Crufts

CRUFTS 2024

Rhodesian Ridgeback

An appointment I have been looking forward to since 2018, which was cancelled in 2021 but it was worth the wait. I have kept away from the breed for a couple of years, so many were new to me & I was thrilled with the absolute quality of all the exhibits that made the trip.

Thanks for the appointment but thanks too to the wonderful stewards who did such a sterling job in such a large entry to allow me to finish in time & still get to the group ring to watch our BOB get a shortlist in a strong group.

VD (14,Abs 4) 1 Bossard’s Int/m Ch/bis/mbiss/vbis/vbiss Ndoki Gentle George Vww Vew Int Vch, this boy won this excellent class on his excellent movement, correct shoulder placement & forward reach. Masculine head & expression, he is balanced with a good toplline held on the move, this quality dog just shone in the first class of the day with his showmanship & correct proportions, excellent topline & ridge, good ribcage & loin, well muscled hindquarters, put down to the minute & so pleased to make him BV overall; 2 Muir’s Ch Saadani Show Off, slightly taller in outline but maintaining his balance, very masculine in outlook & when he moves his stride is so correct & you could not miss him, he covers the ground with ease & purpose. Masculine head & expression with a good neck & shoulders, good ridge & an excellent ribcage, well muscled; 3 Pot’s Nl Ch Our Thabu Van 't Wolf-Heesch, lovely type of Ridgeback with good balance & showmanship, showed & moved so well & set up he is very typical, like all my placed dogs his movement was first class, lovely head with a good eye & expression, well carried ears.MPD (3) 1 Barnes’ Diamondridge Dreadnought, what a quality youngster with so much promise, he is so sound & moved with such ease, taking the day in his stride, enjoying every minute, he is just right for age & of course his head has to finish but look forward to seeing him progress as he has all the required points to make it; 2 Mulholland & Cunningham’s Walamadengie Heart Throb, nearly 9 months & now just needs to mature & drop into his body for he is at the awkward stage but such a exciting prospect for the future, showed well, not at all fazed but the atmosphere & noise, lovely head & expression, excellent neck & shoulders, balanced outline held on the move; 3 Clark-Maclean & Crossan’s Callmn's Jammy Dodger, today was just a bit overawed by the noise & atmosphere & needs to finish for he is only a baby & needs time & maturity to complete the picture. PD (9,1) 1 Barker’s Delianza What’s Your Motive, what a cracker, best mover in the class on the day with his excellent forequarters & well muscled hindquarters, held a strong topline set up & moving with a good ridge, masculine head coming with a good eye & well set ears, good neck & lovely ribcage, showed well to win this excellent class & go on to take a well deserved BP; 2 Green & Thomson’s Rottzridge Celtic Legend at Kotamury, a lovely type who is still a baby & needs time to finish, so very sound & moved well in a strong class, he is quality with a good head & a lovely eye & expression with well set ears, good neck & shoulders, correct hindquarters with just the right amount of muscle tone to omplete the picture; 3 Thomas-Bassett’s Fiadma's Stiggens, nice type who moved correctly in profile but hind action needs to tighten going away but he is still young & when he finishes I am sure he will be fine. Balanced with a good topline & well set & carried tail, lovely head & expression. JD (7,2) 1 Darnell’s Rubiltra Gunna B Victorious, just right for his age, such a handsome head & expression from a lovely eye & well set ears, he is balanced with a good neck & shoulder placement, well held topline & good tailset & carriage. Good ribcage & ridge, put down in excellent coat & condition & where he won was on his excellent easy yet sound movement; 2 Hoppe’s Mayesty Flair's Nabu of Muna Ya Kusini Jch, darker masked dog who is very masculine in outlook, needs to settle in topline when set up but it is fine on the move, he is still young so I am sure he will tighten up all through, moved well on well boned legs & tight feet, good body proportions & a nice type; 3 Johnson’s Ungowa On The Road Again, just an absolute baby who needs time to settle & mature & finish, moved well here to win his place in this good class of lovely youngsters which bodes well for the future. YD (14,1) 1 Janáčková’s Pink Panther Slunce Zambezi, balanced liver nosed dog who is so sound on the move, really using his correct