2010 Midwest Vizsla Futurity
Winner
Tiszabecs Josie of Vanguard
Sire: Shiloahs Matrix
Dam: Shilohs Rock My World
Owner/Handler: Paul Primeaux
Breeder: Matt and Ruth Rogers
Runner Up
Shilohs Red White and Blue
Sire: Shilohs Matrix
Dam: Cherokee Jazzmin of Shiloh
Owner/Handler: Rob Tomczak
Breeder: Rob Tomczak
Second Runner Up
Midnight Run’s It’s Tricky
Sire: Berrys Bad Boy
Dam: Rio Le Rouge
Owner/Handler: Jonathan Peck
Breeder: Jonathan Peck
Third Runner Up
O Mega’s Heartland Express
Sire: Omega
Dam: Zoom Zoom
Owner/Handler: Jim Busch/Brian Gingrich
Breeder: Jim Busch
2009 Midwest Vizsla Field Futurity
Submitted by Jonathan Peck, MVF Scribe
The 28th running of the Midwest Vizsla Futurity (“MVF”) was held on March 5, 2010, at the Des Plaines Wildlife Conservation Area near Joliet, IL. The MVF regularly attracts the best and brightest derby dogs that the Vizsla breed has to offer, and this year’s renewal was no exception. Several of the top Vizsla derbies in the country were on hand to vie for top honors and take home the coveted “Double Lane” trophy. Nearly all of the dogs in this year’s field had puppy and/or derby wins under their belt, several having placed and won at the National level. The MVF lived up to its name yet again this year, drawing entries from throughout the Midwest – participants hailed from five different states including Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
Breeders nominated a total of twelve litters for this year’s Futurity, and subsequent owners of pups from those litters re-nominated sixteen hopefuls. Of the sixteen dogs eligible to be run, thirteen were drawn and brought to the line to compete for a total prize purse worth nearly $2300. This year’s Futurity also drew one of the largest galleries in recent history, rivaling that of 2006, when the MVF enjoyed its largest entry in history. Those who came just to watch were treated to clear, crisp weather and some great performances on the ground.
Judges for this year’s renewal were Robert Richter of Harvard, IL, and Howard Burbach, of Pleasant Hill, MO. Robert, our returning judge from last year, is a successful Brittany trialer and has considerable judging experience. Howard, an accomplished GSP field trialer and also a well-respected judge, was a welcome addition to this year’s judging slate. The MVF was honored to have such fine gentlemen sitting in the judging saddle for this year’s event. They were both positive and complimentary of the dogs run that day, and their decisions were all well-received.
As with any other event, the MVF would not succeed without the hard work, dedication and gracious support of a number of volunteers and supporters. MVF Chairman, Mark Spurgeon, and MVF Secretary, Rodney Albin, must be commended for their dedication and tireless work to insure that the MVF is a success year in and year out. The MVF is run on a shoe-string budget, but one would never know due to their hard work. MVF Webmaster, Michel Berner, has also done a fantastic job redesigning the MVF’s website and increasing the Futurity’s online presence. The MVF would also like to thank Nestle-Purina, and specifically Pat Lamantia and Terry Trzcinski, for their generous support of this event. Pat and Terry worked quickly, on very short notice, to provide the Futurity with Pro Plan Performance Formula product to be awarded to the winners and hats for participants and spectators. Nestle-Purina is an ardent supporter of field trialing and the MVF appreciates their contribution to our event and looks forward to their continued support in the future.
The MVF was fortunate, for the second year in a row, to have great weather for running dogs. Although not nearly as warm as last year, this year’s weather certainly did not disappoint. While the temps dipped down into the twenties for an overnight low, the bright sun quickly warmed the morning air. The ride around began at 8:30 a.m. and first brace cast off at 9:30 a.m. to 30-degree temps, clear skies and a gentle breeze from the east. The temperature continued to climb throughout the day, reaching an afternoon high of 45 degrees.
The winner of the 2010 Midwest Vizsla Futurity was Tiszabec’s Josie of Vanguard (“Josie”), owned by Paul Primeaux of Livonia, New York, and breeder-handled by Matt Rogers of Canal Winchester, OH. Josie had considerable success as a puppy-derby and was a favorite coming into this event. She certainly did not disappoint. Josie, running in the second brace of the day, ran a powerful, forward race and carded several stylishly pointed finds. Her stamina and application separated her from the other top performers and netted her the win.
