Devon County Agricultural Association

Devon County Premier Open Show

2nd July 2022

I was delighted to be invited to judge at this Premier Open Show and had been looking forward to it for months. It didn’t disappoint. I was blessed with a fantastic entry, lovely dogs and super stewards who kept everything running smoothly even through the sporadic rain showers. Thank you to exhibitors for taking my decisions so sportingly.

Hungarian Vizsla

G (7, 1a): 1 BOB Littler’s Listerlo Golden Oriole, very close decision between 1 & 2. Elegant bitch, but still retains strength with good bone & substance. Excellent body ratios, correct depth of flew, nice forechest, excellent spring of rib, level topline, well held underline, good turn of stifle & moved well. She is not overdone in any way & is very sound & in good toned condition. Scored on maturity over 2 BP, RBOB, PG1 & BPIS Roe’s Rarog Ruda Szata for Pirospont (Imp) NAF, absolutely full of brio; just so sure of himself & happy so you can’t ignore his presence. He is only 11 months & put in such a good performance every time I saw him. I loved that about him. Masculine with good bone & substance, excellent topline, good forechest which you can feel between your hands, lovely angulation fore & aft, moved well. I couldn’t resist him for the Group & felt proud of him in BPIS where he strutted into the ring & was still giving it some swagger several hours later. BPIS; 3 Hughes’ Listerlo Russian Roulette.

O (5,2a): 1 Hughes’ Ambravittoriya Oskar at Listerlo (Imp), stacks up lovely especially when he extends forward for his bait – everything then slots into place & his handler places him like a charm & he presents a lovely clean outline. Good body ratios, correct turn of stifle, in good condition. Would prefer more depth to his brisket & a tighter elbow to the chest wall; 2 Priestley’s Silvestre Practical Magic at Eltrym, doesn’t stand so confidently but is very nice & you can’t deny that. Pretty head, good forechest, correct body ratios, moved ok. Just a little loose in undercarriage & not in the condition of 1; 3 Milner’s Ivyvizbridge Hope’s Faith.

Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla

G (3, 2a): 1 BP, BOB & PG3 Nokes’ Goldpaw Five To Midnight, what a gorgeous puppy. Alone, but oh-so-worthy of her BP, BOB & PG3. So glad her owner decided to hang around for the Group! Just a baby at 6 months & full of promise. Lovely & balanced throughout with good size & substance on her, yet still feminine. Pretty head, correct length of body, good topline standing & moving, excellent forehand assembly, everything faces forward; no externally rotated feet, just very sound. Real quality bitch & with maturity & adult coat should do very well.

English Setter

G (2a): Difficult choice between 1 & 2. 1 BOB Stevens’ Bumblecorn Rose, 4 year old tricolour bitch, presents a pleasing picture overall, nice head in profile, clean neck, good forechest which you feel. She would benefit so much from being moved a little quicker; 2 RBOB Jones’ Alolfrana N’All That Jazz at Cadogcourt, o/b looks good stacked presenting a balanced outline with correct length of back & level topline. Could be a little tighter in the elbow & have better neck extension on the move – the latter could be improved with fine tuning in lead placement.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

G (5): This was a difficult class to judge with much variation. 1 Hughes’ Eusanit Gem Stone at Abacot, clear winner for overall balance, movement & proportions – presenting a compact appearance in outline. Appealing head with slight wedge shape, kind eye, deep chest, good spring of rib, in good condition. Moved the best in the class with strength through the limbs right through to the pasterns; 2 Phelps’ Redfoxtor Blystra Bay, sound with good spring of rib, excellent depth of chest, strong through the loin, so attentive to handler which was lovely to see. Preferred the movement of 1; 3 Vaughan’s Rosettia Red Devil of Valsannra.

OD (6): Quite a variation amongst exhibits. 1 BOB Hipkiss’ Erikachen O’Ruadh for Deltandamba JW ShCM ShCEx, appeals standing with compact appearance, well laid shoulders, level topline & well bent stifles. He is masculine without being coarse. Nice head with slight wedge shape, strong through the loin, rich red coat colour, moved well. To top it all, he shows very well & is presented in good condition – both in muscle quality & coat; 2 RBOB Ward’s Melanitta Palmata JW, appeals in head, correct appearance being compact with level topline, good depth of chest, well bent stifles, moved well through strong rear pasterns. Not so engaged in his job as 1; 3 Vaughan’s Katimba Malvasia of Valsannra.

