Retriever gold medalist Super Sue and handler Jerry Day had their day in the sun last year.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Super Sue has added one more title to an already impressive list.

Known as the "most decorated dog in retriever history," the female yellow Labrador won the gold medal Thursday in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games here.

Sue, handled by Jerry Day of Atlanta, ran one of its best rounds of the day, scoring 18 points and besting silver-medalist Mash (handled by Jackie Martens of Elgin, Ill.) with 25 points and bronze-medalist Slim (handled by Gene Anderson of Suwanee, Ga.) with 38 points.

"Sue's run was nearly flawless," said Paul Breaux, who judged the event. "The handling required to make the retrieves was at a minimum and the casts she took were straight as an arrow.

"I think she knew where the marks were before she ever got back to the platform. Jerry had her on autopilot."

	“	Sue's run was nearly flawless. … (Handler) Jerry (Day) had her on autopilot. ”
		— Retriever judge Paul Breaux

Day, a retired machinist, has handled Sue for the past five years. During that time, the Labrador is the only retriever to win all five major titles in the three national retriever organizations.

Those titles include the North American Master Hunter Retriever title, the AKC Master Hunter, AKC field Champion, AKC Amateur Field Champion and the UKC/HRC Hunting Retriever Champion.

With each title, Sue's proper name has grown longer. It is officially FC, AFC, MHR, HRCH Day's End Hillview Super Sue MH.

The fancy name, though, didn't show in the Labrador's performance during the three-round competition.

	Second-place finisher Mash shows what retrievers are made of at the GO Games.

"Her performance was steady," said Justin Tackett, organizer for the event. "She was much slower and methodical. She didn't overrun any of the marks, and she stayed consistent."

The event started with 12 dogs that competed head-to-head in a bracketed tournament that cut the contenders down to the three medalists. In those rounds, Sue scored 22, 19 and 18, respectively.

The Lab's steady performance was evident in the final round, where the dogs were required to make three marked retrieves, followed by a 288-yard blind retrieve. The final retrieve started from a raised platform, went over land, into water, back onto rolling, rough terrain, back into water and back on land to find the bird.

The retrievers were judged on the straightness of their lines to the mark, and whether or not they stayed in the hunt course. The final two were the biggest factors in this event.

While the course was set over a wide area, the dogs were required to take the straightest line to and from the marks or downed birds. The judges gave the dogs a 15-degree cone, starting from the platform to the retrieve. But if the dogs veered out of that line, they were assessed five-point faults. Other faults were given for the number of times a whistle was blown to help guide the dog.

Day said Sue's ability to see the original three marks, remember them and stay on course made the difference. For those watching, it was evident. Even in the ultra-long blind retrieve, Day used his whistle to a minimum, needing to only handle Sue on two of the retrieves.

Meanwhile, the remaining finalists had major troubles on at least one of the first three marked birds, setting up an exciting battle for the silver medal.

Anderson's Slim worked the course flawlessly until it got to the third bird. That bird, situated more than 100 yards away, was marked by Slim, but Anderson said he failed to remember exactly where the bird had landed.

"I should have trusted him," Anderson said. "He knew where the bird was, but I pushed him to the left."

Even with the miscue, Slim appeared to be the silver medalist early in Mash's final round.

On the first retrieve, Mash picked up the wrong bird, scoring the majority of the faults. But on the final mark and the blind retrieve, Mash retrieved the birds flawlessly, finishing the course more than 30 seconds faster than Sue and Slim, giving Mash a come-from-behind edge for the silver medal.