Josie cast off from the gravel lot, made a quick move to the north tree line and motored to the front. Halfway down the line, she hooked left at the east edge of a section of prairie grass and shot to the south, checking the single tree and then angling forward to the north edge of the orchard, where she disappeared for a spell. Josie showed to the front, making the cut into the “back 40.” She quickly took the edge to the right and disappeared again. At 9, Josie was found standing stylishly along the west edge, just north of the “turnaround.” The bird was flushed and Josie was off again down the right edge. At 11, Josie was seen pointing in the south corner of the “back 40,” just before the cut into the “big field,” where the previous brace had a covey find. After several unsuccessful attempts to flush what appeared to be a single, running bob, Rogers relocated Josie just as the bird flushed wild ahead. Josie was quickly collected and cast-off.
Josie knifed through the cut into the “big field” and took the edge to the right, holding it well until reaching the point. She crossed to the broken tree line in the middle and continued moving east towards Blodgett Road at blazing speed. Josie made short order of the “big field,” hooked left at the road and disappeared. She completed her big sweeping move to the north and was briefly seen entering the orchard. Josie disappeared for several minutes in the orchard and was then spotted under a bird at 21. After a brief chase, Josie returned to the orchard, where she efficiently hunted the available cover, always remaining forward. At 25, her effort was rewarded with another stylishly pointed find at the far end of the orchard. Rogers flushed a single and Josie was then cast-off into the last field. She hunted to the north tree line and finished the half hour charging hard to the front.
Josie ran the widest race of the day, yet she handled kindly for Rogers and rarely was out of pocket. She displayed good application, excellent ground speed, covering more terrain than any of her competitors, and she maintained her pace for the full thirty minutes. The win was certainly well deserved. Josie is the product of Matt & Ruth Rogers’ first bred litter and this is also Matt’s first MVF win as a handler. Josie's sire is Shiloh's Matrix ("Neo"), her dam is Shiloh's Rock My World ("Roxie"), and she was whelped on April 8, 2008. Josie’s grand-sire, Crimson’s Twenty Gauge Ruger (“Ruger”), was the MVF’s 2nd Runner-up in 2004 and the sire of Gunner, last year’s 2nd Runner-up. Josie’s grand-dam, October Rust Shiloh’s Zetta (“Zetta”) was the MVF’s 2nd Runner-up in 2005. Josie’s great grand-sire, Raany, was the MVF winner in 1997. Her sire, Neo, also sired this year’s 1st Runner-up, Blue.
The First Runner-up was Shiloh’s Red White & Blue (“Blue”), owned by Ryan and Deborah Rice of Winnecone, WI. Blue was breeder-handled by Robert Tomczak of Elk Mound, WI. Blue was the most celebrated of the young dogs running in this year’s Futurity and was also a favorite to win going into the event. He previously won the National Walking Puppy Stake at the Vizsla Club of America’s National Gun Dog Championship in the Spring of 2009, was the 1st Runner-up in the Derby Classic at the 2009 Vizsla Club of American’s National Championship in the Fall of 2009, and won the Gary Jagoda Derby Classic at the Midwest Vizsla Shooting Dog Championship in the Fall of 2009. Although he did not quite have the range and groundspeed displayed by Josie, Blue ran a strong, forward race with two very stylishly pointed finds that he handled with good manners.
Blue ran in the first brace of the day. He began his bid by hunting the edges and grassy sections in the first field at a medium range. Before reaching the first cut, he made a sweeping move south to the orchard and returned heading north along the tree line a few minutes later. Blue made the cut into the “back 40” and took the wooded edge to right. He checked the “mounds” and continued forward to the far west edge of the “back 40,” disappearing along the edge. Blue showed to the front, along the west wood line, where he cut to the center of the field to check the cluster of large trees. He returned to the west edge, just past the “turnaround,” and held the edge nicely for the remainder of the field. Blue initially passed the cut to the “big field,” getting out of pocket briefly, but was handled back and through the cut by Tomczak at 12. Blue opened up a bit, increasing his range as he moved to the broken tree line in the center of the big field. After 50 yards or so, he cut the field and made a brief move to the south edge of the field. He then spent the remainder of his time in the big field quartering sections of grass before turning toward the orchard, short of Blodgett Road.
As Blue approached the orchard from the east, he swapped ends at 18, pointing a single tree at a considerable distance. Blue exhibited beautiful style and intensity on point, and remained steady while Tomczak flushed a single and fired his gun. Blue proceeded to scour the orchard, shortening a bit, but hunting hard and remaining forward at all times. His intelligent application was rewarded with a find at 25, along the north tree line bordering the orchard. Blue displayed the same long nose, pleasing style and intensity as he did on his first find. Blue stood steady to the flush as Tomczak flushed another single, but moved on the shot and had to be cautioned. Blue finished going away along the north edge of the last field at thirty minutes.
