On November 2 at Rover’s Content in Cheltenham, Maryland, Victory’s M earned yet another Working Certificate Excellent (WCX) pass at the FCRSA-hosted test – Emma’s fifth WCX pass overall.
Under FCRSA rules, a dog may earn the WCX title only once, but may continue to run the test and receive qualifying rosettes for each additional pass. Emma has now chosen to come back and pass this test five times. She doesn’t do it for the title – she already has that. She does it because she loves the work, loves supporting her home club, and shows up with the same steady effort every single time.
This fifth pass reflects everything people know about Emma: her consistency, her maturity, her absolute reliability, and her lifelong commitment to doing her job the right way. She also enjoys supporting CRFCRC events, and she’s especially proud when her dog mom and breeder, Mom Judy Gladson, is there to watch. Having Mom Judy on the grounds for this one made it even more meaningful.
Emma continues to set a high bar, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

On November 1 at the Rappahannock River Hunting Retriever Club 2025 HRC Quad Upland Hunt, Victory’s M passed all four upland tests – completing the requirements for her HRCH Upland Hunter Championship (UHCH) title with 100 points.
For those unfamiliar with HRC upland rules, earning the Upland Hunter title isn’t a casual accomplishment. A dog must demonstrate quartering, locating and flushing upland birds, remaining steady to wing and shot, delivering to hand, working in a brace while honoring the other dog, and maintaining composure test after test. In HRC, any bird that gets off the ground – even just a few feet – counts as a flush, and the dog must be steady. There are no second chances on slow hoppers or chukar birds like we sometimes see in AKC spaniel tests.
Emma doesn’t need second chances. In the last 12 months, she has run 12 HRC upland tests and passed all 12 – a perfect year. That quiet discipline is exactly who she is. Emma approaches every upland field with purpose, focus, and a seriousness about her work that sets her apart. Many CRFCRC friends know her for her AKC record: she currently holds more AKC Master Upland passes than any retriever in the country. It’s simply who she is – a thoughtful, precise worker who hates making mistakes and rarely does.
Adding her HRC Upland Championship to her long list of achievements feels like the perfect next chapter for this remarkable girl. Betsy and I are incredibly proud of her.

Victory’s Staff Sergeant had a huge day at the Rappahannock River Hunting Retriever Club 2025 HRC Quad Upland Hunt on November 1 – passing all four upland tests and earning her HRC Upland Hunter Championship HRCH pre-fix title.
To earn this title under HRC rules, a dog must show strong quartering, steady flushing, reliability on shot, and consistency across multiple tests. Unlike AKC spaniel tests, where a dog can chase a slow “hopper” or “sucker bird” to get it airborne for the gun, HRC has a very different standard: even if a bird only jumps a foot or two, it’s considered a flush – and the dog must be steady.
We both learned that rule the hard way. Sarge ran 12 HRC upland tests this year, passing 10. The two NQs came from her trademark move: the trap. Sarge is incredibly fast, and if a chukar is slow on the rise, she’ll catch it cleanly and trot back in with a proud look like she just saved the gunners a shotgun shell. In those two tests, she trapped eight chukar in a single day – the judges were probably wondering if they’d ever finish the series with her.
It’s who she is – energetic, mischievous, and always trying to help in her own way. But when it counted on November 1, she gave me four beautiful, fully steady runs and earned her Upland Championship right alongside Emma.
Sarge may be known as “the Trapper,” but she’s also a talented, high-drive young retriever who thinks bumpers are boring and lives for birds. She figured out the HRC game, settled in, and finished strong. She know wants to be known as HRCH Victory’s Sergeant. We’re proud of her speed, her heart, her grit, and yes – her giant sense of humor.

We’re thrilled that Stella earned her WCX certificate with lovely field work at the Garden State Golden Retriever Club/Mid-Atlantic Flat-Coated Retriever WC/WCX tests. Pheasants, including a live flyer, did not deter her land triple where she pinned her marks! Looking forward to more happy days in the field with this wonderful girl! CH Timberblacs North Star RN JH WCX CGC

Athercroft is very proud of our youngsters at the First Independent Specialty!
Athercroft Viner Things in Life “Peggy” was Winners Bitch for a 5 point major! She then went WB again on Sat at the CRFCRC supported to finish her Championship!

Athercroft VinedersKeepers “Tebo” was Best Opposite in Sweepstakes on Friday.

Athercroft Lettuce Prey “Harlow” was Select Bitch at the Second Specialty show on Friday.

It may not have been all that far away but it was definitely memorable. On October 24, 2025, I competed at the 1st & 2nd Ever FCRSA Independent Specialties in Doswell, VA. I traveled with Cabbie (CH MACH2 BLAZIN’S QUESTIONABLE DRIVE’R CD BN RA MXS MJC MFB T2B4 FCAT ACT2 ACT2J DS DSA TKN CGC), Azula (GCHB MACH Grousemoor Blue Flame A Blazin BN RA MX MXB MXJ MJB MXF T2B2 ACT1 ACT1J FCAT TKN CGC), Norma (Blazin’s Sunset Boulevard STR) and Quigley (GCHB Blazin’s Quigley Down Under CD BN RI OA OAJ NF DCAT ACT1 SCN SIA SEA CGC TKN DN) and Pam!! I am happy to report that Azula won Best of Breed at the 1st show and Quigley, shown by Michaela, won Select Dog. We would go on to show 3 more times where Azula made the cut each show and picked up a BOBOH/Owner Handled Group 4. Quigley pick up another Select dog and finished off the weekend with a Supported Entry Best of Breed. Both Norma and Cabbie placed in all of their sweepstakes and regular classes at all four shows. So glad that the CRFCRC could make this happen!! Azula, Cabbie and Norma are owned by Blazin and Quigley is owned by Pam, Jerry & Blazin.

On October 19, 2025, at Marty’s favorite venue, Benji, MACH Blazin’s Push The Button RN MXB MJB OF T2B FCAT ACT2 ACT2J, finished his Master Agility Championship!! This is both Benji & Marty’s first MACH! Benji is owned and loved by Dawn, Marty, Colin & Bryce.