Ballywalter Game Fair - terriers, whippets & lurchers

[AlbertJ 569]

The Ballywalter Game Fair will take place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May from 10.00 to 6.00 each day. We are pleased to report that in addition to the new Fine Food Village in the Courtyard the fair already has several more stands booked in that last year and we are receving new enquiries every day - all stands will have either a countrysports or country living focus as we want this fair to be a very traditional one.The updated web site will go live next week highlighting the several new attractions and many of the traditional ones - see www.ballywaltergamefair.com

 

However there has been much discussion on the forum about our plans for the terriers, lurchers and of course whippets for 2012. So I thought I would get the details for Ballywalter up as soon as possible. We are trying some new things and I emphasise trying. If they work we will carry them forward if they don't then we will adapt and improve them as we have always done over 34 years and 49 fairs.

 

Terriers, whippets and lurchers will feature on Saturday as a main arena display only with the main action taking place on the Sunday starting at the new time of 11.00 am. Classes for the show will be posted later but the main prizes are as follows:

 

 

TERRIER ,WHIPPET & LURCHER EVENTS

 

organised by the Glenbank Working Dog Club sponsored by Redmills, Premier Events Catering, Peninsula Veterinary Clinic and Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine

 

MAIN ARENA DISPLAY SATURDAY

 

SHOW & RACING START SUNDAY 6^th May 11.00 am

 

Prizes include Trophies & Rosettes each class

 

OVERALL SHOW CHAMPION

 

£50 Cash plus Rosette and Trophy

 

CHAMPION TERRIER, LURCHER & WHIPPET

 

Trophy, Rosette plus £40 plus Bag of Dog Food

 

The Champion Lurcher qualifies for the Redmills Five Nations International Lurcher Final at Birr Castle on the 26th August (and some travel expenses payable at Birr) and also receives four tickets to the Birr Castle Fair and a year's subscription to Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine. The Prize fund for the Redmills competition prestigious final will top €1,000.

 

LURCHER RACING & QUALIFIERS FOR the REDMILLS Master McGrath Challenge to find the fastest lurcher in the UK and Ireland

 

 

The Over and Under 23” Lurcher winners in the lurcher racing will qualify for the final at Shanes Castle again with a prize fund in excess of €1,000. The winners at Ballywalter receive £50, a trophy and four tickets to Shanes Castle, a years subscription to the Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine, a bag of meal, and a specially commissioned qualifying scroll designed by Ingrid Houwers.

 

There will be two additional racing classes for ( a) Pure bred whippets and ( Non Ped Whipperts /under 21” lurchers. Winners of each will receive £40, a Rosette and a Trophy.

 

And Also Terrier Racing – top prize £30, Rosette and a trophy

 

 

NEW EVENT – The Premier Event Catering /Peninsula Veterinary Clinic NOVICE RACING EVENT

 

This is restricted to dogs that have not won a race at any event in the UK or Ireland

 

There will be three sets of heats for dogs classified as follows :

 

1. Rough Coated Lurcher Any size

 

2. Terrier /cross Lurcher Any size

 

3. Smooth Coated Lurcher/Long dog any breeding other than (2) Any size.

 

Each overall winner in each classification will receive £40 and a Trophy and Rosette. Reserve in each classification will receive a rosette.

 

 

The top two dogs from each classification will run in a six dog final – the winner will receive £50, a trophy and a rosette.

 

Any additional prizes will be notified on the day.

 

Good Parking beside the rings and race track WITHIN the main Fair.

[AlbertJ 569]

Thanks for queries about the Director's Challenge Novice Racing heats and Finals - these will be held at Shanes Castle where my fellow Director Philip Lawton will 'shake the moths' out his wallet and give €300 to the overall winner.

 

 

We are running a SEPARATE Novice series of races at Ballywalter on a similar trial format to what we think will be the format of Shanes Castle. There are good class and final prizes to be won at Ballywalter BUT class winners and the Final winner WILL NOT BE eligible for the Novice race at Shanes Castle. Hope this is a bit clearer than my first post.

