart) with Touch's White Water (McLean) over on the western side of the property after the Burnt Branch tradition of sausage and biscuits. Down over the berm at the entryway, both dogs would come to a stop at 4 -- White Water over in the swale to the left, Shamrock over on the far edge of the pond a little further north and west. While birds would be readily produced ahead of Shamrock, two relocations would still produce naught for White Water. Shamrock would amass two more mannerly finds -- at 8 on the left side near the culvert crossing then at 12 near the road as the course reached the Jurassic Park corner. Underneath the two hills, and around the culvert corner below the Mule Pasture, Shamrock appeared occasionally unfocussed, but would refocus coming around under the Palmer House on his way to the rifle range. Both dogs streamed down the length of the range past the backstop and into the apron of woods beyond. Through the Schoolbus Corner and McLean would call point for White Water at 51 on the slope below the deerstand, almost immediately relocating him -- although sadly this would yield nothing, ending his day. Shamrock, too, stopped at the far end of the woods in the general direction of the field trial house at 54, although like his bracemate, all flushing and relocation efforts would prove unproductive. He would finish up out the front casting out towards Egg and Butter Road.

The third brace comprised Erin's Silver Lining (Daniels) and Awsum Country Justice (Eisenhart), the twosome turned loose to the north parallel to the red dirt road. Moving through Jurassic Park in preparation for the turn up Hill No. 1, Daniels would initially call point at 24, then birds in the air, and then a dog in motion -- and he promptly opted to end his young dog's mischief. In the meantime, Country Justice had swung wide through the turn, coming up the far side of the drainage and swinging around the far side of the Black Pond, to reconnect with his handler at the Schoolbus Corner. He continued to search diligently through the S-bends and out towards the duck pond, but by the time he had come south and parallel with the entrance gate, Eisenhart elected to pick up his dog at 49.

The fourth brace featured Lester's Georgia Time (McLean) head-to-head with Erin's Lone Star Law (Eisenhart) over on the first course for the afternoon with the temperatures climbing into the 80s. While Georgia Time would take a little time to choose whether to cut down through the woods or directly south along the fenceline, Lonestar Law pushed out the wooded arm to the southeast and be found some 250 yards down at 4, roughly 50 yards in from the field edge. Sadly, all flushing and relocation efforts proved fruitless. Both dogs would swing purposefully through the woods down towards the cypress pond and out into the backside of the course. Coming down off the crop field corner, Georgia Time would drop through the gap into the turnaround woods and then come to a stop barely 75 yards out on the right at 25. All flushing and relocation efforts proved unsuccessful and McLean would elect to save his dog from further exertion in the growing heat. With Eisenhart approaching the head of the turn-around woods, Lonestar Law would come up from the left side and upon reaching the water tank, Eisenhart elected to end his bid at 28, too.

The fifth brace would bring Wildhawk (Carlton) to the line with Woodville's Yukon Cornelius (McLean) in the warmth of the afternoon, albeit in the dappled shade of the pine woods over on the west side. A scout called a dog standing over the second berm and out to the left around 12, it would be waved off without further incident -- the scenting conditions now also complicated with the mantle of burning pine woods' smoke from neighboring properties. As the course approached the deer stand on Hill No. 2, McLean reconciled himself with the fact that his dog had slipped him and asked for his retrieval unit at 19. Wildhawk appeared to stop in the drainage below the Mule Pasture at 26, but not looking quite right, he was taken on without any flushing effort -- and as it turned out, it was doubtful Carlton would have made the terrapin fly. In any event, to summarise the remainder of Wildhawk's performance, he ran hard in the heat, with absences just long enough, and reappearances far enough out front, to affirm his absolute commitment to the task at hand such that he reached the final arm of woods adjacent to Egg and Butter Road and disappeared shortly before the call of time, the judges sat in the saddle eager for him to locate the dog on point. Sadly, after 8 minutes of frantic searching, Carlton elected to come for his retrieval unit.