OB (4, 1a): 1 Hipkiss’ Afonbach First Sign O’Spring at Deltandamba JW, appealing head with slight wedge shape, correct length of back with level topline, good rear angulation. I would prefer a little more depth of chest & width to her foreribs; 2 Dee’s Eusanit Hot Totty, has a nice shape when standing with a compact appearance & level topline, well laid shoulders. Not as sure on the move as 1; 3 Roberts’ Chamarel Winnipeg at Exetollers.

Flat Coated Retriever

It was about this time when a gundog display team, close to our ring, started to use a whistle. Oh, what fun for handlers trying to steer their dogs in a straight line! I did laugh! Thankfully, it didn’t disrupt us too much!

J (7, 1a): 1 BOB, & G4 Bellamy’s Moontorn Better Half Of Me, stand out winner, only 16 months but so anatomically sound, just so well made with lovely balance. Good bone for size & retains femininity. Pretty head with slight stop, clean neck into shoulders, good ribbing, taut through the loin. Nothing falls out of place. She is quality – you can see it & you can feel it. She makes a great team with her young, talented handler. A delight to watch; 2 BP Hollingdale’s Aylawbrook Noones Perfect, liver puppy bitch – all there. Presents a pleasing picture both standing & moving, pretty head with slight stop, deep chest, correct bend of stifle. Quite a little trooper, she had a lot of stamina & kept on performing every time I saw her throughout the day; 3 Bellamy’s Bochilbarley Goblet Of Fire.

G (3, 2a): 1 RBOB Hollingdale & Whitaker’s Jetstarski If I Can Dream, looks good standing with excellent balance, certainly a worthy winner even though she was alone. Good bone for size, excellent ribbing, correct bend of stifle. Moved well but just a little wide coming towards me on the move.

O (6, 1a): 1 Bellamy’s Bochilbarley Blue Moon AI, he presents a lovely outline & is hard to overlook in this regard. On closer inspection he has a lot of qualities to like too: good strength through the forearms, smooth transition of neck into shoulders, excellent ribbing, strength through the loin, well-muscled hindquarters, strength through the rear pasterns. He goes away well, but comes back a little wide; 2 Milton’s Madelea Magic Tricks, well balanced in appearance, good ribbing & taut through the loin, correct bend of stifle. Held her topline well over 3 Ch Lussac Winter Wizard JW SWGC.

Irish Setter

Fantastic entry and a lot of depth of quality, especially in the bitches. My BOB, RBOB and BP were all from the top drawer and they all did well under me later in the day, too.

P (2): 1 BP & PG4 Roberts’ Polmennor Castaspell, what a cracking little puppy, everything is already there & she stacks up beautifully in outline. Pretty head with good proportions & well defined occiput, slightly arched neck into sloping shoulders, good depth of chest, excellent angulation fore & aft, moved co-ordinately for a young baby. She is a quality bitch & I liked her very much. Preferred her over the croup to 2 Cooper’s Redclyst Sail Seven Seas to Hugared, appealing head with prominent occiput, sloping shoulders, taut over the loin, well angulated. Not so together as 1 at this stage; going through her down in the pasterns phase.

J (5, 1a): Quality class. 1 BOB & G1 Crocker’s Riverbrue Snoozeulose AI, stands out for sheer quality, so very anatomically sound, nothing turns in or out. Pretty head with good skull & muzzle proportions & depth of flew. Clean neck into sweeping shoulders, deep chest, excellent ribbing, well bent stifles, in good muscular condition throughout so therefore strong through the loin & held her topline well both standing & moving. Excellent driving movement from strong rear pasterns. I loved her & the devil in the detail is there – pigment, tight feet & quality you can both see & feel. I liked the way her handler presented her too. Delighted to award her the Group. With maturity & adult coat will be hard to overlook; 2 Clarke’s Covarney Dream Time from Bronrians, looks lovely stacked up, appeals in head, correct length of neck & clean transition into sloping shoulders, good depth of chest, very sound overall with good balance, moved well; 3 Hadfield’s Covarney Time After Time for Marzanne.

