Event: Spring Trial Held At George Tracy Training Grounds
Result: Summerhill Field Trial Club

Location: Greenville, Pennsylvania

Post Date: Jul 20, 2023

Submitted By: Ernie Saniga

Amateur Restricted Derby Winners (front, l-r): Bob Verderosa with Seekers Cross Fire, Will Dunn with Pal's Prestigious Pete, and Gunner Boyer with Just Win Daisy. (Behind): George Tracy, Payton Gunby, Lisa Littell, Casey Hollander, Mike Tracy, Roger Dvorak, Blake Palazzolo, Ernie Saniga, Lou Palazzolo, Joe Lordi, and Raina Palazzolo.

The Summerhill Club ran its annual trial at the George Tracy training grounds near Glenville, Pa., on May 6-7.

Judges were Joe Lordi, Dave McKay, Roger Dvorak, R. B. Powell, and Kevin Joyce. Will Dunn and Bo Mamounis judged the Youth stake. All decisions were applauded.

Karen Saniga is the chairperson and secretary. She is helped by the Tracy team consisting of George, Mary, Mike and Jeanette Tracy, and Payton Gunby. George Tracy did all the bird planting.

The club provided free lunches and dinners. A public drawing was held Friday night before the Saturday start, with Jeanette Tracy picking the dogs' names out of a bowl.

All the local trialers participated. We also had Lisa Littell from Alabama and Will Dunn from Kentucky running dogs.

The weather was great, and families were everywhere. It was like a field trial from the past. All thank the Southern Bird Hunters Association for their support.

Bob Verderosa won the Amateur Restricted Derby with his pointer male, Seekers Cross Fire, trained by Jeanette Tracy. He had three beautiful broke finds in a classy, hard-hunting race of medium range. Second went to Lou Palazzolo's Pal's Prestigious Pete, a puppy. He ran a big, attractive race with three finds, all pointed with style, and broke at flush. Gunner Boyer won third with Just Win Daisy. The coming derby was also unbroke but pointed nicely and hunted smartly to the front.

Bull Finch won the 24-dog Amateur Shooting Dog stake for this reporter. The pretty pointer female ran a big race with a back and two sharp finds. Pressing her was Alibi Girl for Larry King. This pointer female did everything right and did it with class scoring three times in her fine effort. Gunner Boyer got the call for third with his Gun Runner Carli. She was the bird finder of the trial with five; all handled well to go with her strong race, the only blemish being a longish absence to the side early. There were at least nine others with clean work on game and good races to contend.

Another Boyer, and no relation to Darren and Gunner, was the winning handler of the Amateur Derby. That was Taydem Boyer, Luke Eisenhart's niece, who handled Joe McHugh's pointer female Miller's Miss Congeniality to a strong effort on the ground and finished work on game. Lou Palazzolo placed Pal's Prestigious Pete again in this derby stake. He had another very big race with stylish but unfinished bird work similar to Gunner Boyer's pointer female, Just Win Daisy. The puppy had a lot of finds and backs and hunted well for third.

There was stiff competition in the 20-minute Youth stake since every dog in it was an open or amateur champion or had won an open classic.

The first dog up was Ch. Bully Rock, with Liam Lawrence at the helm. Liam had won before with the dog and made it known he wanted to run him again. Mike Tracy was the scout, and he had the electronic collar as well. Rocco had five finds in his 20 minutes, and young Liam handled him like a veteran.

Brayden Smith was next with his amateur Ch. Calico's Guns N Roses; Alex Smith scouted. I guess you could say Brayden is a veteran since when Alex runs Rosie, you can hear Brayden back in the gallery riding with his mom singing to the dog and saying "whoa" when she points.
There is also a Facebook video showing Brayden riding on his own, albeit it was a sheep who seemingly thought it was a rodeo bull and soon had Brayden off.

Rosie was on for Brayden, scoring multiple times without flaw for the young handler who shot his cap rifle over Rosie's finds.

Laine Berdiner ran her dog, Ch. Erin's Big Casino, with her dad Paul riding along and Mike Tracy scouting. The big attractive setter scored multiple times with Laine flushing, shooting her cap pistol, and collaring her dog away like a serious veteran.