No. 6 saw Marques Armed Robber (Henry) head-to-head with Dunn's Tried'N True (Eisenhart), with owner Will Dunn in attendance. As the course headed into the northeast corner of the property and then angled along the edge of the cover crop field, both dogs were out front in the swale below as the gallery dropped over the berm. By the time the entourage reached the Jurassic Park corner, Armed Robber was moving up through the woods to the left in anticipation of the turn back south. Unfortunately, by the time the gallery began the climb up Hill No. 1 towards the picnic shed, Eisenhart admitted defeat and asked for his retrieval unit at 28. While without the utmost punch that Wildhawk had displayed, it was clear from Armed Robber's application and range that scenting conditions had changed abruptly and that the birds had sought a new and very different set of places to wait out the heat of the afternoon. He finished his time working diligently to the front out along the edge of the cover crop field immediately north of the field trial house.

The seventh brace drew Hirollins Macho Man (Swearingen) with Ace's R Wild (McLean). Both dogs would initially break left but swing back to the front coming across the front edge of the tongue of woods opposite the field trial house. Down along the fenceline and into the next section of woods, both dogs stopped at 16 in two seemingly independent finds, but despite both handlers' efforts and twinned relocation attempts, nothing could be produced. The twosome worked credibly through the backside of the course, each seeking out a shady draw in the turnaround woods with the intelligence and belief that birds should be there. Nevertheless, having made the turn and aware of what had already been done, both handlers elected to pick up their dogs at 35.

The eighth brace comprised Shadow's Lord Magic (Davis) and Touch's White Knight (McLean), and turned loose over on the western side of the property. Lord Magic would establish a wide-ranging race from the get-go, swinging wide out on the right shoulder, White Knight pushing directly out front. Reaching the Jurassic Park corner, Lord Magic had switched to the inside of the turn and would climb high up onto the shoulder of Hill No. 2 towards the deer stand, White Knight took the lower apron and climb the rise on the outside edge of property, coming to a stop at 20 looking downslope towards the fenceline. A bird would leave before the judge could get a clear view over the shoulder of the slope -- and while McLean would fire to honor the veteran champion, he would also opt to save him any further effort in the heat. Lord Magic stopped down over the twin ridges before the drainage that separates Hill #2 from the culvert in the southwest corner of the property. Looking up into the westerly breeze, he was asked to relocate after a thorough flushing effort, only to have a pair of birds get up no more than three feet from him in the process.

The ninth brace drew Erin's Wild Atlantic Way (Eisenhart) and Touch's Folsom Blues (McLean), with his owners, Bruce and Karen Norton, in attendance. Turned loose shortly before the culvert corner, both dogs swung up the hill, Atlantic Way swinging up the hill along the fenceline, Folsom Blues dropping down to the drainage on the left to come around wide -- and then coming to a stop at 7, looking downhill across a feedtrail. A bird was seen leaving as the judge arrived, but when McLean fired a larger conglomerate of quail boiled out from the grassy cover. Wild Atlantic Way then swung into the vicinity and be whoaed into an honor to avoid the possibility of any kind of mishap, Tommy Davis then taking control of him and taking him forward to his handler. Coming through the Schoolbus Corner and around to the northeast, Folsom Blues stopped below the deer stand at 24, but with birds leaving unseen as the judge arrived, McLean would opt to simply take the dog on. He would swing forward just a couple of hundred yards and stop again at 26, although sadly even the relocation would prove fruitless. In the meantime, Eisenhart conceded that his dog had slipped away at some point during the wide counter-clockwise turn and ask for his retrieval unit at 28. Coming into the southeasterly arm of woods (at what is customarily the end of the first one-hour course), Folsom Blues was found down in the damp draw on the right at 32. The initial flushing and relocation effort would produce nothing, but the subsequent, skillful relocation some 25 yds further upwind to the southeast would yield a pair of birds -- and whether a desire to mark the flight, simple over-excitement to have finally successfully located birds, or the rising heat, he moved forward a few feet at the birds' flush ending his bid.