Blue showed excellent ground speed and ran with an eye-catching gait, but his ground race was not quite as strong as Josie’s. His mature application, good range and two quality finds were rewarded with First Runner-up honors. Blue's sire is Neo, his dam is Cherokee's Jazzmin of Shiloh ("Jazzmin"), and he was whelped on February 1, 2008.
The Second Runner-up was Midnight Run’s It’s Tricky (“Tricky”), owned, bred and handled by Jonathan Peck of Battle Creek, MI. Tricky was the only breeder-owner handled dog in this year’s Futurity. Tricky ran in the fourth brace of the day. She began her bid with a forward cast down the north tree line to the large section of prairie grass, where she hooked south. Tricky hunted the grassy edge to the lone tree and then charged hard to the front through more prairie grass near the cut to the “back 40.” She was seen briefly running the tree line and then disappeared through cut. Point was called by Peck at 6, after Tricky was found stylishly pointing a single along the wood line to the right, near the “mounds.” Peck initially had difficulty locating and flushing the bird in the thicket, but it was eventually produced. Tricky hunted the “mounds” and then moved swiftly to the west edge of the “back 40.” She held her edge well, occasionally veering off to check grassy sections that yielded finds in previous braces.
Tricky got out of pocket when she missed the cut to the big field and headed north down the heavy tree line dividing the “back 40” from the large fields to the east. She returned to the course and entered the big field at 13. Tricky hunted the broken tree line initially and then made a big move to the far right edge, which she held to the end, hooking north just before Blodgett Road. She checked the lone trees, swooped past the island and then headed for the orchard. At 19, Tricky was found pointing at the beginning of the orchard, her head and tail high. The bird was flushed and Tricky was cast-off into the orchard. Tricky made a big move to the front, down the north tree line bordering the orchard. When she neared the west end of the orchard, Tricky swapped ends and point was called at 22. Before Peck could reach his charge, however, the bird popped and Tricky gave chase.
Tricky continued along the north edge of the orchard, punched through the tree line and made an errant turn to the left instead of going right with the course. Peck elected to try and handle her to the front, which proved unsuccessful. After an extended absence and with only a minute remaining in the brace, Tricky returned from behind with the scout. Although she finished going to the front along the edge in the last field, the unfortunate ending to her otherwise strong performance proved costly. Nevertheless, her excellent application, good range, and style on point made up for her indiscretion and she was named Second Runner-Up. Tricky’s sire is Berry’s Bad Boy (“Gus”), her dam is Rio Le Rouge (“Rio”), and she was whelped on March 13, 2008. Her grand-sire, Raany, was the MVF winner in 1997, and her great grand-sire, Lifo Riley, was the MVF winner in 1995.
The Third Runner-up was O Mega’s Heartland Express (“Daisy”), owned and bred by Jim Busch of Winnebago, IL, and handled by professional trainer Brian Gingrich of Rockford, IL. Daisy ran in the seventh and final brace of the day. Daisy began her brace by hunting the first field hard at a medium range. She made several moves to the edges, but spent more time working the grassy objectives in the first field. Daisy made the cut to the “back 40,” hunted the “mounds” and worked toward the west edge of the field. At 8, point was called for Daisy just before the “turnaround” along the far edge. Daisy exhibited pleasing style and excellent intensity on point. Gingrich produced two bobs and fired his gun. Daisy continued forward along the far edge of the “back 40,” remaining forward and alternating between the tree line and the sections of grass adjacent to the line. Daisy entered the big field at 13 and continued to the broken tree line in the center of the field, netting her second find at 15. The bird flushed, but was weak and Daisy quickly snatched it. Gingrich lost several minutes attempting to recover the bird from his charge, but soon everything was back in order and Daisy continued hunting her way to the orchard.
Daisy entered the orchard at 19. She systematically quartered the orchard, hitting most of the objectives. Although this shortened her range, she remained forward and made good use of a wind that was to her back at times. Daisy exited the orchard at 22 and continued along the far tree line into the last field. At 24, she carded her third find along the north edge of the big field. She finished the thirty minutes forward, but at a slower pace than with which she started.
Although she worked at a closer range than those placing ahead of her, she hunted hard, remained forward and ran a mature course. Her strong effort was rewarded with Third Runner-up. Daisy’s sire is O Mega (“Omega”), her dam is Zoom Zoom (“Zoom Zoom”), and she was whelped on February 8, 2008. Her grand-sire/great grand-sire Raany was the MVF winner in 1997, and her grand-sire Lifo Riley was the MVF winner in 1995. Daisy is yet another in a long line of dogs bred, owned and/or handled by Jim Busch, to place in the Midwest Vizsla Futurity.