PG (6, 1a): 1 Pike & MacDonald’s Redclyst Glenury Oiche Chiuin, anatomically this bitch is very nice & has a lot of qualities. She stacks up well & presents a lovely outline. She appeals in head with clean neck & good depth of chest & well angulated quarters. I would like to see more muscle definition throughout; she needs more power behind her on the move & that can only come from more muscle tone as her basic construction is very sound; 2 Pike’s Redclyst The Celt, litter brother to 1. Racy in appearance, lovely head with good pigment, excellent bone, well angulated rear quarters, well muscled. A little wayward on the move & preferred the croup of his sister; 3 MacDonald’s Redclyst Head Full Of Dreams.

OD (5, 1a): Some dogs were reluctant to move, perhaps because we had a slope to the ring. 1 Hadfield’s Staratlanta Get A Wiggle On to Marzanne, appeals in outline with good topline & angles, looked good both standing & moving. Mature male in both body & coat, excellent bone, depth of chest & well-muscled throughout; 2 MacDonald’s Redclyst Maximus, he has good soundness & balance, nothing turns in our out. Good depth of chest, excellent ribbing, strong over the topline, he moved ok but would prefer a little more length of neck to create that clean flow of neck into shoulders; 3 Roberts & Cormack’s Sangarah Shared Romance with Polmennor (Imp),

OB (6, 2a): 1 RBOB Roberts’ Sh Ch Jetsetter Christalle to Polmennor JW (Imp), what a lovely quality bitch & dam of the beautiful BP winner. Such a pretty head with good balance between skull & muzzle, dark eye, clean neck into sloping shoulders, deep chest, taut through the loin with well angulated quarters & strong rear pasterns. She is quality – so sound & stylish. Later in the day I also awarded her the Champion Stakes & Best Overall in the RBOB Stakes. This exhibitor had a very successful day by all accounts!; 2 Hadfield’s Covarney Estee avec Marzanne JW, appealing bitch, larger in size than 1. Good angulation fore & aft, moved well around the ring. Not the ribbing of 1 – not extending as far back; 3 Cooper’s Karidell Mayden Voyage to Hugared.

American Cocker Spaniel

G (1): 1 RBOB Herring-Reed & Reed’s Jaclee Trails Of Gold over Furian, buff bitch just out of Puppy & yet so together for her age. Good forechest, spring of rib & well angulated hindquarters. I would just prefer a better neck into shoulders. Well handled.

O (2): 1 BOB Walden’s Truly Yours Clear Magic for Taramount (Imp), buff bitch appeals both standing & moving, good forechest & spring of rib, clean topline, good angulation fore & aft; 2 Woolley’s Chesvik Top If You Wish You Can at Challeymead (Imp), well presented & handled b/w bitch, correct angulation fore & aft, good ribbing, strong through the rear pasterns. Preferred the topline & tailset of 1.

English Springer Spaniel

G (4): 1 Ainsley & Nicklin’s Daenerys Song Of Ice And Fire, compact in appearance, very sound both standing & moving, pretty head with good open nostrils, deep chest, correct turn of stifle. Well handled. More mature & finished than 2 Kibby’s Trimere Taylor Maid at Pinhays, slightly longer on leg, eye-catching in outline & stacks up well. Needs to firm up & settle in the front but is still a baby; 3 BP Hill’s Dexbenella Double Trouble at Teignvalley.

O (5, 3a): 1 BOB & G3 Ainsley & Nicklin’s Daenerys Blood Of The Dragon, very anatomically sound male, very together, good angulation to front pasterns – not too upright – therefore better flexibility & shock absorption. Good depth of chest, excellent spring of rib, strong through the loin, well-muscled hindquarters, correct bend of stifle. Moved well. He was very well presented & although my focus was obviously on the dog, the handler was totally on the ball. I stood at the rear quarters of the dog & the handler went to the front end & moved the lead up to the crest of the neck so I could see the transition of neck into shoulders. I moved back round to the front & the handler topped & tailed the dog again. Then the handler moved him, gently steering him around the ring so they flowed together in perfect harmony. Joyous to watch & evoked an old school handler vibe; 2 RBOB Kibby’s Trimere Turn Back Time, lovely shape & really together for age. Nice head, good bone & lovely substance. Just needs to tighten through the front but preferred her overall carriage on the move compared to the Graduate winner for RBOB.

