"How do you think he does it? I don’t know. What makes him so good?"
- Lyrics from “Pinball Wizard” by The Who
Wayne Jensen knows what makes Pairadocs’ Who’s The Wizard (“Tommy”)—his new National Derby Champion retriever— so good.
“We’ve never had a young retriever that marks as well as Tommy,” Wayne says. “Even as a puppy on long marks in taller cover, he would run straight to the bird.”
Owned by Wayne and Tracey Jensen of Wellington, Colorado, and handled by Wayne, Tommy came out on top at the 2025 National Derby Championship Stake held October 6–10 in Sedalia, Missouri. The event featured top Derby dogs from across the country with 10 challenging series of land and water retrieves.
“When the judges called Tommy’s number, it was a surreal moment,” Wayne says. “It still almost brings tears to my eyes.”
The Jensens are both Doctors of Veterinary Medicine—hence Tommy’s “Pairadocs” registered name prefix. Wayne explains he likes musical themes when naming dogs and that “Who’s The Wizard” honors Tommy’s sire, FC-AFC MHR Fen Wizzard, with a nod to the rock opera masterpiece Tommy by The Who.
Wayne’s hopes for Tommy began with a goal to have a competitive All-Age retriever ready to go upon Wayne’s planned retirement in 2026. He reached out to professional trainers Kenny Trott and Marcy Wright at Horsetooth Retriever Kennels to secure a spot for young dog training.
Tommy was whelped November 2, 2023, and Wayne credits his wife Tracey with most of the early obedience and puppy training before sending Tommy to Horsetooth for Basics in Colorado and Texas.
“I ran Tommy in his first Derby in early May after only training with him for a few days,” Wayne says. “We had a ‘no-go’ on the memory bird in the first series. After spending more time with Tommy and more coaching from Kenny and Marcy, we won the Derby the next weekend at the Rocky Mountain Field Trial and qualified for the National Derby Championship.”
The Jensens qualified three of the 58 retrievers that started the Championship, including two finalists in Tommy and Seaside’s Family Tradition (“Hank”), both handled by Wayne. Tracey Jensen made it to the 10th series handling Pairadocs’ Back In The Game (“Ray”) before being dropped.
Wayne credits Tracey, his wife and training partner, for endless hours of support as well as the Horsetooth Retriever Kennels team for excellent dog training and handler coaching.
Wayne says, “Tommy has shown tremendous focus and intensity in addition to his marking ability—traits that can make a competitive All-Age dog.”
“Tommy’s a good citizen and a good pet, and he loves his job,” Wayne says, adding that Tommy is fueled by Purina® Pro Plan® Chicken and Rice Performance 30/20 formula. “We’ve fed Purina for decades. It’s a quality product that keeps our dogs happy and healthy. In addition, we greatly appreciate Purina’s support of the National Derby Championship as well as the retriever field trial game in general.”
