Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is gearing up to entertain crowds with its unique blend of culture and traditional Lakeland sports, as well as the new event of the Hike and Fly paraglide race, on Sunday, August 24. It is also presenting first-time visitors with a sport that boasts a few ‘layers’ and which is one they may never have seen before.
This is the sport of hound racing - one which involves dogs from their own special breed of ‘trail hounds’ and their dedicated owners. It also involves some unsung heroes, who are the race layers. Performing this duty at Grasmere Sports this year will be Stanley Jackson, John Grisedale, Danny Lyon and a newcomer, Stephen Irving. Stephen is stepping in this year, in the absence of Alan Irving, who is away this year but would normally lay the race scent that the hounds will follow.
Hound racing race layers and what they do
Having good race layers is imperative to this Lakeland spectacle, which involves watching trail hounds climb steeply up the Grasmere fells, disappear from view and then suddenly reappear, heading to the finish line perhaps 30-40 minutes later.
The important ingredient the race layer relies upon is a mixture tried and tested for well over 100 years. It is 98% paraffin and then 2% aniseed - the important scent the dogs pick up and follow when racing. The paraffin is a dilutant and carrier of this scent which was, until 2020, purely oil of aniseed but which, due to rapidly rising costs, has become Star Anise.
How hound racing dogs follow the scent
A trail hound is taught to follow this scent from the point it commences its initial training. Gradually, the distance over which the owner will lay scent for the pups under their tuition will increase, from a few feet, to a field, to several fields. Having layers who ensure their mixture is laid correctly is a key part of this sport.
The race scent is physically applied to the ground using a woollen rag composed of blanket-like, multi-layered material about 2.5 feet long and 6 inches wide. This is tied to a 6-foot rope and, when not in use, kept in a liquid steep of the all-essential mixture.
How the hound racing scent is laid
When the race layers come to use this at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, they work as a pair, dragging the rag across the ground along a set route, that has been the same one for many a year. The route has been created with the permission of farmers and landowners and was tested only recently, in a look-around event in which the trail hounds ran in the run-up to this year’s programme at Grasmere Sports.
Race layers require a good level of fitness, having to initially climb to a set point on the fell, from which the pair then separate and each go their separate way. During around five miles of walking, they each lay half of a race that, for the senior trail hounds, will be around ten miles in distance once complete. Each race layer’s duty will take them about 1.5 hours.
For even a Puppy race, which is shorter, there is a need for them to each walk for about an hour, as they both lay their half of the race over a distance of around three miles.
Laying the hound race scent on a fell
Laying the race scent on a steep fell is not like walking across flat terrain, involving the layer negotiating bracken, boulders, potentially soddened ground, fences, walls and more.
A good race layer will apply about half of their mixture to their rag before setting off and then keep applying the rest of the mixture, at suitable intervals, as they go. This means carrying the mixture with them, as they proceed on their fairly arduous journey over the fell.
No matter how expertly they apply the scent, things can go wrong. Very heavy rain can wash the trail away, whilst the scent will evaporate quickly, if it is too hot. Taking a judgement on the weather conditions is vital and may involve them adding a drop of heavy oil to the mixture, to allow it to lay better.
Race layer responsibilities and thrills
There can be no shortcuts as a race layer, as there are rigid rules regarding race time limits. If a Senior Hounds race – one for dogs aged over two years - dips below the 25 minutes mark, it is voided. The same is true if a Puppy Hounds race goes under 15 minutes.
Seeing how the hounds react to the scent is a thrill for many race layers. Some hounds are drivers and lead the pack, as they energetically sniff the aniseed. Others are followers and may only want to lead the pack if they feel the drivers have followed an incorrect course. Whilst this may be the behaviour on the fell, the instinct to race kicks in for most of the trail hounds, once they start to make their return home and head towards the finish line.
Heading towards the catch
At Grasmere Sports, this is accompanied by huge cheers. The crowds can see the hounds the minute they start their descent and head towards the road, on which traffic is stopped by the officials, as the hounds approach. Once they have crossed the road, they are well and truly heading towards the finish line, where their owners are making a huge din, banging dog bowls and calling their hounds home. At this point, each trail hound probably recalls there will be some chicken or tripe awaiting their return, which encourages them to gather pace and head back home for their foodie treat.
This is where the race layer’s job satisfaction lies, as the dogs charge towards what is known as the ‘catch’ – the point where owners reclaim them and judges verify where each hound was placed in the race. From the moment they ‘slipped’ their dogs at the start line, owners will have been willing them to succeed. Trail hound racing is not about earning big prize money but about achieving the kudos of having bred and trained the best dog on the day.
It has been this way since the 1800s, when Lakeland’s villagers competed with each other to have the best hound. The first results book the hound racers can point to dates from 1856 but there was evidence of a drag hunt/hound race in 1763. Early participants were both farmers and Cumbrian miners but enthusiasm for such events was found in the top echelons of society. Lord Lonsdale, of Lowther, is known to have treated his Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince of Germany and Prussia, to a hound racing experience in 1901.
Hound racing past and present
Hound racing, as a sport, really needs new blood to come through. Despite being a tight-knit community, hound racers are very welcoming and helpful to those who want to join in the fun and be part of their very active social circle. Even if you do not own a dog, you can assist with the administration and arranging of events, or become one of the most needed assets within the community – a race layer. All of this was explained in a podcast last year, available at https://bit.ly/3WqoTqM, which conveyed the true passion that exists for this sport.
Glenis Farren first became involved with hound racing during her 1960s childhood, and remembers the days when 40 or 50 dogs would compete in each race. Now, there are more like 8-12 dogs per race, many of them owned and trained by avid hound racing enthusiasts, whose fathers and grandfathers competed in the sport – but not always. More women are now involved, both as owners and race layers, with some of these coming from the younger generation and demonstrating that this ancient sport can still thrill today, no matter how many gadgets seek to divert attention away from it.
As Glenis says: “Hound racing is a great outdoor sport for young and old alike. Plenty of fresh Cumbrian air and wonderful countryside to visit from fell to fields. It is an exciting sport. As anyone will tell you, when the dogs are coming home, the enthusiasm is infectious.”
It truly is a sport with many facets – but the most important race layers are those who take to the fells and lay the all-important scent, without which there would be no racing.
To witness the spectacle they create, head to Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show on Sunday August 24, where the first hound trail race is ‘slipped’ at 11am. Tickets are best value when bought in advance online at www.grasmeresports.com