The tenth brace brought Dunn's True Reign (Eisenhart) to the line with Touch's Blue Moon (McLean) -- and along with scenting conditions, luck had also gone to heck. Coming up over the rise parallel to Egg and Butter Road, and passing by the entry gate, Blue Moon had pushed out on the right side, True Reign the lower shoulder to the left to meet his handler at the cut-through below the cover crop field in the northeast corner of the property. Off the berm and headed west parallel to Willingham Road, True Reign would drop down into the hollow and out into the woods on the left, Blue Moon briefly flirting with scent but moving on to the front at 12. True Reign came to a stop out on the left side at 15, 250 yards south of the course path. After a thorough flushing effort, he was asked to relocate and immediately pivoting to do so, a bird getting up behind him ending his bid. In the meantime, McLean acknowledged that his dog was not beating even what he had run previously and elected to spare the dog any more effort in the heat at 21.

The eleventh brace featuring Touch's Red Rider and Rebel Cause has already been covered in the placements.

No. 12 saw Confident Nation (Davis), with proud owners Scott and Julie Jordan in the gallery, with Touch's Joy Ride (McLean). Both dogs pushed out front, working eagerly ahead of their handlers. Joy Ride would come to a stop just over the second low berm and to the left at 11, looking up into the vestigial westerly breeze -- and when asked to relocate after an initial, unsuccessful flushing effort, he would take himself on to the front. Passing the Indian Mound on the right, Confident Nation climbed up the draw between the two hills while Joy Ride would tackle the lower shoulder of Hill No. 2 below the deer stand. With Confident Nation having been seen passing through several minutes before, Joy Ride would work the upper shoulder coming under the Mule Pasture and around below the Palmer Shed at 31. Finishing the loop below the Shed, McLean recognized this was not his dog's strongest day and elected to pick up at 35. Meanwhile, Confident Nation swung down around the lower left edge of the rifle range, only to be found standing in the deep bottom corner beyond the backstop at 45, although sadly it would prove a barren stand. Into the final arm at 57, Confident Nation was still moving well out the front as he had since the breakaway, disappearing shortly before the call of time -- and the judges still eager to be called forward for the call of point. Sadly, though, he could not be returned to judgment.

No. 13 would see Touch's Malcolm Story (McLean) run by himself due to a scratch. After casting smoothly over the hill past the entrance gate and across the western tip of the cover crop field, Malcolm Story would elect to take the edge parallel to Willingham Road, the smoke from their burning happily being carried away from the course. He stopped at 16 just over a field trail on the left, looking to the south, the breeze coming across his nose from the southwest. After an initial, fruitless flushing effort, he would relocate some 40 yards downslope, now looking directly up into the slight breeze -- but despite the effort and intensity, this would prove unproductive. Into the Jurassic Park corner, he was still moving fluidly through the woods to the left, but as the gallery neared the turn east towards Hill No. 1 at 28, McLean opted to pick up his dog after a brief conversation with the judges.

The final morning brought the fourteenth brace comprising Touch's Breakaway Fred (McLean) and Dominator's Rogue Rebel (Daniels). Action began almost immediately with Rogue came to a stop at 1 almost immediately off the breakaway in the cover strip to the left. He would continue out to the southeast along the arm of piney woods, Fred having taken the direct path ahead parallel to Egg and Butter Road. The call of point for Rebel Rogue at 10 out on the left side, having swung forward into the tongue of woods opposite the field trial house; the initial flushing effort would prove unsuccessful, but during the relocation effort a bird flushed wild and the dog would be whoa'd for a stop to flush. Through the woods and down past the picnic shed and cypress pond, both dogs would swing up high through the backside of the course. Through the cut into the turnaround woods, Rebel Rogue stopped almost immediately through the gap on the right side at 24, while Fred successfully came to an honor. However, when the flushing and relocation efforts would prove fruitless, both handlers electing to pick up their dogs.

For the fifteenth brace, with Touch's One Night Standards (Haynes) a scratch to save her for the Derby in the afternoon, Dominator's Bull Market (Daniels) would run alone. Over the first berm from the entry gate, Bull Market initially swung out wide to the right. He would stop to flush at 6 with all in order, and then continue his cast out on the right side. Coming across the front, he stopped at 10 on the left side, although when the flushing and relocation effort produced naught, Daniels elected to pick up his charge.