forequarters & well muscled hindquarters, very masculine in outlook, loved his masculine head & expression with a lovely eye which is well shaped & set with good ear carriage, lovely neck & ribcage, strong loin & a good ridge, when he moved he covered the ground effortlessly, good size & proportions; 2 Bossard’s Savuti Daymani Dna Deluxe Mr Bro' Jww Int-J Jbis Jbiss Mjch, such a sound mover on well boned legs & feet, very masculine in outlook with an excellent head & expression, put down in excellent coat & condition, he is well muscled with a well set & carried tail, good topline held moving & set up, very close up to 1, both from the top drawer; 3 Van Doorn’s Paerdecroon Olympic On Top, he won his place on his excellent correct movement, he is quality & no mistaking his sex, excellent head & expression, good forequarters & well muscled hindquarters, liked his neck & topline which he held both set up & moving, good ridge. PGD (12,1) 1 Dawson’s Priorpark Problem Solved, not a flashy dog but so sound & typical, he is well made with such a lovely head & expression, he is balanced & when he moved he was just what I wanted, correct shaped & coloured eyes with well placed & carried ear, good neck & correct shoulder & forechest, good ribcage & strong loin & correct topline, well muscled all through & put down to the minute, he is quality; 2 Cahane’s Kiromol Baron Zuko, very much my type, slightly taller but still balanced,liked his head & expression with a lovely eye & well set ears, where he comes alive is on the move, just floats over the ring but still shows determination & drive, good ribcage length & depth & a strong loin; 3 Painter’s Suhuba Dream On, darker dog with white on chest, incidentally I don’t get obsessed about white, I think that on most today it was fine be it on the chest or feet as long as it goes no further. He is balanced with a masculine head & expression, moved well on well boned legs & feet, good body proportions & a good size. MLD (12, 2) 1 Shaw’s Negasi Radagast JW, what a quality dog who is so balanced, moved so well on well boned legs & feet, masculine head with a good, well coloured eye & expression well set & carried ears, good neck & shoulders, correct well carried topline & tailset, good ribcage & strong loin, he was well muscled & put down in excellent condition, deserved his place in this excellent class; 2 Hick’s Nuthouse Roger The Dodger, nice dog of just the right size & balance, so very masculine in outlook, he is balanced & so well muscled all through, he is quality & showed & moved well, loved his head & expression & his correct length of neck & good ridge & topline, carried his tail correctly & moved round the ring with correct footfall; 3 Digby’s Sonnypride Cookies An Cream of Inbajsha, again a balanced dog of the correct size & outline for my taste, he moved well on well boned legs & feet, showed well to win his place here, masculine head & expression, good neck & shoulders, really good presentation, he is a typical masculine Ridgeback of quality. LD (16,3) 1 Muir’s Jimanns Ace of Spades, what can I say? He just stole my heart & showed his socks off to beat one of my favourite Ridgebacks, he kept calling me back, today had to be his day, he just looked stunning & nothing could lower his flag! He is masculine & quality all through, loved his head & correctly coloured eyes, well set ears giving an excellent masculine expression, lovely neck & shoulders, correct topline & ridge, well set & carried tail with a good ribcage & strong loin, put down in excellent coat & condition, when he moved he just covered the ground with ease yet purpose, excellent head carriage & a strong well held topline. Couldn’t walk passed him & was please to award him the DCC in the challenge; 2 Geeves’ Kiromol The Kinsman JW, what can I add to what I have written about this dog before, it is well known that I think he will make it to the top very soon but today I just couldn’t walk passed the DCC. He showed his socks off for his handler & did everything that was required of him, I could ask no more, loved his head & expression with such a beautiful eye & ear set & carriage, good topline & tailset & when he moved he matched 1 step for step making the decision so hard but at the end of the day I could not resist him for the RCC in such excellent company; 3 Webster’ Kazembe Crescendo, darker masculine dog who also moved so well, just preferred the overall balance of 1 & 2 but there is no denying his quality, he is a typical dog from the top drawer who moved & showed so well in this lovely class; OD (32,8) 1 Hurn’s Ch Diamondridge Dark Delight of Matikiridge,substantial mature dog whose sex you couldn’t mistake, he is balanced & a typical Ridgeback, lovely head & expression, good eye & well set & carried ears, good neck & shoulders, well boned legs & feet, good body proportions with an excellent topline & ridge, good tail carriage & well muscled hindquarters, lovely ribcage & strong loin, in such a quality filled class, he kept catching my eye with his correct movement & footfall, loved his head carriage & determination on the move in profile which stole the class for him; 2 Bossard’s Int/m Ch/biss Sabaku Inus Glorious Makoa of George Jch, within the Standard for height & he is balanced & masculine, excellent head & expression, good neck & shoulders, correct topline & ridge, well muscled all through & an excellent mover from well boned legs & feet, loved his type & is profile movement is textbook, put down in excellent condition; 3 Venturelli’s Multi Ch Ridgeville's Jody of Harmakhis Wisdom, correct body proportions, excellent head & expression, good forequarters & well muscled hindquarters, he is typical & masculine in outlook & showed his socks off to take his place in this excellent class, I was spoilt for choice & I could pick any of the first ten to win these places. I was totally spoilt by some beautiful Ridgebacks. Good Citizen Dog Scheme D (12,3) 1 Whiteside’s Jimanns The Doctor, I take this class as seriously as all the others & was very pleased with the dogs here too. The winner is a lovely type who is balanced & moved true, he has a masculine head & expression, well made fore & aft, put down in excellent coat condition, he is well muscled & in tip top form, masculine in outlook & showed well too win this ggood class; 2 Wigglesworth’s Ranginui Great Expectation, unplaced in a very strong earlier class but he deserved his place here, masculine head & expression with a god neck & shoulders, nice ridge & moved well on well boned legs & feet with a good head carriage, again well presented; 3 Picton & Ince’s Priorpark Point and Click JW, another from a previous class & settled better here to take his place, moved well covering the ground well particularly in profile, masculine head with a good eye well shaped & well carried ears to complete the look.

VB (16,2) 1 Simper’s Ch Amahle Ayita of Matabelle, wow what a class led by a classic bitch who is so what I have liked for years, she moved so well on well boned legs & feet, loved her type & balance, beautiful head & expression, excellent neck & shoulders, great balance with a strong topline & ridge, well set & carried tail, strong hindquarters used to carry her round the ring with ease coupled with the correct head carriage & correct footfall there would be no denying her place in this class, this 8 year old can still trouble the best; 2 Storey & Piehl’s Ch Kiromol Midsummer Spirit JW, another of an excellent type, I have admired her before & I see no reason to change my opinion for she is cracking and belies her age, she showed & moved so well, such a beautiful head & expression so very feminine with a beautiful eye which is well set, excellent neck & shoulders, good ribcage & topline & ridge, well muscled all through & an excellent profile movement with correct head carriage, fought hard & I was really torn between these 2 beautiful typical bitches; 3 Kirby & Mansfield’s Ch Shingwidsi Tshadi Rose, how lucky the breed is to have such a strong line of veteran bitches to follow from. This one is also from the top drawer & another not to be ignored, again that pretty head & expression well made front construction & correct balance, well made all through & moved so well looking particularly good in profile, put down in excellent condition. MPB (1) 1 Conlon’s Ngirozi’s Am I Not Your Girl, alone but still a promising puppy who can win in company for she has potential, suchh a pretty head which of course has to finish, she is balanced with well boned legs & feet, just right for age & with maturity will be interesting to see, well presented & showed & moved so well for a baby. BPB. PB (5) 1 Maidment’s Amahle Behave Yourself, lovely class of babies who all show some promise but I particularly liked this one, very feminine in outlook & balanced, liked her type, pretty head & expression, she is just right for age, moved as a baby but still shows potential with a lovely topline she held moving & set up. Lovely type; 2 Storey & Piehl’s Kiromol Dare to Flair, another absolute baby