PrintBefore Potomac Jefferson '05 duked it out for the grand championship, the American ring was the site of another fierce battle. The Brazos Valley hounds showing in the "under 20 couple" classes and the Potomac hounds in the unrestricted classes battled all day for supremacy.
With Potomac Jealousy '05 selected as the champion American bitch and Brazos Valley's Catfish pinned as the best unentered hound, the final decision for the American hound championship was between the two Potomac hounds, littermates Jefferson '05 and Jealousy '05.
After another close and careful examination, the judges gave the nod to the outstanding dog hound Jefferson. Potomac (Md.) Huntsman Larry Pitts, always shy and retiring about his hounds, declared for one and all, "I told you." And indeed he had. Pitts had predicted to several others last year that Jefferson was a true champion. This year the judges recognized his unquestioned superior conformation and manner.
As Brazos Valley (Texas) MFH and huntsman Sandy Dixon walked away with her winning bitch Carol and a load of silver to take back with her to Texas she was heard to say, "We have a date with Jefferson!"
The superb breeder and follower of the American hound, Jake Carle, ex-MFH, Keswick Hunt (Va.) and the equally qualified Elias Guy, ex-MFH of the Princess Anne Hunt (Md.), judged. Carle has an eye for hounds that is uncanny so that after the first few classes his placings with Master Guy were so consistent as to type, conformation, and way of going that there was absolutely none of the usual grumblings around the outside of the ring. These judges clearly knew what they were looking for as the hound nearest the ideal.
From the first class of the day, unentered dogs from packs with under 20 couple, Brazos Valley quickly established themselves as the pack to be reckoned with. Their young dog hound Catfish won the class with his classic form, no doubt inherited from his sire Brazos Valley Elliott '01. It would be the first of many wins for Dixon and her hounds on this day.
Just two classes later, Catfish's sire--Brazos Valley Elliott '01--topped his class for entered dogs from a pack of under 20 couple. This was a class with a number of truly outstanding specimens in the ring, and the Brazos Valley hounds stood first and second with Elliott and their Petrarck '05 out of a littermate of Elliott's (Brazos Valley Easter '01).
With Elliott's win in this class he continued his winning string of four years in a row as the recipient of the C. Warren Harrover Cup, an outstanding achievement for a hound Dixon describes as an outstanding hunting hound. Clearly, Elliott has the conformation to stay sound while chasing coyote across the terrain of central Texas.
The Potomac juggernaut was apparent with the results of the second class. This class for unentered dogs from packs of over 20 couple was won last year by an outstanding specimen, Potomac Jefferson '05. Showing the confidence that Pitts has expressed repeatedly in that outstanding hound, this year Potomac was represented by two fine young dog hounds with the blue going to Jefferson's son Jacket while second also went to Potomac for their Jonathan, by their older sire Potomac Brimstone '98.
