A good friend's husband is handling the 2nd dog in the 3rd brace you listed. He's one of the top trainers in the country, which is probably self-evident by being on that list. In chatting with some of the guys that compete in that world, it's interesting to hear some of the opinions about the annual championship at Ames. A criticism from some is that many of the top dogs are trained and compete to hunt wild birds, and actually place a higher ranking on winning the
The Continental than what is considered the National Championship since the latter is all released birds. Of course this time of year, the winner at the Ames is also often the dog that gets lucky with the weather as rain is so common. Anyway, is stilll a quite a feather in the cap of the winner.
Another very interesting field trial is coming up on 2/20. It's probably the most unique and field trial event in the country by virtue of how you get to participate, attend, and who all is there. It's the
Georgia-Florida Field Trial, and is quite amazing. A large percentage of the S&P 500, so to speak, will be in attendance, as they fly in from around the country all dressed in their best tweed. I've attended it a couple of times and am looking forward to going again on Monday. It will be at
Blue Springs Plantation; the last time I attended it was at the plantation of one of the country's most notable
characters.