of quality who needs to drop into herself & mature up for she is such a youngster with such potential, such a pretty head & expression with a lovely eye & well set & carried ears, good neck & shoulders, held a strong topline set up & moving, looked particularly good in profile with excellent head carriage, well presented in excellent coat & condition; 3 Maddox & Gethin’s Fiadma's Mojito at Purplepride, completed a trio of excellent youngsters, again she is quality but needs time to reach her full potential, at present is still a bit bum high but as she matures this will come right. When she move she covers the ground well on well boned legs & tight feet, again lovely presentation & she was obviously enjoying her day in the ring. JB (18,6) 1 Parson’s Priorpark Proud As Punch JW, balanced, quality bitch who is so very feminine, best mover in class on the day, such a pretty head & expression, good neck & shoulders, well made throughout & put down in excellent coat & condition, good ribcage for age with a nice ridge, showed well to win; 2 Smith’s Ungowa Here You Come Again, when she settled, she looked a picture, very typical & well made, pretty head & expression but she needs to concentrate on the task in hand to carry on her improvement & finish a typical Ridgeback.Well presented & when she settled showed well; 3 Whiteside’s Jimanns Tavullia, showed well in this strong class, moved well on well boned legs & feet, pretty head & expression, very nice type who is balanced & held her own here. YB (17,3) 1 Pritchard Jones’ Kalahari Sun of Luanda at Affrhoda (Imp Svk), pretty bitch at the top end & now needs to stop growing on for she is just right, lovely head & expression with a correct eye & well set & carried ears, lovely neck into good forequarters flowing smoothly into a good topline & well set & carried tail, good ridge, well muscled & well presented, moved well on well boned legs & feet, looking particularly good in profile & this is where she scored over the class today; 2 Catley & Mcgimpsey’s Royalridge Aurora, very close up this nice type of bitch, she is balanced & quality, a good size & outline, good head & expression with a good forequarter & well muscled hindquarters which were used to advantage to cover the ground with ease, again lovely presentation & well muscled all through; 3 Hoppe’s Multi Ch Godsent Muse Femme Fatale Star Fire, made up a trio of quality bitches who all moved with such style & purpose, again from the top drawer, a lovely type in such excellent company, pretty head & expression, excellent neck & shoulders, good topline held on the move & set up, excellent presentation & a typical Ridgeback in profile particularly on the move. PGB (16,2) 1 Thomas-Bassett’s Bonfirebeau Red Skye,darker bitch with a pretty head & expression, eyes of a good colour & shape & lovely well carried & set ears, good neck & shoulder, strong topline, loin & well set & carried tail, good depth of ribcage & well muscled throughout, she is a good size & when she moves she just effortlessly powers round the ring saying who is second to me! she is quality & must have a good future ahead of her, today she beat some excellent bitches to win her class & I was very taken with her; 2 Maddox & Gethin’s Rubiltra Chumba Bibi of Purplepride, challenged hard & was so close up, another quality bitch of a lovely type, she is balanced with such a pretty head & expression, correct eye shape & colour, well carried ears, lovely neck & shoulder, good ridge & depth of chest, strong loin, held a good topline on the move & set up, good head carriage & footfall; 3 Field’s Jelany Red Florencia at Kalabaney (Imp Rus), another quality bitch with an excellent hindquarter which was well muscled, lots to like about her for she is well made with lots of potential for the future, moved well to take her place here, put down so well, very feminine in outlook with a pretty head & expression. MLB (13,4) 1 Pearce’s Msingi Sabriel, she is just right for size, so very feminine with such a pretty head & expression lovely eye & good ear set, excellent neck & forequarters, good ribcage of a good depth & width, strong loin helping to keep an excellent topline with a good ridge well set & carried tail, she is well muscled all through & put down in excellent coat & condition, she is balanced but it was when she moved that really caught my eye, for she is so correct particularly in profile with good head carriage & a well kept topline & correct footfall, won an excellent class; 2 Barnes’ Diamondridge Sweet