The sixteenth and final brace drew Touch's Mega Mike (McLean) with T's Southern Gentleman (Swearingen). They were turned loose roughly 300 yards before the Jurassic Park corner, both making the swing southwest with relative ease. Both dogs would swing up over the shoulder of Hill No. 2, with Southern Gentleman coming to a stop at 6 roughly 7 yards east of the deer stand, Mega Mike honoring nicely -- and birds readily produced ahead of them. Both dogs would roll over the next crease, with Southern Gentleman coming to a stop out on the crest of the final shoulder at 12, a large covey boosted out of the grass between two prominent patches of bullrushes. Passing under the Palmer Shed and out towards the rifle range, Mega Mike would take the draw down to the left to come forward, Southern Gentleman cresting the rise and dropping over to the far side. Nevertheless, upon reaching the shooting shed with the benchrest table some 250 yds down from the turn, both handlers would elect to pick up after a brief conversation with the judges.

Ochlocknee, Ga., March 12

Judges: Ed Chance and Charles Morton

OPEN ALL-AGE [One-Hour Heats] -- 28 Pointers and 4 Setters

1st--TOUCH'S RED RIDER, 1661244, pointer male, by Touch's Knight Rider--Whippoorwill G M A. Tucker Johnson, owner; Luke Eisenhart, handler.

2d--TOUCH'S GALLATIN FIRE, 1675102, pointer male, by House's Ring of Fire--Touch's Sandy. Alex Rickert, owner; Mark McLean, handler.

3d--REBEL CAUSE, 1686084, pointer male, by Dominator's Rebel Heir--Rebel Maiden. David E. Williams, owner; Jamie Daniels, handler.

OPEN DERBY

From a starting field of 13 pointers, the same judges named the following placements: for winner, Game Heir, owned by Dr. Fred Corder, and handled by Ike Todd; for runner-up, Touch's One Night Standards, owned by Eddie Sholar, and handled by Mark Haynes; and for third, Carlton's Outsider, owned by Mike Sweet, and handled by Judd Carlton. The stake was run entirely over on the western side of the property.

The winner and runner-up -- Game Heir and Touch's One Night Standards -- would come out of the second brace. Turned loose heading west, both dogs would break away smartly and upon reaching the Jurassic Park corner, Standards would take the outside curve of the turn along the swamp edge, with Game Heir up in the woods to the left. Both dogs would work hard through the climb up towards the picnic shed, Game Heir claiming a little more ground in the process. Coming out of the Schoolbus Corner, Hayes would then cut up the right shoulder below the deer stand concerned his dog had punched straight out upon leaving the intersection, however Standards appeared out front on the left exactly on course, leaving her scout to keep her forward while the handler returned.

Through the S-bends, Game Heir was seen moving nicely up along the left shoulder as the course angled northeast towards the duck pond. Point was called for Game Heir at 28 just beyond it, the covey lifting ahead of the stylish dog, his manners immaculate even for a young dog. Both dogs would finish up swinging south under the entry gate -- and, in addition to the find, while Game Heir had also beaten his bracemate on the ground, it would be unfair to omit that Standards had clearly shown both punch and intelligence in her ground race as a worthy runner-up.

Third-place dog, Carlton's Outsider, with owner Mike Sweet in attendance to watch his young dog, would run in the sixth brace drawn with Touch's Whitey Ford (McLean), the temperatures now having climbed into the 80s, the sun shining brightly.

Both dogs were away smartly and up through the turn into the gap between Hill No. 1 and Hill No. 2, Outsider quickly establishing a forward pattern that revealed a further degree of maturity and confidence than his bracemate's. Into the Schoolbus Corner and Outsider punched directly through, turning north with handler below the deer stand. Even after being cooled off in the next draw, Whitey Ford would take a while to re-establish his pattern -- while Outsider appeared to have consistent sense of the front even through the turns of the S-bends. Turning east once more, he was seen making the turn ahead of his handler, pushing along the top of the shoulder. There would be a brief flirtation with scent near the roadside, but the dog would take himself on without error or delay. Where Whitey Ford had been perfectly respectable, especially in the high afternoon heat, Outsider had consistently applied himself to the course, running, strong and wide with an awareness of his handler that belied his youth.

