Due to a lack of interest or economy or whatever is wrong, I have decided to cancel The Great American Race. This is an expensive hunt to do and the numbers just aren’t there. I want to thank the boys west of the Mississippi for their support and interest and am really sorry that it’s not going to work out. The Tar River Pen is probably one of if not the best pen in America for this kind of hunt. I want to thank James Ellis and James Ray for giving me the opportunity to bring this hunt there but once again the numbers just aren’t there. I also want to thank my good friends Mike Carr ( Pride dog feed ) and Bill McGee ( Purina ) for their support. Mike Carr and Pride have been the primary sponsor of all the hunts I have been involved with for the last 5 or 6 years, and I just can’t thank Mike and Pride enough.
All money paid will be refunded. The easiest thing for me would be to destroy all checks that have been mailed and send all others a check. If you would like your check returned and not destroyed please let me know by 4/22/13 9pm.
Once again I am very sorry this is not going to work. If you need to talk to me you can call Ray Casteen 7-9pm @ 910-457-6080

Opinions are like ...holes but I feel like this is the kind of thing that happens when the man putting on the hunt has a ***** session after the last hunt held about how does not get any help and makes no money and then says there's not gonna be much money paid back at the end of the year because he's gonna take his part. Ray the srha is great but when a man pays a hundred dollar entry fee he does not wanna hear someone cry about there's not enough money. Thanks for the good hunts but the back row seen this coming...

I have always put my name in front of and on top of everything and anything I have done. All I have ever done is try to promote hunting and field trialing, and give hunters an honest hunt with what I think are some great rules for speed and drive hunts. I came up with a formula of what I thought was fair to both the pen owner and hunter. The SRHA gave the 1 day hunter a place to compete and receive a little acknowledgement and reward for owning a good hound. On the negative or positive side it made the price of a good one day hound went to all time high. The SRHA is, was not perfect and neither am I.
I didn’t think I was complaining when I simply told the truth. I can go to bed at night and know that I have tried, can you? As far as money I invite you to promote not one hunt but multiple hunts at your on expense, and not run dogs in any of the hunts. It won’t be long before I bet you want your gas and ad money back.
The SRHA isn’t or wasn’t for everyone, I tried to provide a honest, clean and respectable hunt where a person could go and bring their family and have a good time.
I have met some great people in this sport and some not so great. You must not be one of the great ones because you are afraid to put your name on your post. I surly wouldn’t be afraid to let a 64,year old man who can barley close his hands know who I was.
The only reason for the Great American Race this time was for the Tar River Pen. This is a great facility and pen owners that I really care a lot for. I however will never ask someone to drive 12 to 18 hrs, and not be given a fair shake or reward for doing so. As far as the hunt Chris Murray is trying to put on with the pen owners I hope it’s a huge success. I can promise you the running is there.
Opinion you have no influence on me or anything I may or may not do because I don’t know you.
With all that’s going on in America right now ( Waco & Boston ) I for the life of me don’t know why I even made this post. Good luck to all and may God bless you all, even you Opinion. Maybe he will provide you with a little honesty and courage so you can put your name on what you do.
I will have nothing else to say on this. And once again I am really sorry this didn’t work out.
PS wonder if opinion would be willing to pay for the ads that I ran at my own expense. LOL