This Steven Townsend's original was published into limited edition print format in 1994 by Northern Editions publishers. It has gone on to become one of the rarer and more sought after editions by the artist.
Many of the black labradors featured in subsequent prints by Steven, such as: 'Kate', 'Kate & Dexter', 'Partners' etc, are direct descendants of Breeze himself and the Drakeshead Kennels & breeders.
We also heard that late Queen Elizabeth II owned a copy of ‘Breeze,’ perhaps presented with one at a field trial event in the 1990s!
Breeze was owned & handled by John Halstead of Drakeshead Kennels, one of the country’s leading trainers of gundogs. Breeze was famous in the gundog world being the first and, to this day, still the only dog to win the International Gundog League (IGL) Field Trial Championship for three consecutive years.
**Breeze Of Drakeshead
Supreme Field Trail Champion Breeze of Drakeshead became a legend in his own lifetime by winning the coveted International Gundog League Retriever Championship for three consecutive years 1985/1986/1987, a feat never accomplished before and most would agree very unlikely ever to happen in the future.
It seemed appropriate that Her Majesty The Queen, who was the host for the 1987 International Gundog League Retriever Championship was there in person to watch this great dog make history and personally present Breeze’s owner John Halstead with the trophy. Breeze was retired undefeated champion after the 1987 championship. Since that day he has been putting his skills of game-finding to good use, working on the Yorkshire Grouse Moors and the local Pheasant shoots in Lancashire, he has also passed on his natural game-finding ability to his puppies
As a puppy Breeze, the son of a famous father, Field Trail Champion Drakeshead Tinker, showed potential from the very first. The bond between dog and handler is like a marriage and this was one was destined to be a perfect match of personalities, each one respecting the other and always pulling together. John found Breeze to have an uncanny ability to find game even on the poorest of scenting days but most of all he has the will to please and would always respond to John’s training instructions.
Breeze was born on the 28th of December 1981, he won his first trail before he was two years old and before he was three years he had won his title of Field Trail Champion. Now at twelve years of age he still thinks and acts as he was a youngster when there is a pheasant to be retrieved or when he is questing for grouse on the moors. Even at his age he still maintains the presence of a true Champion but more than that he always been a true companion over his many years.
**International Gundog Retriever Championship
The International Gundog League Retriever Society staged the first Retriever Championship in 1909 at Havant in Hampshire on the 9th January. It was won by the Duchess of Hamilton’s retriever “Dungavel Phoebe.” With the exception of the two World Wars and the foot and mouth outbreak in 1967 The Retriever Championship has been competed for annually.
With over 100 years of staging the championship, it could rightfully be argued that Breeze is the greatest ever Field Trial Champion.
**Further Reading
The International Gundog League Retriever Society, List of Retriever Champions https://igl.org.uk/history/winners-list
Drakeshead Labradors official website drakeshead.co.uk