Delight, quality bitch of a type that has appealed to me over the years, feminine in outlook but with plenty of body & substance to actual do what she was bred for, she is balanced but another who catches your eye when she moves for she is so correct with excellent legs & feet, strong topline & head carriage, but moving with such purpose & determination, yet keeping her femininity; 3 Jolly’s Negasi Elberith for Clanbruachan JW, good moving bitch who showed well to win her place, pretty head & expression, good neck & shoulders, correct topline & ridge, well muscled all through, she is balanced & a lovely type with lots of promise. LB (18,2) 1 Storey & Piehl’s Kiromol Tip Toe and Go (ai), I don’t know where she has been hiding but I don’t remember ever seeing her before, she caught my eye on the first move round & I kept coming back to her for her breed type & quality, she ended up winning a super class full of wonderful bitches, such a pretty head & expression with a good eye & well set ears, excellent construction throughout, put down in excellent coat & condition, but those who know me know that it would be movement that would be my deciding factor & boy when she moves it is so effortless & determined with lovely footfall & correct head carriage & topline. Lovely to meet her & I shall be following her progress; 2 Farleigh’s Kinabula's Coco Melon,she is so very feminine & so typical of this kennel, which I have admired before, loved her head & expression & well set neck into correct shoulders leading into a good topline & loin with a well set tail, good ribcage but her movement is textbook & in profile she matched 1 paw for paw, very close decision between 2 fabulous bitches; 3 Davies & Cahane’s Kiromol Jump for Joy, of the same type of the previous 2, & similar comments must apply, I think looking at the 3 in a line I was so pleased with their breed type, so very feminine with such a pretty head & expression, moved so well on well boned legs & feet, covering the ground with ease & determination. Put down in excellent coat & condition, she was well muscled & with lovely presentation. OB (42,11) 1 Krchňavá’s Sk/hun Gch/sk/hun/slo Ch Just Like A Dream of Luanda Ejw, what a class, it is one I will be dreaming about for years to come. What a line up of fabulous, typical girls all vying for the top spot. I had to cut twice to get it right but at the end it just had to be this beautiful bitch who is so very typical yet full of quality, when she moved she was classic, loved her head & expression, she is well made throughout & she was presented to the minute in lovely muscular condition, she has too many good points for me to list them all, suffice to say that she just blew me away & I was thrilled that she came to Crufts for me to meet her. Honoured to give her the CC & in a hard battle she took BOB and went on to be short listed in a lovely group; 2 Farleigh’s Ch Kinabula’s Gucci Bloom, now I can see her breeding I know why she appealed as I hhad given her dam a CC too! she is cracking & everything I would want in a Ridgeback, so very feminine yet looks as if she could do a day’s work too! So very feminine with a beautiful head & expression, so much to admire including her well toned body which was presented so welll. She moved with such style & grace & beat all contestants to take the RCC; 3 Van Doom’s Paerdecroon Legendary Looxs,strong bitch who is full of quality, nice type & a beautiful mover, showed & moved so well to win this place in such strong company. Lovely head & expression with a good neck & construction throughout, excellent topline & ridge with a good tailset & carriage, well boned legs & feet. Good Citizen Dog Scheme B (6,3) 1 Darling Steele’s Saadani Storm Catcher with Sharufa, lovely bitch who was still showing well at the end of a long day, well made throughout with such a pretty head & expression, so very feminine & no mistaking that, moved so well on well boned legs & tight feet, good depth of chest & a correct loin, she was put down so well & deserved her win; 2 Alexander’s Kansenji Noor, veteran bitch who held her own here, at 10.1/2 she doesn’t show her age, looking really good with such a lovely head & expression, she is balanced & well made throughout, moved & showed like a youngster, really presented so well; 3 Sodemann’s Int Ch Storms River Aivana-Malia, just right for size, very good type & so very feminine, moved well particularly looks good in profile with lovely head carriage, strong topline & well carried tail, in lovely coat & condition.

PAM BLAY