RETRIEVING AUSTRALIA FORUM

*PLEASE NOTE: If a judge is judging two stakes on the same day conducted by the Labrador Retriever Club then competitors cannot enter the same dog in both stakes.*

Is this a club rule? I can't seem to find in the rules for retrieving anywhere that says we are not allowed to enter both stakes. Sorry, just a bit confused?? I believe that I'm in the transition phase novice/restricted, and don't understand why we are being told we can't participate, how are we supposed to progress further, we we are told we can't. NSW trials have been struggling for years to get numbers, now all of a sudden the clubs are getting many entries they seem happy to turn entries away. Why can we not enter the same dog in both stakes?
Lara

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Hi Lara,
I'm not responding on behalf of the Lab Club but believe I know the answer to your question. It has been my observation that when novice and restricted stakes are being judged by the the one person, they often set up the restricted run to incorporate the novice run. If you were to run your dog in novice and then restricted it will have already seen the mark in novice which may give it an advantage over others in restricted.

Regards,

Garrick

Hi Garrick, I appreciate your response, thank you. I've only been trialling for a few years, but when ever this situation has risen the judge has always set another run so it is not advantaged over the other dogs, be sort of silly if they didn't. I just don't see why it is an issue this year? I just want to trial my dog and take away with me what we have learnt so we can improve. hopefully this silence won't go on for another week and they will answer my question?? Thanks again, Lara

Hi Lara,

South Australia in previous years ran stakes with 1 judge judging any combination of stakes. The way it was managed there was if the trial was listed as Novice/Restricted they were to be judged together and a trialer could only enter one of the stakes. The same would apply if it was a Restricted/All Age. It didn't seem to be a problem if there was a Novice/All Age being judged by the same judge. Quite often here in Victoria we've had one judge, judge two stakes (myself included) and they have been judged on different runs. it's not hard just requires being organised, good time management and assistance from all of the triallers. It can work well with Novice stewarding for Restricted and visa versa.

Looking at the schedule it listed as Novice - J Barber, Restricted J Barber. If the entries are substantial the club could always appoint a different judge. Having said that at the Gundog Society just run at Marulan, Noel managed to judge a Novice with 19 dogs and a Restricted with I think 9 dogs and was finished by 2.30 and ran non competing dogs on some of the legs.

Cheers

Kate

Hi Lara, I agree with Kate and like you had entered both stakes at Marulan. I note that in August the URC on the Sunday trial has Novice and All Age being judged by the same judge and it does seem logical that the Lab Club could do the same at this upcoming trial. Alternatively there are 19 Novice and 13 Restricted Judges in NSW. However it seems it is Club policy to not allow the same dog to compete in Novice and Restricted when they only contract a single judge for both stakes. It does seem confusing that this year it seems to be an issue.

Thank you ladies, yes I totally agree also. A query from a point you made Penny, re 'club policy', when running a retrieving trial, I am under the belief that ' Directives of a Member Body shall apply to Retrieving Trials in their State/Territory and to any affiliate conducting Retrieving Trials, with the exception of National and State Championship Trials, and in the event of any inconsistency the Rules of the ''ANKC Ltd shall apply'''. Can club policy override the rules of the ANKC? Like I've said previously I can't seem to find anwhere in the rules that states club policy can prevent you from entering 2 stakes considering the only rules to apply should be ' the Rules for the Conduct of Retrieving Trials for Gundogs, as approved by the ANKC Ltd'.

Two threads have been created on this topic. I'll comment on the original thread.
Jeff