Certainly one of the best hounds I have known from my trial judging days was Field Champion Deaton's Black Magic. Whelped 7/2/93, and owned while being campaigned by John Carpenter of Frankfort, KY (pictured above with Magic), Magic was a moderate speed, line running hound with enough speed to be in place to correct any faster hounds who overran a turn in the line. His stud ad claimed he absolutely would not run deer. I was lucky enough to judge him in two licensed trials, and both times we thought picking the winner (Magic) was easy, the difficulty was more in deciding who was 2nd - 5th.
Magic was officially measured as a 13 inch hound, although he certainly was big for his inches and always seemed to me to be a small 15. He had a deep chop voice, and although others have written he used his mouth excessively, I did not see that. His great nose was so obvious. His ability as a line straddling hound made him stand out against any hounds who demonstrated wildness. I remember a trial at the Ohio River Club in West Virginia when the rabbit ran out into a hillside cow pasture following a cow path part of the way, then abruptly left the path turning to run downhill. When the other hounds overran the turn and continued driving out the path, Magic turned immediately and started downhill, pulling the other hounds back to him. He did this over and over both times I watched/judged him.
Magic's sire was the great Indian Hills Rowdy, himself a field winner of note. Magic's dam, Boot Hill's Black Diamond, traced to well-known hounds like FC. New City Pearl, Gay Flag, Bedlam Gay Mandy, Indian Hills Fred, and FC. Indian Hills Majer. This put Majer on both sides of Magic's pedigree, as well as the one cross of Pearl (Majer's littermate sister). Magic's dam also had additional crosses of the same Northwoods hare breeding as was behind New City Tammy (Majer's granddam). Through his sire Rowdy, Magic got a close up cross of show blood from the Chillybrook/Colegren show lines of Mandy Bobbitt. This gave Magic very solid conformation with an especially good head compared to other field beagles of his day (see picture above). Magic carried the black and tan coloring so dominant in the New City (John New) hounds from which he descended.
Magic's AKC licensed field trial record was impressive while owned by John Carpenter:
1st Places:
Ohio River (WV) 1998
Wood County (WV) 1998
Jessamine County (KY) 1999
Ohio River (WV) 1999
Great Miami (OH) 1999
(He won Ohio River and Great Miami the same weekend in March 1999, finishing his championship).
2nd Place:
Mid-Kentucky (KY) 1999
3rd Place:
Jessamine County (KY) 1997
4th Place:
White Water (Indiana) 1997
NBQ:
South Kentucky (KY) 1998
He also won the Midwest Association Runoff in his class in 1996 and 1997.
I made an effort to breed to Magic while John Carpenter owned him, but was unsuccessful. Later, Magic was at stud with George Anderson of Big Smoke Kennels at Firebrick, Kentucky, and George kindly allowed me to borrow Magic for a week so I could breed him to my good bitch Woodpont Cheerful (she bringing in another cross of Indian Hills Rowdy). From that litter I got two outstanding hounds, a big male named Woodpont Manager, and a big female named Woodpont Mascot. Both hounds had tremendous noses. Manager was a pack leader for many years and did excellent work, but it was Mascot who carried on the line and is found throughout our pedigrees today.
Woodpont Manager: Rabbit gone to ground!
Thinking back about Mascot, I remember one incident where a rabbit had come out of some woods and crossed a small open field before going into woods on the other side. As the pack came into the field, it was Mascot in the lead, running head up, swinging her great nose from side to side to maintain contact with the line. She was more of a driver than her sire, Magic, but they had the same great nose. Mascot, bred to the great Woodpont Bruiser, produced Woodpont Madcap for me in 2006.
Woodpont Mascot in 2006 - look at those ears!
Many of my hounds today have FC. Deaton's Black Magic behind them, through Mascot. I am happy to have grabbed some of this blood when I had the chance, and to have intensified it in my hounds with close breeding. Big black and tans with nose, drive, conformation and line control are what the Woodpont hounds are all about! Thank you, John, George, and Magic.