Welsh Springer Spaniel

G (5, 1a): 1 RBOB Martin’s Ferndel Fooling You of Meadway, mature bitch, stacks well & appeals in outline, lovely head with slightly domed skull , good forechest & spring of rib, correct bend of stifle & well-muscled thighs, strong rear pasterns, moved well; 2 Morgan’s Benoveor Endless Love, cheeky youngster giving her handler a hard time but rather lovely. Just needs to drop down into herself & fill out. Has good body ratios, topline & rear angulation; 3 BP Blackford’s Amblelight Adhara.

O (6, 1a): 1 BOB Blackford’s Amblelight Porcia, handler got the best out of her dog, stacking her up well to present an overall picture of balance with pleasing outline & good topline. Pretty head, cheeky character, good substance on her bones. Moved well in the challenge. Half sister to 2 Mercer’s Amblelight Cassiopeia, nice boy, similar in type to his sister & similar comments apply, he also had lovely feet. Just a little thicker around the middle now at 5 years; 3 Attwood’s Ir Sh Ch Kylowen Drym ShCM.

Sussex Spaniel

G (2, 1a): 1 BOB Crook’s Marquell Bird Song at Highnam, alone but a quality loner! Stands well holding her topline & has lovely quality bone & is strongly built. Appeals in head with good eyes and no haw. Strong neck, deep chest, strong through the body with level topline. I would like to see her moved from a collar into a show lead. Lovely & just needs a little ringcraft training.

Spanish Water Dog

O (2): 1 BOB Napier’s Josalyn Palba Leonara, very stylish cream bitch belying her encroaching veteran years. Good open nostrils, short neck, correct bone for size, excellent spring of rib, correct turn of stifle & dense coat. A little wide in front but she has a good level topline & strength through her rear pasterns on the move; 2 RBOB Sweet’s Bondadosa Beach ShCM, brown & white dog with dense coat, very well schooled & knows his job, good spring of rib & good rear angulation. Preferred the topline & rear movement of 1.

Cocker Spaniel

P (2): 1 BP & PG2 Masters & Dott’s Adriana Sunforest Soul with Manchela (Imp) NAF, stand out winner, appeals both standing & moving with great balance. Compact in appearance, level topline, pretty head with square muzzle, lovely bone & a forechest you can feel, good angulation & a nice tone to her thighs. Moved lovely. Well handled; 2 Defuyck’s Hardd Haf Blodyn Oleuni, pretty headed red bitch with lovely cat-like feet & well sprung ribs. Not as sure of herself as the winner. Handler needs a little more practice with her.

J (4): 1 Parkhouse’s Federico Brave Heart (Imp) NAF TAF, naughty but nice. Compact in appearance, appeals in head, correct topline & good spring of ribs, Would prefer a little more bend to the stifle but owing to his age I imagine he will drop back down again in time & bring with it more bend; 2 Small’s Albertean Yuzana, o/r bitch appealing head & good spring of rib. Not so great on the move today, a little more togetherness is required which may come in time; 3 Mugleston’s Forever Rizi Bizi Eliot Hallslake (Imp).

PG (6, 2): 1 Collier’s Pepperbox Back In Time, well put together blue roan male with good outline, well developed chest, good bone & excellent ribbing. Moved well; 2 Mugleston’s Forever Rizi Bizi Eliot Hallslake (Imp), straight well boned forearms, good spring of rib & correct turn of stifle. He moves well, just needs a little more ringcraft & a show lead to present him on; 3 Cullen’s Alisma Adelaide TAF.

OD (4): 1 RBOB Parkhouse’s Sandlauga Magic Spell for Shivani ShCEx, compact in appearance with good topline. Nice head with square muzzle, excellent transition of neck into shoulders, good spring of rib, correct rear angulation, moved very well; 2 Salmon’s Crimicar Indigo Eclipse, presents a lovely compact outline with all his featherings. On closer inspection he has a lovely head in profile & good ribs. He doesn’t have the neck extension of 1 & could be a little more taut throughout his body; 3 Pearn’s Fonesse Fingibson in Gwbert JW ShCM ShEx.

OB (8, 2a): 1 BOB Green & Brain’s Cachel Pop The Question to Meloneras JW, quality blue roan bitch, stood out in the line-up of bitches with a compact appearance & level topline. Has a lovely quality to her which you can both see & feel, there’s fill to her forechest & she has bone & substance & good ribbing. She moved lovely with an enthusiastic drive. I get the impression she is a wilful girl to show. There were times I looked over & I could see her tussling with her owner. It didn’t matter to me though, I could see she was quality from the moment she stepped in the ring; 2 Collier’s Gardenstone Glamour Girl at Pepperbox JW ShCM, blue roan bitch of veteran years, compact in appearance & comes together well when she works for it. Not showing at her best, possibly because of the heat but she appeared a little tired by the proceedings.

Large Munsterlander

G (2): 1 RBOB Prowse’s Quilesta Simply Invincible mit Mermilmar, well balanced male with a workmanlike appearance, very well-muscled throughout with good level topline & strength through the loin. He flows well from his neck into shoulders. Elbows could be a little tighter to the chest wall; 2 Caile’s Foxy Gabber Uut ‘T Vossebeltseveld for Kamaze (Imp), good topline standing & moving, just a little leggier than 1 & not so together.

O (3): 1 BOB Prowse’s Quilesta Just Endearing mit Mermilmar, feminine bitch but still good for size & bone, in good condition, looks like she is capable of a day’s work without tiring. Good topline & excellent ribbing. Could be a little deeper in chest; 2 Disney’s Sh Ch Wonglepong Wills Faramir, very sound & balanced, in good order & well presented. Showing on his toes with lots of presence. He is a stallion of a dog with plenty of bone; 3 Stevens’ Ghyllbeck Fringilla.

German Shorthaired Pointer

G (4, 1a): 1 Burford’s Pingarypoint High Hopes, this bitch must be one of the fittest dogs I have ever seen. Brisket down to elbow, good ribbing, correct turn of stifle. Moved the best in the class; 2 Taylor & Thomas’s Pingarypoint Puzzled at Knabynnus, finer in bone than 1, good depth of flew, stacks up lovely, brisket down to elbow. Rear movement is not as positive or precise as 1; 3 Gaskin’s Lazio Roma, kudos to this novice handler who wasn’t sure of ring procedure, but after showing her how to hold the dog’s lead on the move, it was transformative. Keep practicing.

O (5, 2a): 1 BOB Burford’s Pingarypoint Legolicious JW, appeals standing, correct length of body, clean neck into shoulders, strong through the loin, good rear angulation. Close decision between 1 & 2 but preferred the movement of 1. She also showed her socks off; 2 RBOB Burford’s Pingarypoint The Way to Kavacanne JW, very nice in outline & in good condition but she doesn’t have the length of stride of 1 on the move. Elegant, good bone & well balanced overall.

Italian Spinone

G (3, 1a): 1 RBOB & BP Mortimer’s Scodinzolare Photoulla, brown roan bitch, the more together of the two. Good bone for size, kind expression, with open nostrils, strong neck into well laid shoulders, well sprung ribs & good bend of stifle. Preferred her rear movement over 2 Luff’s Lyndyck Hot To Trot, brown roan bitch of the same age, going through a gangly stage at present. Appealing head, good bone & strength through the forearms.

O (4, 2a): 1 BOB Kruglow’s Amberellie Rosanna, w/o, appealing bitch both standing & moving, feminine but with strong bone. Powerful neck into well laid shoulders, well arched toes, good ribs, coat texture & correct topline. She is strong through her rear pasterns which were very evident on the move over 2 Luff’s Montecani Elara at Lyndyck, brown roan bitch with divergent head planes, good bone, substance & bend of stifle. Not the rear movement of 1.

Curly Coated Retriever

OD (2, 1a): 1 RBOB Edworthy’s Maycourt Heartbreaker, black dog, well put together & very sound with strong bone. He gives the appearance of strength & is upstanding. Handsome wedge-shaped head, strong neck into well laid shoulders, correct ribbing, tight curls, moved co-ordinately.

OB (1): 1 BOB Courtier’s Maycourt Stairway To Heaven, liver bitch & litter sister to Heartbreaker. Correct body ratios being slightly longer than tall, lovely forequarters with deep chest & strong straight forearms, good turn of stifle & tight curls. Moved well. Taking into consideration the difference in the sizes between the sexes, I preferred her for BOB.

