Mancunian Boxer Club

MANCUNIAN BOXER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW 3.4.22.

When I had a telephone call asking me if I could possibly act as a replacement judge for the males at the Mancunian I accepted instantly and with pleasure. What could be a more enjoyable start to my 70th birthday month than spending a day surrounded by my favourite breed and some of the most sporting exhibitors around?

It was an interesting entry to judge and overall quality was high. If I was to use the expression coined by Anne Rogers Clark, the present “drag” of the breed would seem to be front movement coming on as lots of otherwise impressive Boxers were rather generous and wide when moving towards me. It was also surprising to find a few noticeably wry mouths as I thought that was a thing of the past.

I was very happy with my main winners and wish the CC and Reserve CC winners, both of whom came from the age classes, every success in the pursuit of their titles.

VETERAN DOG (4) 1. Fay-Smith’s Ch WINUWUK SCOUTING FOR GIRLS AT LOROSSA, it’s always reassuring to start with a class, knowing that – if you see nothing else later – you have a winner for whom you would happily sign a Challenge Certificate and this was definitely the case here. 8 years brindle of excellent overall type with a masculine head which hasn’t coarsened with age; good rise of skull with well-padded muzzle and expressive eyes. Excellent bone and feet, firm hard backline with moderate angles all through and the outline is perfectly balanced. He moves with power and freedom and the whole package still makes him a strong contender at the highest level so he was in the last four for the CC. 2. Beardsell & Van-Beck’s NEWLAITHE BUG ON, brindle again and rising eight, a very moderate dog of excellent overall type, great head appeal with lovely eyes and expression, not quite the neck of the winner and a little weaker in pastern but he makes a very pleasing overall picture and covers the ground well in profile. 3. Kelly’s Ch CASEMATES DUMBLEDORE.

MINOR PUPPY DOG (5) 1. Loasby’s SASHBOB DOUBLE OH SEVEN WITH BERWYNFA, 6 months brindle and a real baby but all the basics are there. Excellent basic head qualities with good mouth, well-proportioned outline with excellent bone, neat feet with plenty of angulation front and back. He moves with a roomy profile and his footfall out and back was easily the best in the class. 2. Griffiths’ LANFRESE CARTELLO, another 6 months brindle of top quality with lots of promise who could very well end up finish the better of the two. Quality head of good proportions, well boned but just needs to strengthen in pastern. Excellent angulation front and back, well ribbed back, sets up to make a very balanced picture though at the moment the topline is a little soft when moving in profile and he could be a little tidier coming on but the overall picture is very impressive. 3. Huckerby & Dowell’s NORWILBECK BELLCHIME DRACO.

PUPPY DOG (3) 1. Taylor’s NEWLAITHE ABSOLUTE BUG, 11 months brindle, masculine, upstanding young stallion with moderate angles, excellent bone and rib, neat feet and the overall outline is clean, dry and well-balanced. Opens up well in profile and moves quite nicely up-and-down. Should have a lot of success in the future. Best Puppy Dog. 2. Brooks & Tooby’s SPUDS MACKENZIE AT JINNYBRUX, 9 months red with a lot of quality, head is understandably raw but essentially well balanced with clean cheeks though could have a little more strength of underjaw and depth of chin. Good bone and the basic construction is pleasing. He isn’t the flashiest marked (which would never bother me) but he is a very honest Boxery Boxer with lots of type, though not as accurate as 1 moving out and back. 3. Owen’s MONTYVILLE MAREK AT GATCHINYO.

JUNIOR DOG (4) 1. Keenan & Griffin’s DUXSARA DOUBLE DIAMOND, 15 months brindle of high quality who creates an instant impression of a medium-sized, squarely-built, strongly boned male with a lot of quality and an outgoing temperament. His head is clean, well-balanced with no excessive wrinkle, well-padded muzzle, dark expressive eyes and one of the best mouths I saw all day. He is very well constructed with excellent angulation front and back, already has a well-developed forechest, is well ribbed back, has a firm, gently sloping topline with corresponding underline and he stands well up on his feet. High-spirited, he can be a bit of a handful at times but when he settled he moved freely and his accuracy out and back was absolutely spot on. He was in beautiful condition, fit and hard, and the more I looked into him the more he impressed. Ended up winning his first CC and I am sure there are more to come. 2. Woods’ ARKENEY BARRISTER, 14 months lighter brindle, high-stationed and with attitude to burn. Quite a handful to start with but he soon settled. Classy head with clean cheeks, expressive eyes but could have a little more depth of chin. Upstanding with a lot of presence about him, moderately angulated front and back (could possibly have a little greater length of upper arm), firm hard topline and when he does settle his movement is very scopy and powerful. 3. Seeney’s SULEZ VICTORIOUS AT MARANSEEN.

YEARLING DOG (4) 1. Lafferty’s GEENAWELL LORENZO, 19 months brindle who has enormous appeal in outline, great wither height and very much a stallion with lots of attitude. Excellent head type, expressive dark eyes, good mouth, well crested neck, good forechest, well boned, neat feet, well ribbed back and short coupled with excellent angulation fore and aft. On the move he has tremendous scope and freedom and covers the ground well. Close up to the CC winner who was just a little truer out and back but he well deserved the Reserve CC and should make his title with no difficulty. 2. Goodwin’s SULTASH PRINCE OF HEARTS, 18 months, another brindle and like the winner has great attitude and wonderful character with such ring presence. Very pleasing head type if slightly looser in eye than 1 but nothing much to worry about. The overall shape is there with good angulation and well filled forechest. On the go-around he doesn’t quite hold his topline as well as 1 but the movement is powerful and reasonably accurate. Has a lot of style about him, plenty of attitude and is very much a well-balanced Boxer with good length of neck, nicely crested, and the overall outline will always impress. Two really good Boxers. 3. Beardsell & Van-Bekk’s NEWLAITHE SUPER NATURAL.

NOVICE DOG (1) 1. Hawkins’ MELLHAWK MOODY BLUE, 22 months brindle of good overall type and stamp, moderate size and essentially square. Head is a little overdone as skull could be drier with less wrinkle. A little light in body condition and could have a little more accuracy in front coming on but the profile is more pleasing

GRADUATE DOG (4) A quality class, 1. Lott’s BRITESPARKE ARGON MOONBUG, medium sized light brindle dog with lots of type and a particularly pleasing expression with good rise of skull and very expressive eyes, good width and depth of underjaw and well-padded muzzle. Enough bone, neat feet, short-coupled and moved with freedom. A very moderate dog with no exaggeration. 2. Payne’s WILLOW STORM CHASER, dark brindle and possibly more upstanding than 1 with more of a stallion look. Essentially well-proportioned head but not as well-padded muzzle as 1, Excellent construction throughout with optimum angulation but needs time to mature in body and fill out his frame as he needs to develop in middle piece and firm up in topline. Very full of himself today but still moved out with good reach and drive. When fully mature should do some interesting winning. 3. Fox’s BRITESPARKE NORMAN MOON.

POST GRADUATE DOG (7) 1. Cook & Postance’s MANIC THINKING OUT LOUD, an absolutely square, moderate, medium-sized well=balanced Boxer with a crisp, clean outline, nicely crested neck and no excess flesh anywhere. Beautiful head type with very expressive eyes, good strength of muzzle and depth of underjaw, strong bone, neat feet and in very good body condition, nicely covered and well-muscled. Standing he is very much the whole package. On the move he could open up a little more in profile and be a little tidier coming on but he has so many virtues. 2. Woods’ ARKENEY ADVENTURER, another brindle rather different in type from the winner being somewhat more rangy and scopy but there is so much to like about him - though in the next life I’m convinced he’s going to come back as a as a rocking horse as he has an annoying tendency to overstretch. Essentially he is upstanding and a real stallion in the making with great wither height and he has fabulously scopy profile movement. Clean skull, well-proportioned head if I’d like a little bit more tilt to his nose just to complete the expression but he’s got beautifully expressive eyes. Excellent bone, still needs to develop in forechest and just generally come together as he’s a little bit rakish at the moment but when he stood free and something caught his attention he has tremendous ring presence. With full maturity I think there’s enough potential there to make a very handsome and useful male. 3. Goodwin’s SULTASH CUNCO.

LIMIT DOG (7) 1. Humphries’ NORWATCH SUNHAWK GOOD TIME FOR CHRIBANNA, very moderate, square, clean-cut brindle with excellent head type, well-developed muzzle, firm underjaw, but I’d like the eye to be a little fuller and more expressive. Very good overall construction with strong bone, neat feet, correct top and underline and he used himself well on the move, covering the ground well and being relatively accurate out and back. 2. Loasby’s BERWYNFA FIFTY SHADZ FREED, high-stationed brindle and very much a stallion type. Essentially masculine head which is well balanced but I’d like a little less wrinkle on the forehead and the head could be drier. Strong bone and tight feet, good length of leg, well angulated with a very defined topline. Nicely conditioned, he could be a little cleaner coming on but has a powerful and roomy profile … a very handsome dog with a lot of presence. 3. Huckerby & Dowell’s LOTTALOVE FOR NORWILBECK BELLCHIME.

OPEN DOG (7) 1. Griffiths’ Ch LANFRESE ARGENTO, celebrating his fourth birthday today this famous brindle has been a great ambassador for the breed and it is easy to see why as, standing, he presents a most striking outline that just flows, is perfectly balanced, marvellously conditioned, with a wholly typical head and expression. In profile he holds himself well but today he was coming at me disappointingly wide which told against him in the Challenge. Apart from his showring successes he is obviously making an impact as a sire as three of his sons appeared in the unbeaten line-up (where he remained in the final four), one of which won the Reserve CC. 2. Brough & Cairns’ Ch GALICAR INVESTIGATING WITH LIMUBOX, separating these two proved a real headache as here was another masculine brindle who had substance combined with quality and point-for-point he ticks all the boxes. On the move he really comes into his own, having a powerful profile and he was truer on the out and back than Argento. I had him standing First initially but when I studied static profiles he didn’t quite have the compactness and balance of outline of the winner, who is shorter coupled, and that made the decision but it really could have gone either way. Two excellent Champions. 3. Pynegar’s BERWYNFA BILLIONAIRE.

ANDREW H. BRACE