 

AlbertJ

[Themaverick 110]

Albert, so to understand this...does that mean there is over 23's under 23's under 21's, and pedigree whippets...as well as a novice race at ballywalter?

and that the novice race at ballywalter is like a qualifier for a novice final at shanes castle ? fiona

[AlbertJ 569]

Albert, so to understand this...does that mean there is over 23's under 23's under 21's, and pedigree whippets...as well as a novice race at ballywalter?

and that the novice race at ballywalter is like a qualifier for a novice final at shanes castle ? fiona

 

At Ballywalter we will have over & under 23" , Pedigree whippets and a race for 'non ped whippets'/lurchers under 21".

 

We will also have three sets of heats for novice dogs of any size ( i.e dogs that have not won a race) . Two dogs to qualify for a Novice Final race AT Ballywalter. The Novice final at Ballywalter has no connection with the Novice event at Shanes Castle but is a stand alone event with, what you can see are good prizes.

 

Basically because of the controversy on the web about classifying dogs we are trying these classifications at Ballywalter in order that our 50th Fair at Shanes Castle is run with the maximum of agreement as to the fairest way to run terrier, whippet and lurcher events. I would ask people to see how they work at Ballywalter. They are an honest and frankly an expensive way of trying to answer some of the criticisms posted about shows.

[Ellis Blain 29]

Where is ballywalter lads?

[Guest Sorley Boys clan]

Where is ballywalter lads?

in the arsehole of nowhere if your going to a fair in northern ireland go to shanes castle on a sunday july in antrim plenty of hotels b and b close to it

[AlbertJ 569]

Where is ballywalter lads?

 

Ballywalter is on the beautiful Ards Pensinsula in Co. Down with plenty of good B&Bs , and self catering accommodation and one of the finest unspoilt and uncrowded beaches in the UK or Ireland. Just 20 miles from Belfast and you almost literally are in another world.

[young man 225]

I have a house in portaferry so I will be there

[Guest Sorley Boys clan]

like i said the arsehole of nowhere shanes is with in walking distance of the main bus station train station. town if your driving the only thing good about ballywalter is the road out of it

[pigsy 34]

A wee quieries Albert Is it possile to enter a dog in the under 21 and have the same dog entered in the under 23 inch ?In the novice terrier race how much terrier does the dog need to have example can a terrier whippet g/hond bred back to g/hond enter? And is the whippet racing for kc papered dogs only?

Edited March 12, 2012 by pigsy

[AlbertJ 569]

A wee quieries Albert Is it possile to enter a dog in the under 21 and have the same dog entered in the under 23 inch ?In the novice terrier race how much terrier does the dog need to have example can a terrier whippet g/hond bred back to g/hond enter? And is the whippet racing for kc papered dogs only?

[AlbertJ 569]

A wee quieries Albert Is it possile to enter a dog in the under 21 and have the same dog entered in the under 23 inch ?In the novice terrier race how much terrier does the dog need to have example can a terrier whippet g/hond bred back to g/hond enter? And is the whippet racing for kc papered dogs only?

[AlbertJ 569]

Sorry Pigsy - problem with my browser.

Some interesting points. At the end of the day I thankfully will not have to make these decisions myself but the people running the event. As with all classifications that you try to come up with there are hypothetical or even sometimes odd cases that blur the boundaries set. Apart from the obvious question why would someone prefer to run their dog against under 23" rather than under 21" if it fits that class I suppose there would be nothing to stop it. Whippet racing at Ballywalter is for all pure bred whippets , 'Non Peds' can run with under 21".

 

On the classifying heats for the Novice final - we hope that the owner of such a hypothetical animal would run it in the smooth heats but again a decision will be made by the race organisers. In the final all classifications will race against each other.

[dogs balls 7]

I have a half bred bull greyhound what class will put him in Albert not sure

[AlbertJ 569]

I have a half bred bull greyhound what class will put him in Albert not sure

I have a half bred bull greyhound what class will put him in Albert not sure

 

DB,

 

I am not going to 'second guess' the race organisers by classifying individual dogs defined by description or hypothetical breeding. The classes we have come up with are fairly broad and if anyone wants to talk about their likely classification they should give Matt Lee a call. However the final decisions will be made on the day when the organisers can actually see the dogs. No matter what class anyone ultimately runs in they have to face qualifiers from the other classifications in the final.