I'm going to let you read the scores on the Bluegrass website (look at my links panel on the right) because they are getting them up pretty fast in the evenings. Don't forget to hit your refresh button to get the 2009 scores. I'm afraid it isn't good news with Drift. Scott said it was handler error. He pulled him up a little short - which was his original plan to make them lift away from the set out but they lifted a little too much to the right so he had to flank Drift. It started good but the sheep got crazier from there. At one point he had them but Scott hit him with a hard lie down whistle and then the sheep ran to the left. He blew an away whistle to Drift but because of the hard stop, he hesitated on the flank and it was too late. The sheep got back to set out and we thought it was over then but Drift ran them along the set out panels and started them down the left hand fence line. At the fetch panels he got them lifted off the fence and back on line but one sheep had had enough and laid down. Scott brought the two back to her and eventually she stood up but she didn't go in the direction of the two, she wandered back up the field. At one point he sent Drift back to get her and as Drift went back he looked like he wasn't going to flank back to pick the single up but then changed his mind and started to flank out to get her. Unfortunately, because he looked like he wasn't going back, Scott whistled at exactly the time he was going to go back and it screwed up the flank and made the single go even further away. In the mean time the two got over to the right hand fence and Scott had to retire. It just wasn't going to happen.
Other open runs of note: Alasdair and Star got a 95. Stormy Winters retired at the top when his dog had trouble getting them to the fetch panels. It's tough going out there but if you can just get them off the top you have a chance.
Scott runs 3rd tomorrow with Drift and has plans to change some things. He agrees with me that it is difficult to not over handle at the top so he's going to let Drift do more on his own. I run Hemp in the early afternoon. Maid and Lad run on Saturday - Lad is 7th up on Saturday and is our great white hope for the double lift but I wouldn't hold your breath because his handler is likely to screw it up with the pressure!
The great news was on the underclass field. I think the dog we are most proud of was RIVER!! He got third in the nursery (and got a pretty yellow ribbon for his owners) and got his first leg towards the national finals! Whiskey got a second and his first leg towards the finals and he won the Pro-Novice class AND got the overall for Pro-Novice! He won a beautiful tooled leather picture frame engraved with his win and a gorgeous tooled leather photo album with his overall win engraved on it.
I'm hoping Scott will get sheep down the field with Drift in the morning and I can get some pictures on the open field.
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