At Grand Junction

After the quail-shooting season closes and before spring plowing begins, people in the South who really know and care about bird dogs turn their attention to the field trials, the series of winter tournaments culminating with the National Championship at Grand Junction, Tenn. There, last week, over the broad acres of Hobart Ames's plantation, the biggest galleries in years plodded after a field of 23 pointers and two setters, run in pairs for heats of three hours each. Weeks of cold and snow had made birds so scarce that, despite ideal weather, for the first time in all the 40 years of the championship, one heat was run without either dog making a find.

With broad-shouldered Planter Ames, a patriarchal figure in mustard corduroy, at the head of the procession, the championship week began with a fast heat by Yankee Doodle Jack, and a hot favorite, the orange-spotted pointer, Doctor Blue Willing. The latter stayed in hand better than on two other championship occasions and, as a local sports writer put it, "he handled his birds like a Ziegfeld beauty handles a millionaire." Tips Manitoba Jake, the big, white-&-black pointer owned by Golfer Glenna Collett Vare (see p. 27), ran the next heat worthy of notice. He, too, had the morning course where birds were more plentiful, scoring six finds to four by his brace mate, Air Circus. There was pathos in the next heat. Out came Oil Tycoon Jacob France's big pointer, Kremlin, winner of many a lesser stake, to try once more for the blue ribbon of bird dogdom. But his seven years hung heavy upon him. When famed Handler Chesley Harris released him at the starting signal, Kremlin just stood there. Then he tried to start, but he had only three legs. A tendon had tied up. He hobbled out 75 yd. from the gallery, turned and looked back apologetically. Handler Harris had to take him up.

Third day's honors went to Pointer Ufton Congressman, obedient and stylish, but tired at the finish after a hard run over rain-drenched ground. His brace mate disgraced herself by chasing off after a covey of deer. Next good heat of the stake was run by Sulu, liver-&-white pointer bitch owned by Andrew G. C. Sage, whose Rapid Transit, champion in 1933, had run disappointingly the first day. Last year, Sulu had the honor of working in the runoffs as brace mate to Homewood Flirtatious the day Homewood Flirtatious won the Trials. Last week Sulu found six coveys and worked with dainty accuracy on single birds. That afternoon Homewood Flirtatious made a sorry showing. She ran slowly through a warm afternoon, pointing four out of eight times where birds we're not. Equipoise, the second setter of the meeting, did no better.

The Saturday afternoon crowd was pulling for a Memphis dog called Hugh White, but he found only one covey and one rabbit. That left only one dog to run, Wicomico. Waiting around the drug store and hotel in tiny Grand Junction, experts figured that here was a make or break situation. A brilliant heat by Wicomico would win. Otherwise, two or more top dogs would be called back to try again. For once, the wise bird dog fanciers of Grand Junction were wrong. Wicomico's heat was not good enough to win. Instead of calling for a runoff, the judges gave first prize--$1,500 and a second leg on the Robert Worth Bingham Trophy--to Mr. Sage's Sulu.

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