THE RUNNING

The first brace featured Big (Swearingen) and Great Nation (Brooks), loosed from the head of the rifle range and head roughly northwest. Both dogs initially tackled the left side, Big appearing to come to an initial point on the left slope at 2, but would take himself on, Great Nation powering forward along the lower drainage on the left before disappearing. He would be seen standing high on the hillside looking east towards the draw between Hills No. 1 and No. 2, the extended distance sufficient that when he did take himself on, no evidence of birds could be seen. The dog would nonetheless swing wide behind the Black Pond, only to reunite with his handler at the Schoolbus Corner. Coming through the arm of woods at the normal end of the second course, Great Nation would swing forward up the left drainage to go forward. If Big can be fairly characterized as moving nicely, but not demonstrating the same degree of initiative as his bracemate, it should be noted that even if more moderate, he ran a more even race. Great Nation shortened up in the heat at around the 20-minute mark, no doubt a result of both the temperature and his extended searching to that point; nevertheless, his final six minutes reasserted the initial promise he had shown, finishing strong to the front.

The second brace comprised Game Heir and Touch's One Night Standards and is covered in the placements.

The third brace brought Knight's Hill Bill (McLean) to the line with Peeks Made Up Mind (Carlton). Both dogs cut out smartly down through the piney woods out front -- and by the time the gallery reached the muddy cut-through, Made Up Mind was directly out front, with Hill Bill out on the low slope to the left. McLean would call point shortly afterwards at 10, roughly 200 yards out to the left -- but sadly, even a relocation effort would produce nothing. Over the second berm, and down through the Jurassic Park corner, both handlers would concede that this was not their dogs' strongest day and elect to pick up at 14 as they reached the Indian Mound.

The fourth brace featured Touch's Walk the Line (Todd) head-to-head with Touch's Time to Shine (McLean), the dogs turned loose out to the southwest along the swampy edge. Walk the Line would come to a stop soon after at 1, looking up into the southwesterly breeze, with Time to Shine stopping to honor; despite a relocation, nothing could be produced ahead of him. While both dogs would finish their half-hour respectably at the backstop on the rifle range, Time to Shine had perhaps a little too much comeback in his pattern, Walk the Line had perhaps not enough, making bolder moves, but also needing a little more active handling in the process.

The fifth brace drew Erin's Tin Star (Carlton), with owner Mike Sweet riding in support of his young dog, and One of Them Girls (Haynes). With the temperatures in the mid-80s, both dogs also had to climb the height of the afternoon heat. And indeed, while moving perfectly decently, Haynes would elect to spare his dog further burden and pick up at 14 as the gallery came up past the entrance gates. Tin Star swung nicely down the Willingham Road fenceline, Carlton opting to get him into a damp drainage to cool off after that effort at 22. He stopped soon thereafter at 24, standing tall, but with a turtle in front of him. At which point, his handler elected to pick him up.

No. 6 featured Touch's Whitey Ford and Carlton's Outsider and is already covered in the placements.

The seventh and final brace comprised High Drive Dart (Carlton), as a bye. And with both the heat and the knowledge of what his previous dog had accomplished in that heat, Carlton elected to pick-up his otherwise, snappy-moving dog at 6.

OPEN DERBY -- 13 Pointers

1st--GAME HEIR, 1691409, male, by Dominator's Rebel Heir--Game Snow. Dr. Fred Corder, owner; Ike Todd, handler.

2d--TOUCH'S ONE NIGHT STANDARDS, 1691853, female, by Touch's Mega Mike--Wildfair Small Package. Eddie Sholar, owner; Mark Haynes, handler.

3d--CARLTON'S OUTSIDER, 1691799, male, by Miller's Blindsider--Rivertons Funseek'n Annie. Mike Sweet, owner; Judd Carlton, handler.