AVNSC

G (5, 1a): 1 BAVNSC Bowen’s Field Spaniel, Clandrift Destiny, this girl has done well under me before. Very sound, appeals in outline with a strong clean topline – she flows. Lovely head, brisket down to elbow, good spring of rib, just very anatomically sound & balanced & in good condition. A purposeful mover; 2 Ioannou’s Clumber Spaniel, Buckfarm Flossy, pretty headed bitch, strong well laid shoulders, correct length of body & good turn of stifle; 3 Trotter’s Field Spaniel, Clandrift Diplomat; 4 BP Heller’s Lagotto Romagnolo, Arcticbreeze Hopscoth.

O (2): 1 RBAVNSC Bowen’s Field Spaniel, Kingsmist Rose at Clandrift, appealing head, looks lovely in outline when stacked up, correct length of body, good bone for size. Well handled. Preferred the movement & general smoothness of Destiny; 2 B Flossy.

AV Gundog

P ( 15, 11a): 1 Roe’s Hungarian Vizsla, Rarog Ruda Szata for Pirospont (Imp) NAF; 2 Hollingdale’s Flat Coated Retriever, Aylawbrook Noones Perfect; 3 Ball’s Lignum Caribou, Gordon Setter.

O (24, 18a): 1 Hollingdale & Whitaker’s Flat Coated Retriever, Jetstarski If I Can Dream; 2 Collier’s Cocker Spaniel Pepperbox Back In Time; 3 Hughes’ Hungarian Vizsla Ambravittoriya Oskar at Listerlo (Imp).

AV Gundog Special Veteran

7-9 Years (26, 17a): 1 Best Veteran Walden’s American Cocker, Taramount Wot Dream May Come ShCM, buff male who belies his age, good bone through the forearms, tight feet, compact appearance, covered the ground well; 2 Roberts & Cormack’s Irish Setter, Sangarah Shared Romance with Polmennor (Imp), I thought he showed well here, upstanding, good bone, appeals in outline with good rear angles. Elbow could be little tighter to the chest wall; 3 Attwood’s Welsh Springer, Kylowen Demelza.

AV Gundog Special Veteran

10+Years (7, 5a): 1 Fenn’s Golden Retriever, Willsbrook The Hairy Biker at Jandeburn ShCM VW, 11 years & appeals both standing & moving, brisket down to elbow, well off for bone, level topline, correct turn of stifle, moved well; 2 Napier’s Spanish Water Dog, Josalyn Juananci, brown bitch, nearly 12 years & ever so sprightly. Good forechest, moved well but would prefer a better topline.

Gundog Group

G1 Irish Setter: Crocker’s Riverbrue Snoozeulose AI

G2 Gordon Setter: Henderson’s When I Was Your Man Black Lofty (Imp), eye-catching male both standing & moving, good bone for size, very sound throughout, lovely feet, clean neck into shoulders, correct bend of stifle & in good condition. Delighted to award him G2.

G3 English Springer Spaniel: Ainsley & Nicklin’s Daenerys Blood Of The Dragon

G4 Flatcoated Retriever: Bellamy’s Moontorn Better Half Of Me

Puppy Gundog Group

PG1 & BPIS Hungarian Vizsla: Roe’s Rarog Ruda Szata for Pirospont (Imp) NAF

PG2 Cocker Spaniel: Masters & Dott’s Adriana Sunforest Soul with Manchela (Imp) NAF

PG3 Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla: Nokes’ Goldpaw Five To Midnight

PG4 Irish Setter: Roberts’ Pomennor Castaspell

Mole Valley Farmers AV Gundog Champion Stakes

(3): 1 Roberts’ Irish Setter, Sh Ch Jetsetter Christalle to Polmennor JW (Imp); 2 Attwood’s Welsh Springer, Ir Sh Ch Kylowen Drym ShCM; 3 Courtier’s Curly Coated Retriever, Sh Ch Maycourt Crimson Moon.

AV Gundog RBOB Stakes

1 Roberts’ Irish Setter, Sh Ch Jetsetter Christalle to Polmennor JW (Imp)

DANIELA PINTO TRANQUADA (Judge)