Orange County Kermit 2015, shown by huntsman Reg Spreadborough, is Grand Champion at Virginia Foxhound Show. / Liz Callar photo
The Grand Championship class for the coveted William W. Brainard, Jr. Perpetual Cup at the Virginia Foxhound Show finally got underway at around six p.m. It’s always an exciting class, despite the late hour on a day, May 28, 2017, that started at 9:00 a.m. for five hundred hounds and participants representing seventy hunts. Thunderstorms had struck towns all over Virginia from noontime on, but hardly a raindrop fell in Leesburg.
Four magnificent foxhounds walked out with their handlers: English, American, Crossbred, and Penn-Marydel Champions. Now they would vie for the Grand Championship of Show. Each of the four, after vanquishing all other hounds through the long day of winnowing, were obviously superb representatives of their respective breeds. In this observers view, absent any serious and previously undetected flaws in conformation, it would be a test of movement—that free-flowing, ground-covering, shock-absorbing, athletic, and energetic stride that tells the judge, “I can keep doing this day after day, year after year.”
Coleman Perrin, ex-MFH of the Deep Run Hunt (VA) judged the Grand Championship Class. After examining all four foxhounds on the flags and watching their movement, it came down to a battle between two hounds, though each of the four was impressive. Hillsboro Walnut, the English champion clothed in camo, was a beautiful example of her breed. I loved the big, flashy Penn-Marydel Champion, Moore County Dan 2014. He carried a lot of chrome for his breed and was a beautiful mover to boot. But it was Midland’s Crossbred Champion, Stellar 2015, and Orange County’s American champion, Kermit 2015, that were selected for the final run-off.
Kermit shows his extravagant movement. / Liz Callar photo
Perrin asked each handler to show his hound’s movement against the other. It was a match race, both hounds chasing the biscuits side-by-side at the same time. Coleman watched intently, and the hounds kept running…back and forth…back and forth. Both were gorgeous movers—Stellar, active and quick; Kermit, extravagant. Perrin chose Kermit, and Orange County had their first Grand Champion foxhound since 2002 when their Melody captured the cup.
Kermit is no superstar in the hunting field, but he’s a consistent member of the pack. I asked huntsman Reg Spreadborough what he could tell me about Kermit’s hunting. “Nothing,” he replied. “He’s in the middle of the pack. He does his job.”
Kermit is all Orange County bloodlines on the dam’s side, but Potomac bloodlines on his sire’s side. Kermit is by Potomac Kadillac 2012, whose grand-sire is Potomac Jefferson 2005, the MFHA Centennial Foxhound of North America in 2007. Kermit goes back tail male to Jefferson.
Jefferson keeps popping up so often that, just for the heck of it, I used the Foxhunting Life search function and found eighteen past articles in which we talked about Jefferson. He appears in the pedigree of many Grand Champion foxhounds since 2007 when he became a national idol.
Kermit and his sire Kadillac faced each other in the ring last year at Bryn Mawr. “Kermit was Champion American Dog Hound and Kadillac was Reserve Champion [Dog Hound],” said Larry Pitts, ex-huntsman at Potomac—Jefferson’s breeder. Kermit was judged Champion American Foxhound at the Bryn Mawr show last year.
Judging hounds this day were Marty Wood, MFH and George Hundt in the American ring; Andrew Barclay, Crossbreds (under 35-couple), Drs. John W.D. McDonald and Charlotte McDonald, MFHs, Crossbreds (over 35-couple); Richard Tyacke, MFH (UK) in the English ring; Dr. John van Nagell, MFH and Mrs. Coleman Perrin in the Penn-Marydel ring; Orrin Ingram, MFH, Performance Trial hounds; Mrs. Robert Pillion, Junior Handlers (5-10 years of age) and Jim Farber, ex-MFH and Mrs. Catherine Thomas, Junior Handlers (11 to 16 years of age); and Coleman Perrin, ex-MFH, Champion of Show.
The Virginia Foxhound Show is run by the Virginia Foxhound Club, Mrs. Richard Jones, ex-MFH, president. Click for complete results.
Posted June 3, 2017