To bad about your Flaming Star male dog as I'll bet he would have been a good one.I worked quite a few well-bred setters but Commander and Star were the best.The Commander blood of Carl Duffieds was extreme, to say the least.I took a Sam L Rebel female down to Texas and bred her to his Commanders Great Day which was his top AA dog of that time.Solid black head medium size and pure white body.Not many folks nowadays breed dogs like Duffield.He had over 800 head of dogs in one huge chain link with cement floors up and over sloping hill.Hands said they had culled out several the week before.They said they look for that special dog then take him to the field to see if he has the natural qualities.If so then just maybe he would be worth starting the breaking process.Mr Duffield is just looking for one Hell of a dog. Later out of that mating Bill Hunt told me I had the best setter in the nation.
To cold outside and I've got outside work to do.

--Previous Message--
:
:
: "Commander and Flaming Star blood
: worked well out here in KS."
:
: I bought a son of Flaming Star from Ed Niles
: out of old pie McIntyre's Blue Heather. I
: raised him in the house and I loved that
: little dog. He was killed by a truck while
: chasing a deer. One of the saddest days of
: my life. I got a letter from his trainer in
: the middle of the month and my first thought
: was "Somethings wrong!" It was,
: the first three words were "Bandit is
: dead." (I had registered him as
: Heather's Star Bandit because he had a black
: mask, his only markings.) I worked him from
: foot as a puppy, then sent him to a trainer
: in the spring before his derby year. He was
: breaking himself, placed as a derby that
: spring.
:
: Shortly thereafter, Gene Uhlman turned pro
: and I bought Counterdrive and Countercharge,
: then George Tracy offered to let me have
: Foxfire's Rhea and the rest is history.
:
: I sometimes think about what might have
: been....
: