Crufts

My thanks to the Crufts Committee for the honour of judging the breed here; my stewards worked hard throughout the day to keep everything moving along. It was a very nice entry overall & I felt privileged to go over so many quality Gordons. Many classes and awards were close decisions. 

VD (12, 4) 1. Timmermann & Cornum’s AM/DT/IT/CIE/CIB Ch Ludstar Don Corleone, nice class headed by this masculine boy, lovely type, attractive head enhanced by low set ears & nice eye, correct body proportions throughout giving balanced outline, in good bloom with correct tan. Moved on a good stride retaining his strong topline; 2. Robson’s Sh Ch Laurelhach Limited Edition at Yohenoak, very similar style & type, nice head, good shoulder angulation, well shaped hindquarters used well on the move; 3. Gelin’s Cib/Cie/Belbch/Belsh Ch/Lux Ch Amscot Cheyenne Poacher, another appealing lad carrying his years well, nicely proportioned, in good condition, pushed 1 & 2 hard but not quite as collected in rear movement.

MPD (2) 1. Newton, Cornum & Timmerman’s Carnoustie Let The Game Begin (AI) (Imp Aus), pleasing youngster of lovely type with lots of potential, nice head with appealing expression, everything in the right place for this stage of his development, well handled and presented; 2. Nagaty’s Marlbeck Maldini, a month older than 1, not as yet as forward in development but has a lot of promise, pleasant head framed by low set ears, dark eyes, good front & rear, went well when settled.

PD (6) A very mixed class. 1. Baines’ Bryerdale Quantas (AI), lovely puppy possessing maturity, presence & type, handled to best advantage to show off his assets, attractive head with dark eye, well bodied with correct outline & good depth of chest for his age, went round the ring on an easy stride, BP; 2. Hope, Kane & Tillett’s Uno Solo Black Lofty (Imp Pol), smaller & stockier, still needs time for his head to develop, used his hindquarters to advantage on the move; 3. Lodge’s Dwensantinis Archie Darwen, acceptable type & proportions, moved well.

JD (11, 2) 1. Stewart’s Triseter Celtic Yeoman Of Brodruggan (AI) Nice well boned youngster with balanced outline, good topline, correct front & rear assembly, movement needs to tighten; 2. Dessauer’s Seuddubh Sirius Black, smart young lad, good colour, neat front, good depth of chest, well angled hindquarters, good tailset; 3. Kelly’s Cottonstones Reveller, typy, well balanced with attractive outline.

YD (8) 1. Timmermann & Whiting’s Locksheath Back In Black, pleasing type with good head & expression, nice clear tan, good topline, short coupled, moved with a reasonable stride; 2. Britton’s Graylacier Classic Design, good head with soft expression, reachy neck, well sprung ribs, moved well from good hindquarters; 3. Cops & Whiting’s Locksheath Black Ice, nice head & expression, good shoulders, depth & topline.

PGD (15) 1. Bryant’s Kilnrae Hallmark, very pleasing head, good angulations all round, powerful hindquarters used to advantage on the move; pushed hard by 2. Quinn’s Guinness Blackrock z Ojcowskiej Doliny (IKC), similar qualities to winner, pleasing type, appealing head, good body properties, went round the ring with style; 3. L Black Ice.

LD (13) 1. Collins-Pitman’s Amscot Raisin Black, strong, heavily boned & masculine, good length of neck, well made front, firm topline, good angulation at rear; 2. Jaconelli & Sandiford's Hernwood American Pharaoh at Togipoto, nice quality, masculine head, dark eye, good shoulder placement, well sprung ribs, sufficient bend of stifle; 3. Sandiford & Lewis’ Benbuie Rock On to Hernwood, good head, nice type, very well presented.

OD (13, 2) 1. Boxall’s Sh Ch Ludstar Frederick Frankenstein (Imp It), awarded him one of his early CCs & the top spot the last time I judged the breed in 2016, my opinion of him hasn’t changed & he has got even better with further maturity. Fits my ideal of a top class quality Gordon Setter male from the tip of his nose to his lashing tail; excellent head with melting expression, overall balanced construction conveys power & substance without any coarseness; beautifully presented in fit, muscular condition; a pleasure to watch his effortless ground-covering gait as he powers around the ring, CC & BOB, delighted to see him go on to be awarded G4; 2. Ford’s Sh Ch Liric Fusilier with Shillay, another quality exhibit with a lovely head, dark eye, balanced body, excellent coat & condition, moved soundly, RCC; 3. Sandiford’s Hernwood Neptune Sea, very well presented, good type, moved well.

Working Gundog D (3) 1. Soskova’s Im Scottish Sir Ares Samarkan, attractive head, clear tan, good topline, nicely proportioned, well presented, moved with style & vigour to just gain the edge over 2. Ness’ Ch Liric Souvenir, unplaced in the strong VD class, masculine & well-boned with good body properties, deep ribs, went well for his age; 3. Gelin’s CIB/CIE/FRBCH/BEL/VDH/CH/LUX/TRIALER Celtic Carbon Kochanej Emiliki, decent type, good angulation, moved soundly.