Annie McKay ran Miller's Record Heat. Annie used to run her dog, Ch. North Country Girl, scoring a number of firsts with her but Girl passed away this spring, so she ran Heat, coincidentally named Annie. Both Annie's performed like professionals on the dog's multiple finds and had perfect manners.

Annie's younger sister June was next and, like her sister, is a veteran. Since she also ran Ch. North Country Girl in the past, she had to find a new good dog. Mike Tracy brought her the pointer Faithful, who recently won the Carolina Celebration. The dog did a fine job for June, scoring one find after another for little June, who knew exactly how to handle a dog.

Lou Palazzolo's granddaughter Raina ran Ch. Miller's High Heat Index. This was her first attempt at handling. Raina rode by herself, ponied by Payton Gunby, and showed much talent flushing and shooting. When asked later how many birds her dog found, she said, "I found them all."

Last up was Lou Palazzolo's grandson Blake with the veteran Ch. Waybetter Rocky. Rocky usually does well, and this time was no exception, making Blakes's job easier as the dog found a number of birds, and Blake had no trouble flushing, shooting, and taking the dog by the collar away even though he did all this with his broken hand in a cast.

Glenville, Pa., May 6 - One Course
Judges: Joe Lordi, Jr. and Dave McKay
SBHA AMATEUR RESTRICTED DERBY - 6 Pointers
1st--SEEKERS CROSS FIRE, 1700485, male, by Miller's Heat Seeker-Dominator's Heir Kate. Robert Verderosa, owner and handler.
2d--PAL'S PRESTIGIOUS PETE, 1702741, male, by Waybetter Jay-Clarendon's Black Eyed Sue. Lou Palazzolo, owner and handler.
3d--JUST WIN DAISY, 1704018, female, by Chowan River C Rail-War Paint's Little Birdie. Charles & Traci Brunner, owners; Gunner Boyer, handler.

Amateur Shooting Dog Winners (front, l-r): Darron Boyer with Gun Runner Carli, Larry King with Alibi Girl, and Ernie Saniga with Bull Finch. (Behind): R. B. Powell (judge) and Kevin Joyce
(judge).

Judges: Kevin Joyce and R. B. Powell
SBHA AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG - 21 Pointers, 1 Setter and 2 Irish Setters
1st--BULL FINCH, 1686091, pointer female, by Dominator's Rebel Heir-Bullerina. Ernie & Karen Saniga, owners; Ernie Saniga, handler.
2d--ALIBI GIRL, 1667107, pointer female, by Southbound Ben-Shadow's Carolina Molly. L. J. & Casey King, owners; Larry King, handler.
3d--GUN RUNNER CARLI, 1668321, pointer female, by No Hitting No Spitting-North Country Girl. Gunner Boyer, owner and handler.

Amateur Derby Winners (front, l-r): Taydem Boyer with Miller's Miss Congeniality, Lou Palazzolo with Pal's Prestigious Pete, and Gunner Boyer with Just Win Daisy. (Behind): Ted Foust, George Tracy, Sheila Hart, Mike Tracy, Casey Hollander, Payton Gunby, Lou Palazzolo, Roger Dvorak (judge), and R. B. Powell (judge).

Judges: Roger Dvorak and R. B. Powell
SBHA AMATEUR DERBY - 6 Pointers
1st--MILLER'S MISS CONGENIALITY, 1699548, female, by Miller's Upgraded Vision-Quail Roost Too. Joe McHugh, owner; Taydem Boyer, handler.
2d--PAL'S PRESTIGIOUS PETE, 1702741, male, by Waybetter Jay-Clarendon's Black Eyed Sue. Lou Palazzolo, owner and handler.
3d--JUST WIN DAISY, 1704018, female, by Chowan River C Rail-War Paint's Little Birdie. Charles & Traci Brunner, owners; Gunner Boyer, handler.

The Youth stake had the biggest gallery, 21 riders at times, with four or five sideby-sides for the older people; it was everyone's favorite stake of the trial.

Youth Stake Participants.