Game Winner, our male sired by Full Blast ex Springtime Showgirl, was 1st in all the fall derby stakes in Pennsylvania. We cannot recall that any other dog has ever swept the first placements in all these stakes in the 100 year history of cover dogs run in the state. “Finn” eclipsed the field at The Venango Grouse Trial Club, the Pennsylvania Grouse Trial Club and the Nittany Valley Grouse Trial Club Open Derbies.
“Finn” also won the 75th Grouse Futurity in MI was a sharp, steady-to-wing and shot grouse find. In PA, the cover is more open, requiring a dog to reach for objectives and hustle from one covert to another. “Finn” has tremendous drive and speed. He’s also got the flash, snap, jump and crack that we have emphasized in choosing dogs to develop over the decades. This pays off when as one judge told us, “you can’t take your eyes off of him.” “He commands your attention.” That’s the reason we have underscored class in the Grand National Grouse standards that guide our program–“Finn” is a prime example.
“Finn” is headed to Texas in January for a month of quail hunting with Dick. It’s the wild bird exposure and training that he got early in the fall with Thor Kain and the Texas trip last year that has helped reveal the winning genetic qualities in “Finn”