GCD (7) 1. Mitchell’s Roydack Ruby Hidden Gem at Brobruick, well proportioned head with dark eye, good front, well muscled rear, good tan. Gave his handler a hard time by playing around on the move but settled sufficiently to secure his place over 2. Horler’s Hernwood Jack O'lantern by Rackens, plenty of strength & depth to body, stylish, movement okay; 3. Gregg’s Laurelhach Yarra, good tan, bone correct for his frame.

VB (9,1) 1. Sandiford & Lewis’ Sh Ch Hernwood Calypso Goddess, gave her the RCC when she was a puppy at WKC in 2012, nice type, lovely feminine head with dark eye, good neck, shoulders & front assembly, strong hindquarters put to good use when on the move. In lovely condition & so well presented, awarded her the RCC among some stiff competition; 2. Johnston’s Laurelhach Lightning at Glenquin, another favourite of mine who I’ve done well in the past, pushed winner hard, in great coat & condition, pleasing head, balanced outline, moves well; 3. Turner’s Dunfionn Quair with Moniack, left her coat at home so nothing to hide her good shape.

MPB (1) 1. Ross’ Lockama Book Of Days, pretty baby, still very raw but she’s feminine & balanced, dark eye, sweet head, very collected on the move.

PB (5) Three very nice youngsters. 1. Sweryda’s Waseley Springtyme, so feminine & of a lovely type, I liked her head proportions & expression, dark well shaped eye, good overall construction, eye-catching on the move, a very nice young lady who I hope has a good future, BPB; pushed hard by 2. Mappin’s Bryerdale Qookaburra (AI) 3. Mappin’s Bryerdale Qangeroo (AI), 2 & 3 are litter sisters with little to choose between them, soundly constructed, just felt 2 was slightly more developed at this stage.

JB (8,1) 1. Justice’s Liric Just Remember Me, very nice youngster, pleasing head & expression with kind dark eye, correct body proportions, free from any exaggeration, substantial with good bone yet feminine & elegant, a quality bitch who moves soundly with purpose; 2. Sandiford’s Hernwood Christmas Eve, lovely coat, not the substance of 1 but still very elegant, moved well; 3. Green’s Balnakeil Creag Na Caillich, rangier than 1 & 2 so needs more time but everything fits together & she collects herself well on the move.

YB (8,2) 1. Whiting’s Locksheath Princess Tiana, acceptable head, decent angulation, good topline that she retains while moving; 2. Archam’s Pepper In Love with Dorea, nice shape & balance, good depth & rib, chunky hindquarters, moved well; 3. Hardy-Beauchot’s Only You De Cinq Α Sept, well presented, good head, strong quarters.

PGB (9,7) 1. Johnston’s Glenquin Phoenix, sweetest expression with pretty head, elegant & compact, good front & powerful rear, nice coat & condition, moved well; 2. Davies’ Hernwood Athena at Herrera, dark eye, balanced body with good depth & correct angulations, moved soundly.

LB (13,5) 1. Slaughter’s Cairacailie Night Of Love with Ordett, lovely type, quality bitch, pretty head with a lot of work in it, lovely expression from dark eye, good tan, super shape, firm topline, lovely coat & condition, went well; 2. Tillett’s Fieldtalk's Lady In Red (Imp Deu), sweet head, expressive eyes, very feminine, moves very well retaining her strong level topline; 3. Hope & Kane’s Sangerfild Light My Fire for Jenesta (Imp Rus), similar in type to 2, dark expressive eyes, good earset, clear tan, nice overall profile standing & on the move.

OB (14) 1. Justice’s Sh Ch Liric Nostalgia, quality bitch of ideal type, nice head & expression, well balanced, good neck, correct shoulders, well bent stifle, excellent action on the move, was pushed hard by several other class winners for the top award but her many overall qualities earned her the CC; 2. Mappin’s Sh Ch Bryerdale Texas Star, attractive well balanced bitch with nice symmetry throughout, in lovely coat & condition; 3. Oberscheidt, Cornum & Timmer’s CIE/DTCH/CHLUX Somerled Islay Mist, pleasant head, good shoulders, level topline, strong hindquarters, moved well.

FTB (5,1) 1. Thomas’ Chartan Treacle Tart, left her coat at home, pretty head, moderate angulation throughout, well muscled, sound movement; 2. Thomas’ Chartan Hermione Grainger, dam of 1, very similar qualities; 3. Ross’ Lockama Camberwell Beauty, nicely balanced, not as precise moving as those above.

Working Gundog B (3) 1. Collins-Pitman’s CH/INT/GER VDH CH Storskogens Amor Joy of Amscot (Imp Swe), strong contender for top awards, pleasant head with correct eye colour & low set ears, well put together throughout, looks a treat as she powers around the ring, very worthy champion; 2. Only You De Cinq Α Sept, 3rd in YB; 3. Nagaty’s Ch Forester's Xclusive Edition Of Darkmoor at Marlbeck (Imp Deu), good type, decent head, dark eye, good outline, well muscled, moved well but lacked enthusiasm.

GCB (8) 1. Collins-Pitman’s Sh Ch Amscot Love Is In The Air, another who I considered in the challenge, quality bitch of very good type, nice head with kind eye, feminine, holds her excellent shape on the move as she strides effortlessly round the ring, in lovely condition; 2. Sandiford & Keens’ Hernwood Luna Eclipse, rangier but well made; 3. L Princess Tiana.

Bonnie Scougall