United Retriever Club

UNITED RETRIEVER CLUB, August 9th 2023

Curly Coated Retrievers

What an honour to judge at this lovely Club’s 60th Anniversary championship show. I had looked forward to it for a while & was not disappointed. Thanks too to the stewards who did a sterling job keeping the ring running on time, to enable the next breed to get in the ring in good time.

Just a couple of points that I wanted to mention. Firstly, three shows in such a short space of less than a week was certainly taking its toil on some dogs today. The heat plus all the travelling meant that some were sluggish on the move & not carrying their head at a good angle to catch my eye. Hope they will have a rest before the next show as it never affected their coats as all presented today so well and so correct.

Secondly, the Standard calls for strong, muscular hindquarters with a moderate turn of stifle. With Hocks well let down and well bent. Sorry but I saw far too many weak hindquarters, not moderate but hocks just running straight into the stifle and narrow first and second thighs meaning there was no strength in movement behind. In my mind will always be Rifleman and Hawthorn Ranger, who, to me, stamped the breed in my thoughts forever.

PD (2,1a) 1 Sutton & Whitehead’s Foxriever Grey Ghost, 11 month old baby who still needs to mature to complete the picture, this liver was alone but deserved his prize. Good profile movement but still needs to strengthen in hindquarters for preference. In excellent coat & condition, masculine head coming but with well set eyes & a good length, nice neck & shoulders. BPD. JD (3) 1 F Grey Ghost; 2 Finch’s Molokain Doing The Do at Cetgueli black who is just right for age, again excellent coat but also still needs more strength behind for balance & type, of a good size & shape, moved well in profile; 3 Miller & Millichamp’s Foxriever Solent Solstice at Wightcurls. YD (1) 1 M Doing The Do at C. ND (3,2) 1 Sutton’s

Hopeall and Aat’s Bud Spencer, Deu Jun Ch, again alone but worth his win for he is very typical, excellent coat, masculine head with well set & carried ears, good neck & shoulders, strong topline held on the moved & set up, well boned legs & feet, good hindquarters used to advantage. GD (1) Hopeall and Aat’s Bud Spencer, Deu Jun Ch. PGD (2) 1 M Doing The Do at C;, 2 Dooley’s Rowancurl Pullman Porter, unfortunately today he was crabbing & not moving his best, lost his topline set up & moving. Correct coat & a masculine head & expression, well set & carried ears, good neck & depth of chest. LD (7) 1 Stubb’s Brightmeadow Take Your Time at Densdale, very taken with this strong boy, he is balanced & a lovely type, moved well once he settled but this black has a correct coat with tight curls in excellent condition, excellent head & expression which was balanced, good topline & well set tail, strong hindquarters, this quality boy won a good class & took the RCC; 2 Hodson’s Rowancurl Gentle Gaelor, balanced boy who showed well here, masculine head & expression, good neck & topline, good depth of chest & strong loin, correct tailset. Would prefer a slightly strong rear angulation which ensure good profile movement & would ensure he covered the ground easily, again a good tight coat, presented well; 3 Clack’s Bazzy Inti Anka at Molokain. OD (7) 1 Solomon’s Foxriever Mystic Marvel at Elkysar, this black caught my eye when he first ran round, he reminded me so much of some of the early dogs, he has such presence & today nothing was going to deny him his win. On the top size but so well made that I forgave him that for his type, quality & balance. His up & back movement was fine but his profile movement with good head carriage really pleased me, he really used his strong quarters to cover the ground with ease. This quality boy is a lovely type with a masculine head & expression, well set & carried ears, good neck & shoulders, strong topline & well set & carried tail, strong hindquarters & loin & a good depth & correct width of ribcage, well boned legs & feet. All topped off with a correct tight curl to coat, won a strong class & CC & BOB; 2 Edworthy’s Maycourt Heartbreaker, heavier dog but again a lovely type, he is balanced & in good coat, moved well to win his place, no wonder he appealed as I gave his dam the CC in 2017! Good hindquarters used to give good movement in profile on well boned legs & feet, masculine head & expression, good neck & correct topline, he has good body proportions; 3 Parker-Miles’ Tengore Mr Moonligh. SpB D or B (4,2) 1 Hopeall and Aat’s Bud Spencer, 2 Hutchins’ Foxriever Moon Dancer, liver girl who just needs body to finish the picture, still only 11 months old so she has plenty of time to complete her growth. I am sure you will have lots of fun with her when she grows up. V D or B (7 + years) (4) 1 Whitehead’s Sh Ch Kelsmere Kamana for Foxriever ShCM, what a cracking black bitch who belies her age, a good type who deserves her title, moved well on lovely legs & feet, she is balanced with a feminine head & expression, an excellent coat which is well presented, good neck & shoulders, good depth of chest & a good loin, a worthy BV; 2 Mistin’s Maycourt Starman by Crookwood ShCM, mature liver dog who moved well & put down in excellent coat & condition, topline fine & a well set & carried tail, masculine head & expression, good neck & shoulders, good depth of chest & a strong loin; 3 Spraggins’ Sh Ch Maycourt Hot Love at Tusepo. Working D or B (0) Show/Working D or B (0).

