When my good friend Bill Connolly (of Red Mills Feeds) told me he had bred his ESB (a daughter of Johnny Geoghegan’s FTCh Knocksmall Moose and FTCh Storeskars II Odin) to John Quirke’s imported ESD Heegards V Kody, I was very interested in seeing the results. 

Pedigree	Parents	Grand parents	Great Grand Parents
b. 16.10.09			Equimark
		Slethallens Knock Out
			Shine On
	Heegaards V Kody
			Huntingfield Harvard
		Heegaards Q Randi Li
			Noveltoppen’s D Gro
FTCh IrFTCh Ballyellen Cody
			Faun
		IrFTCh Storeskars II Odin
			Storeskar’s AA Niccoli
	Ballyellen Aoife
			IrFTCh Storeskar’s G’Snorre
		IrFTCh Knocksmall Moose
			Lefanta Minnie

Bill gave me the 3 young dogs, Cody and his sisters Cara and Colleen to take along with me on a visit to the English Moors in the Autumn of 2010, when they were just one year old.  Boy was I impressed!  Their natural ability was evident from the first and I was very keen to get a chance to work with them.  So I jumped at the chance. Cody came into his own on the Scottish Summer circuit in 2011 when he won the Scottish Gundog Association’s Puppy Stake, thus qualifying him for Open Stakes. 

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
05.08.11	1st	Puppy	Scottish Gundog Association Glenlivet	P J M Wood D Wood
08.08.11	2nd	Novice	Northern Counties P & S Soc Cawdor	J Kean D O’Neill

He then made 2012 his own winning 5 Open Stakes in the UK and Ireland – with finds on grouse, partridge, snipe and pheasant along the way.  he was awarded the Tower Bird Trophy for the best Poiner or Setter aged 4 years old or under in the United Kingdom for the 2012-13 season. 

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
31.07.12	2nd	Open	Scottish Gundog Association Glenlivet	P J M Wood D Hall
04.08.12	1st	Open	Pointer Club of Scotland Dorback	W Young D Edwards
18.08.12	1st	Open	N I Pointer Club Glenwherry	M Houston C Calvert
23.09.12	1st	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club	C Calvert R Simpson
14.10.12	1st	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Moorlough	J Kean R Simpson
22.10.12	1st	Open	Donegal Field Trials Association Scotstown

He’s started 2013 with another win. With Cody’s sister Ballyellen Cara becoming a FTCh in Spring 2013 it was good to hear that his brother Ballyellen Moss, in the hands of George Forbes from Co Cork here in Ireland, has also recorded his first Open Stake win – definitely an excellent litter from the Red Mills man!  By the end of the year he had amassed 4 Open Stake wins.  Bad luck saw him miss out on the GB Champion Stake by a whisker. He had put in 3 excellent runs with finds when his luck ran out.  He took a covey from a distance on the extreme left of the beat.  He worked out well and produced them, but on walking diagonally back the judge flushed a single grouse.  It was still well in front of his outcast line and I feel had he not taken the covey at distance on the wing, he would have still been behind the single with a chance to locate it on his return cast, but the judge had other ideas.

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
03.03.13	1st	Open	Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Murley Mt	C Calvert R Monroe
05.10.13	1st	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Slieveanorra	C Calvert R Monroe
13.10.13	1st	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Moorlough	M Houston J McGillycuddy
15.10.13	1st	Open	Donegal Field Trial Association Scotstown

2014 saw Cody continue his winning ways.  He triumphed in Ulster at the Strabane & District Setter and Pointer Club’s Spring Open.  Shortly after he retained the IntFTCh Ballydavid Airforce Cup for winning the Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Open and then on travelling to Scotland at the end of March he triumphed in the Scottish Field Trials association Open Stake – a very good start to the year.

After a good summer and Autumn, Cody went to Monaghan for the Donegal Field Trial Association Open Stake on the last Saturday in October.  He won this Trial for the 3rd year in a row this securing his Irish FTCh title to add to his UK one.  Cody has achieved this Irish title off the back of very few Irish trials.

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
01.03.14	1st	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Glenwherry	M Houston R Monroe
17.03.14	1st	Open	Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Murley Mt	C Calvert D Linton
28.03.14	1st	Open	Scottish Field Trials Association Dalmagarry	E Butler L McAlister
07.08.14	4th	Open	North of Scotland Gundog Assoc Tillypronie	P O’Driscoll J Naylor
19.10.14	CoM	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Glennoo	D O’Rourke R Simpson
Oct 14	1st	Open	Donegal Field Trials Association Scotstown

It was business as usual in 2015 for Cody as he enjoyed another successful season.

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
25.03.15	3rd	Open	Scottish Gundog Association Lochindorb	B Darragh M Adams
08.08.15	1st	Open	Scottish Gundog Association Glenlivet	C Organ N Morrice
30.08.15	4th	Champ	Irish Championship Dublin Mts	R O’Dwyer J Crotty K Walsh
06.09.15	1st	Open	Irish Red and White Setter Club Glencree, Dublin Mts	J McGill L Quinn T O’Mahony
26.09.15	1st	Open	N I Pointer Club Craig’s Moss, Glarryford	C Calvert R Simpson
27.09.15	1st	Open	Ulster Gundog League Glenwherry	E Butler J Dobbin
04.10.15	1st	Open	Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Murley Mt	D O’Rourke J McGill
11.10.15	3rd	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Glennoo	T Harris N Harris

By 2016, Cody had achieved a lot and was only making occasion appearances as younger dogs were given their chance on the team. He still figured in the awards on his rare outings. In October, Cody had had 7 finds in the first 2 rounds at the UIRSC trial and when brought into the run-off, the judges had asked the keeper for birdy ground – he proceeded to have 2 more finds with provocation. However, despite the master class in bird production, the judges awarded him 3rd with his lack of running cited for the low award! When he ran the week after on the same ground, the result was close between himself and his son Excel and the judges gave Excel the nod – however, having handled them both and obviously been very aware of everything they’d done, I probably would have reversed the places if I had been judging, as Cody’s finds along a boggy riverbank had been exception, still I can’t grumble when I got another 1 – 2 combination that day.

Date	Award	Stake	Club	Judges
02.10.16	3rd	Open	Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Glennoo	D O’Rourke E Marshall
09.10.16	2nd	Open	Strabane & District S&P Club Glennoo	M Houston C Calvert

Spring 2023

Cody remains remarkably strong and health and is now in his 14th year. He is watching his daughter Lefanta Cara challenge for awards – having gained 3rd place in the Kennel Club’s 2022 Puppy Derby at Burncastle in the Scottish Borders. 2 other daughters have recently made their Trial debut – Glynlark Genesis (Carol Calvert’s ESB out of FTCh Gortinreagh Gala) and Cara’s sister Lefanta Chloe of Glynlark. All 3 had lovely runs during the 2023 Scottish Spring circuit, displaying their father’s drive and pace and strong hunting desire.