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The 2024 Regional Elimination Trial, held in Newton, UT was an outstanding event filled with awesome dogs, great camaraderie and fun competition. Twenty-six dogs across 13 braces towed the starting line, all with aspirations of being crowned the Regional Champion. The weather was beautiful, but afforded tough scenting conditions for most of the morning braces. Newton's A-Field, used for both Round 1 and Round 2, lived up to it's reputation for being "stingy" and hiding it's birds well. In fact, this year, a 2/2 run with a back and good scores was the cut line for the Top 6 making Round 2. This type of trial, with these conditions, makes every find significantly more special.
A really good mix of new dogs and handlers, as well as established veterans qualified for this year's Regional Elimination Trial. Of special note is 13-year old, 6X NSTRA Champion, Sunnie, competing in her final NSTRA trail. Cade Allen's brittany Annie, last years Regional Champion was in the competitive field. Bret Wonnacott's Snaps and Rox, Kelly Iron's Cinder, Ryan Taylor's Prince and Tracy Neilson's Weed, all dogs that achieved NSTRA Championship milestones this year, were running and considered favorites to win. Along with a bunch of up and coming dogs, this year's competition was fun and exciting.
We really have a great amount of respect and gratitude for Richie Hight and Craig Beach, both from the Northern California / Nevada region. They travel to Utah and did a phenomenal job judging this year's Regional Trial. Maureen Goodrich did an outstanding job marshalling the event and Glenn Smith did a superb job planting birds as usual. All (4) helped make for a great trial.
A special note of thanks to the Utah Region Presidency for organizing and chairing the trial, as well as all that showed up to help setup and take down the fields. Without all these volunteers, the event would not be possible.
Thanks to all the NSTRA sponsors, including Purina, Garmin, OnX, Dakota 283.
Round 1
In brace 1, under difficult scenting conditions, Bret Wonnacott and Rox would find 2 birds and a back for a score of 546 giving them 6th place and a spot in Round 2.
In brace 3, Joel Cartwright and Knox would find 3 birds for a score of 603, earning them 5th place.
In brace 5, Ernie Wakabayashi and Boon would find 3 birds for a score 624, earning them 4th place.
In brace 12, Bret Wonnacott and Sunnie, competing in her final NSTRA trial, would have a great run finding 4 birds for a score of 793.5, earning them 3rd place.
In brace 10, Tracy Neilson and Weed, would have an outstanding run finding 5 birds for a score of 943.5, earning them 2nd place.
In brace 13, Lynn Jeffers and Oakley would have the run of the day, finding an incredible 7 birds for a score of 1,090.49 and earning them the top spot in the qualification round.
Round 1 Placements
1st - Oakley / Lynn Jeffers
2nd - Weed / Tracy Neilson
3rd - Sunnie / Bret Wonnacott
Round 2
Round 2 Pairings / Draw
Brace 1 - Boon and Ernie Wakabayashi
Sunnie and Bret Wonnacott
Brace 2 - Weed and Tracy Neilson
Oakley and Lynn Jeffers
Brace 3 - Rox and Bret Wonnacott
Knox and Joel Cartwright
Round 2 proved to be very competitive as all 6 dogs found multiple birds and several dogs took advantage of backing opportunities. However, when the dust settled, Weed and Tracy Neilson would ride a 4-bird run and score of 680.66 to make the finals. They would square off with Knox and Joel Cartwright who had a 3-bird run of their own and final score of 590, setting up a great finals matchup.
Round 3 - Finals
The final round of the Regional Elimination Trial tests both the physical and mental capacities of the dog and handler. After making it through both the qualifying round and top 6, the two finalists run a brace that is an hour long and in a field that is double the size of a normal weekend trial field. After Glenn, the bird planter, put 10 quail in the field, the judges were ready, the handlers were ready and the dogs toed the starting line...the stage was set.
"Let 'em go...!!!" said the judge and they were off. Right out of the gate and a mere 15 yards from the starting line, both dogs immediately slammed a point to their left. Tracy's dog, Weed, hit her point and came to a stop just a few seconds in front of Knox giving her the find and ultimately the retrieve. With this kind of start, the many spectators were in for a great show.
After finishing her work on the 1st bird, Weed continued her pursuit of quail and immediately went on point for her 2nd bird. Joel, knowing he needed the required back, quickly worked Knox into the area and was able to score on the back.
Once the work from the 2nd bird was completed, the dogs were off again in search of more birds. Joel worked Knox to the center of the large field where he found his 1st bird. After a quick retrieve, Joel and Knox were on the board, now only down 1 bird. However, Weed is a "bird finder" and it didn't take long for her to establish another point. Tracy immediately came over, flushed the bird and with the retrieve, He and Weed were up 3 birds to 1.
With the field being much larger and the speed at which Weed was covering ground, Joel knew he needed to switch strategies. He decided to work the south end of the field, using the hill to his advantage and work into the wind. This tactic paid off as Knox would go on a 4-bird run capped off with a find in the waist deep cover that is the eastern hill of the field.
Even though at this point, Joel and Knox had a 2 bird lead, Tracy and Weed still had time on the clock. Tracy worked Weed to the back corner of the field where she had a beautiful point on her 4th bird of the finals. After a snappy retrieve, they were off to see if they could find a 5th bird in the time that was left.
The whole hour was fascinating to watch. The efforts of both Tracy and Joel, handling their dogs, earned them a special level of respect for those in attendance. When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Joel and Knox's 5-bird run with a back, scoring 962.5 ultimately edged out Tracy and Weed's 4-bird run and score of 757.5.
Congratulations to Joel Cartwright and Knox, the Utah Region Elimination Trial Champion.
Knox / Joel Cartwright and Weed / Tracy Neilson
Final Standings - Top 6
Region Champion - Knox / Joel Cartwright
Runner Up - Weed / Tracy Neilson
3rd Place - Rox / Bret Wonnacott
4th Place - Sunnie / Angie (Bret) Wonnacott
5th Place - Boon / Ernie Wakabayashi
6th Place - Oakley / Lynn Jeffers
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