We are pleased and proud to announce QU's National Championship Dog of the Year Trial at a new venue, 4B's Hunting Resort in Fairview, Missouri March 22-24. The trial will be run under NKC/NUBC rules.

 The National Upland Classic Series format puts every dog on equal footing. Each dog is guaranteed two, 20-minute runs on three birds each, and after the scores from each run are totaled, the top 15 dogs will compete in the final run. All three scores of the finalists will be combined to determine the winners. This format eliminates potential mismatches in the Beat Your Bracemate system we've used in the past. The NUBC system is about OVERALL performance and every dog has an equal opportunity. More information on rules and format are available at http://www.uplandclassic.com.

There will be a $20 optional pot each day, paying three places and a Calcutta at the banquet on Friday night for the final 15 dogs. The banquet will be held at Hill Creek Lodge near Pierce City, Missouri(http://www.hillcreeklodge.com). Our host, 4B's, will also provide a fish fry on Thursday night for all guests.

The cash prize payout is new and exciting as well—a guaranteed cash prize for the top five plus a percentage split of 40% of the registration fees collected. Many other quality awards from Purina are included, too. In addition to NUBC points, Quail Unlimited will also award championship points to the top four placements.

The entry fee is $225, and we expect to sell out quickly. You can enter up to four dogs and the deadline for entry is March 15. You can enter online at http://www.qu.org/content/events/dogofyear/dogofyear_register.cfm or fax or mail an entry form back to QU headquarters.

We feel that these changes will create a more fair playing field for all competitors, whether seasoned pros or promising talent. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you in March. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Sharon Sapp at (803) 637-5731, ssapp@qu.org or Hal Brown at NUCS (417) 632-4652, hunting4bs@leru.net.