Three Creek Bassets’ 40th Annual Gumbo Flats Gold Cup Stake Dinner Dance

Three Creek Bassets hosted the 40th Annual Gumbo Flats Gold Cup Calcutta and Dinner Dance at Strathalbyn Farms Club, Weldon Springs, MO, Saturday, March 14, 2015. The party precedes the running of the Gumbo Flats Gold Cup Stake the next day. Many basset and beagle packs from all over the area came to compete for the highly coveted gold cup.

Pack enthusiasts challenged each other to forecast which hound would win the Gold Cup Stake this year, and betting occurred at a furious pace. The Calcutta, conducted by auctioneer Dr. Donald Walsh, gave everyone an opportunity to wager money on his/her favorite hound. The Calcutta adhered to these rules: the Masters determined the number of hounds in the Stake per pack after a joint meet earlier in the day; each hound in the Stake went to the highest bidder; 40% of the proceeds benefited the Three Creek Bassets Fund; the remaining 60% was allocated in this order: 1st place 40%, 2nd place 30%, 3rd place 20%, and reserve 10%.

Following cocktails and the auction, the guests enjoyed dinner and then dancing to Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes. The evening never lacks for reminisces about previous years’ competitions. This year notwithstanding, the planning committee really rose to the occasion because of the 40th Anniversary. The theme had a certain flair with A Beagle and Basset Spectacular and the omnipresent Rabbits. D.J. Moore, Founder and Poet, presided over the gala with Laura Balding, M.B.H. and Lei Ruckle, M.B.H.

Rabbit hunting with Beagles has a long history. The American Kennel Club-affiliated Beagle Field Trials have occurred for over a hundred years. Because rabbits need to be familiar with the terrain of the hunt, Beagle clubs own or lease the land for their events and maintain it as a rabbit habitat.

For the safety of the dogs, most fields are fenced. At the Three Creek Bassets Gumbo Flats Gold Cup, hounds are sent on a hunt test. Hunt tests held by the Basset Hound Club of America, like other types of hunt tests, are intended to make the sport more accessible to the average owner of the breed than field trials.

Hunting a hound pack requires a staff consisting of a Huntsman and the Whipper-Ins who have responsibility over the order and discipline of the pack. A Field Master remains in charge of the field (members of the hunt and guests) that follows behind observing the hounds work the covert.

The Hounds are evaluated on a number of criteria by the judges that follow the hunt. All the hounds are given a number to wear to help the judges track each hound. The hounds do not run with a huntsman well known to them so that no pack or hound receives an unfair advantage. All the packs run together, but each breed is judged separately, leading to four winners in each breed.