Altamont Fair Corgi Races Take Capital Region Sports Scene by Storm

ALTAMONT, NY (NEWS10) -- What happened at the Altamont Fair Thursday night will go down in the history books, forever changing the landscape of sports in the Capital Region. The atmosphere, intensity, and competitiveness we witnessed was unlike anything we've seen before. Behold, the inaugural Altamont Fair Corgi Races.

36 corgis entered, but only one could emerge victorious. There were four heats, with three corgis from each advancing to the championship. Tucker, a two-year old merle corgi who enjoys cheese and John Deere tractor rides, sure liked his chances. "A lot of dogs here, a lot of good dogs," said Tucker. "They haven't trained as hard as I have. A lot of cheese has gone into this. A lot of hard hours, training, chasing cows. I'm ready"

But Tucker would have to wait until heat four.

Heat one featured some quality competition. Sydney, a seven-year old tri-color, was a sure contender. She was described as "Not the best listener if no food is involved." The question lingered; how would that play out come race time?

Another contender, Peaches, had a huge fan base in attendance but not a huge bladder, taking a quick bathroom break before the race began. Is it better to feel relieved, or do you run faster when you have to pee? Only time would tell.

Finally, another contender in the nine corgi field , Gordon Sumner , named after Sting from the band, "The Police". He didn't need to send a "Message in a Bottle", his strut lets his competition know what was up.

Gordon Sumner shot out like a cannon to begin the race, making it clear he would move on to the championship. Sydney and Gordon Sumner went at it near the finish line, but Gordon Sumner said, "Don't Stand so Close to me," as he finished first in heat one. When asked what the key to the race was, Sumner said, "My mom was at the other side with treats."

To heat two, where Anakin and Kylo Ren walked side by side. For non-Star Wars fans, that's a nightmare combo for the opposition.

Also in heat two, Bernadette, a four-year old Aquarius who loves soccer and hates bunnies, a sentence I never thought I'd write when I got my journalism degree.

Also in heat two, Ein Zelda, one of the top capital region brewery pups. She's visited more than 10 of the area's top craft breweries. She did not hit the brewery before the race.

Anakin used the force, pushing his competition aside to take heat two. When asked what the motivating factor behind the win was, Anakin quipped, "It was the cheese for sure."

To heat three, where Jimmy, who has a self described "Splooty Booty" got a spirited warm-up. Jimmy with some stiff competition in Jack Black, yes Jack Black, the star of Nacho Libre among other classics, now starring in the role of corgi.

Meeko also competed in heat three. A big time traveler, Meeko has visited 11 states. Instead of visiting the winner's circle, he got lost in the tall grass on the side of the track.

Most of the corgis ran toward each other in heat three, but Jimmy burst toward the finish line for the win, celebrating by running donuts around the track. What was the key to the race? "Honestly, I had snacks prior," said Jimmy. "Snacks are life. We really just put our head to the ground and realized that love conquers all."

On to heat four, where Tucker would finally be able to show if that hard work would pay off. He would have tough competition from Oakley, who smartly conserved energy before the race, carried to the starting line.

Oakley took advantage of a slow pace, as the other Corgis chased each other in circles. Oakley took the win, with Tucker taking second about two whole minutes later. "I was just trying to get away from the crowd that I'm so scared of," said Oakley.

It all came down to the championship race. 36 entered, but only nine corgis, who stole the hearts of the crowd, remained. It was a wide open field to start, but Jimmy came flying along the outside to get the job done. Jimmy, the two and a half-year old with the "Splooty Booty", was crowned champion of the inaugural Altamont Fair Corgi Race. "I'm ecstatic," said Jimmy. " I feel supported by the fans and my family who showed up today. I think everyone's a winner today. We all got a pup cup."

Only one Corgi was named champion, but together all of the Corgi competitors gave the crowd an electric show.