Really good article on show/field split sporting breeds...
The Ugly Truth: Can Show Dogs be Hunting Dogs? - Gun Dog Magazine
Anyone who has met Rocket Dog (as has Labradorks) will know immediately, she is the poster-child for the extreme field bred lab. The author describes field bred labs as whippets. I'd call her more of a hound-ish looking lab. But way far away from the breed standard, which is his point.
I thought it was interesting that in the English Springer, Goldens, Irish Setters, and Labs... the hunters' complaints were that show-bred dogs carry too much bone and coat to work hard all day long in the field. (He says that this doesn't impair the show-lab's ability to do water-fowl.)
Another point he makes is that breeds that win field events are bred for speed and nose, which makes them to "hot" for a hunter. I think I'd have to reluctantly agree with him since Rocket Dog is 3 years old and she's just now showing signs of becoming a "non-slip" retriever. (But my major gripe about hunters... they make very little effort to actually train their labs. They have no idea how smart their dogs are.)
Anyway, the article is sort of a cri du coeur for trying to reunite these breeds and give kudos to the breeders looking for moderation and balance.