PB (5) 1 Carrick’s Tessmene Tickety Boo, quality black who is so pretty & full of fun, she is balanced with such a pretty head & expression, lovely neck & shoulders, good topline & tailset, good depth of chest coming, good hindquarters used to full advantage to cover the ground with ease & purpose, she is from the top drawer & so well proportioned, I hope her progress continues but today I had no hesitation in making her my BP & it was a joy to see her go BPIS in such a fabulous entry; 2 Courtier’s Maycourt Take Me Top The Top, another quality black out of Crimson Moon, just right for age, in good coat again, which was well present, feminine head & expression, good bone & feet, she is well proportioned & when she moved, she did so effortlessly, another who should have a good future, a good tussle with her sister who was 3rd, they should have fun; 3 Perkins’ Maycourt Miss Sweetness at Tengore. JB (2) 1 Stephens’ Ravenho Up Town Girl for Brightmeadow, yet again the bitches are leading the way, this one is no exception, she is from the top drawer & is so very typy, this black is quality & moved so well, pretty head & expression, good neck & shoulders, still young but held a good topline & a good hindquarter to complete the picture. Could not resist her for the RCC, bet it won’t be long before she wins CCs, she is half sister to the RDCC; 2 Clack’s Molokain Hocus Pocus, she is balanced but just needs maturity to finish, head is OK but just needs to fine down for balance, this black is carrying a well presented correct coat, she is in lovely condition with well boned legs & feet which she used to advantage to cover the ground. YB (0). NB (3,2) 1 Eden’s Echoes of Thunder from Tornado Beta with Ricanded, alone but this black has promise & I am sure will have a good future, she is balanced & moved well, in good correct coat, enough hindquarters, feminine head with well set & placed eyes & ears, good depth of chest & a good loin, good body proportions. G (1,1). PGB (5,2) 1 Hayes, Biglin, Walton & Chattwood’s Gorchest's Pendlecurls's Rising Star at Pepperiever, good workman like type, not an over large bitch but in proportion, very feminine in outlook & showed well, in good correct coat put down in lovely condition, feminine head & expression, good neck & shoulders, correct topline & well set tail, well boned legs & feet, moved well with ease & purpose, she is quality; 2 Whitehead’s Gypsy’s Soul First Lady for Foxriever, upstand black bitch who, when she settled, moved well, good curl, very feminine in outlook, good head & expression, strong neck, topline OK, just enough hindquarters but moved ok to win her place here; 3 Parker-Miles’ Overbore's Ace of Hearts. LB (2) 1 Perkins’ Tengore Ruby Tuesday, feminine bitch who is well made, this black has a well shaped & set eye but ears are slightly heavy but she has a good neck & shoulders, good depth & width of ribcage, strong topline & well set & carried tail, her hindquarters are correct & well muscled but where she comes alive is on the move, she really covers the ground with ease & purpose with the correct head carriage, she is quality & so balanced that I could not look passed her for the CC; 2 Carlin’s Celebrated Caramel from Tornado Beta, liver bitch with lots to like but again I would like a better bend of stifle to help her movement, her tail is correctly set & carried & she has a good head & expression, good depth & width of ribcage, correct loin, well boned legs & feet. OB (7,2) 1 Courtier’s Maycourt Stairway to Heaven, liver, quality bitch who is so well made, won a very good class on her type & construction, she has a mature head with good eyes of the correct shape & well covered ears, good neck & shoulders, moved well on well boned legs & feet covering the ground well, excellent curl, well sprung ribs & a strong loin which gave her a good topline & well set tail; 2 Carrick’s Tessmene The Cats Whiskers, again a nice bitch who is of a good type, slightly lighter all through than 1 but still very feminine & not weedy in any way, again excellent coat & well muscled all through, would prefer just a slightly strong hindquarters to compete the picture, loved her head & expression & she moved well for her handler; 3 Evans’ Kukkasen Keita by Caballus.

PAM BLAY