Ardgroom Artemis, an eight-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer from County Galway in Ireland, has won The Kennel Club’s Hunt, Point and Retrieve (HPR) Championship. The Championship was held on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November 2024 at Faccombe Estate in Hampshire, and was sponsored by Skinner's Field & Trial Pet Foods, Sporting Saint Gundog Equipment Suppliers and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
Judged by Suzi Burton and Roy Cullen, Ardgroom Artemis, known at home as Juno and owned and handled by Derek O'Connor, was awarded first place in the competition, which saw 24 working gundogs from HPR breeds tested on their natural working ability across the varied terrain of woodland and open crop fields.
Derek said: "It's been an absolute privilege to run in this year’s HPR Championship at Faccombe Estate. Juno and I winning is the stuff of dreams for us, the highest honour. I'm delighted for Juno because she deserves it, she is a hardworking and intelligent dog, home bred and a valued family member that has brought us many years of joy. Huge thanks to everyone involved in such a fantastic event and a special mention to my beautiful family for all their love and support, I am blessed to have them."
Each of the competitors had qualified for the Championship by placing first or second in a qualifying field trial, which are held during the shooting season across the country by a number of registered societies.
Kate Broers, Gundog Events Manager at The Kennel Club, added: “The Championship was a great success, and it was wonderful to hold the competition in the south of England at Faccombe Estate. Thanks must go to all who were involved in the planning, preparation and running of the event. The Kennel Club is extremely grateful to Faccombe Estates for hosting the Championship this year – to hold the event on such an outstanding HPR ground was a real privilege.
“We would also like to thank the judges Suzi and Roy for their time and expertise when judging the dogs. They analysed the performance of dogs and handlers with great skill and attention to detail across the two days. Thank you to them for their hard work in separating these talented dogs.
“Finally, we would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors, Skinner’s Field & Trial, Sporting Saint Gundog Equipment Suppliers and BASC. Skinner's are a family-run business who, for over 50 years, have supported the world of working dogs, and their representatives are passionate about providing the best nutrition for our gundog needs. Sporting Saint are the market leader of gundog training equipment and are dedicated to manufacturing and supplying high-quality gundog training equipment to meet the needs of trainers at every level. BASC are the UK’s largest shooting organisation, who are committed to ensuring that shooting is recognised as a benefit to the environment and economy. All of our sponsorship partnerships are greatly appreciated, and we would not be able to run these events without their generous support.
“Huge congratulations to all the dogs and handlers in the awards, and especially to the winners, Derek and Juno.”
The results of the HPR Championship are as follows:
1st - Ardgroom Artemis, owned and handled by Mr Derek O’Connor;
2nd & Gun’s Choice - Islasbraw Ash, owned and handled Mr Darryl Elliot;
3rd - Zoldmali Irka-Firka at Canalgame, owned and handled Mr Francis A Briley;
Diploma of Merit to: Radipole Coco, owned and handled Mr Mark Spearing.
More information about working gundogs is available on The Kennel Club website.