GENOA, Nev. — Dana Giovanello had his whistle in his mouth, but could have just as well kept it in his pocket Tuesday during the quarterfinals of the Retriever Trials at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

2001 gold medalist Super Sue struggled on Wednesday, finishing in fourth.

Giovanello of Cabot, Ark., watched his 6-year-old yellow Labrador, Windy, complete the best run in the history of the Great Outdoor Games and claim the No. 1 seed for Wednesday's semifinals at the Buyington Ranch in Carson Valley, about 45 miles south of Reno.

Giovanello did not blow his whistle as Windy grabbed four marks and one blind target, earning only one two-point penalty for being slightly off line when going for the blind target, the last of the five she picked up.

	“	She's a couch potato, loves her chews, loves her treats. We have a great bond. She's just a great dog with a lot of heart. ”
		— Arkanas handler Dana Giovanello, on his yellow Labrador, Windy

"I really didn't want to blow a whistle because I knew she could do it," he said.

"It would have been a shame to blow a whistle that far into it, but I was ready if I had to. I'm glad I didn't have to."

The top eight dogs from Tuesday's quarterfinals advanced to the semifinals. Coming back will be the gold-medal winners from the past two Great Outdoor Games — Ticket (2002) and Super Sue in (2001) — as well as the bronze medalist from 2002 — Pepper.

Super Sue, a 12-year-old yellow Lab who was the silver medalist in 2002, captured the No. 2 seed with a six-point performance. Her handler, Jerry Day of Atlanta, was happy to be moving on in what he calls Sue's last hurrah in the Great Outdoor Games.

"This is her farewell run and she just simply amazes me," Day said. "I couldn't run her hard the past two weeks because she's got arthritis. But once those birds were in the air, she forgot all about that.

"Bless her heart. She loves to play. She just loves to play."

Ticket, the defending gold medalist, earned the No. 5 seed with 24 points, including a 10-point penalty right at the start, when her handler, Alex Washburn of The Plains, Va., pointed out the gunning stations.

"I didn't even think about it (being a penalty)," Washburn said afterward. "I haven't run this kind of test since last year."

Despite the penalty, Ticket easily made the final eight to move into the semifinals.

The No. 3 seed went to Boomer, a 5-year-old black Lab, and his handler Chris Akin of Jonesboro, Ark.. They collected only four penalty points in the marks and took eight points in penalties on the blind, for 12 total points. Bill Autrey of Bemidji, Minn., and his black Lab, Cody, took the No. 4 seed with 22 points. Jimmy McMahan of Covington, Tenn., and his female black Lab, Ice, captured the No. 6 seed with 47 points, followed by John Terraciano of Billings, Mont., and his yellow Lab, Titan, who accumulated 55 points.

The eighth and final seed went to 2002 bronze medalist, Pepper, and her handler, Larry McMurray of Little Rock, Ark., who had 67 points, most of which came on a straight-away mark for which McMurray took responsibility.

"She was doing her job, I wasn't doing mine," McMurray said.

Three competitors were eliminated Tuesday.