Ayrshire Collie Club

AYRSHIRE COLLIE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW OCTOBER 2025

Firstly I must thank the committee for the kind invitation to judge at your show, Ayrshire CC has been one of our favourite weekends away for many years and it was a pleasure to undertake our first ‘joint’ appointment while both enjoying the wonderful Scottish hospitality – the weather on the other hand, was less hospitable and sadly a number of entries understandably stayed away due to this. We thank those exhibitors who braved the storm to be with us today. Our stewards were fantastic, and our thanks to them both for their hard work and organisation and also to those who took the time to take photographs as well as publish live streams of the day for the benefit of others. Apologies to the referee that we didn't need you as we agreed on all of the main awards. 

MPB (3,2)

1st: PAULARA FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Sweet natured s/w baby, already lovely bone on her. Super outline, lovely reach of neck, particularly good rear angles and nice long tail although a bit happy with it on the move, overall moved ok for her age. Sweet expression, nice fill on muzzle already and used ears well.

PB (1,0)

1st: GATAJ STRUCK BY LOVE

Poised and pretty well presented 10.5 month old golden s/w with lots to like. Overall quite shapely, with a nice length tail which she holds well, I would like a fraction more neck and length of back to complete her overall outline in profile. Well muscled for a pup but a little too much puppy ‘roll’ which showed on the move although went confidently over the mats with good footfall especially going away. Clean head, good underjaw, used ears well. Eye dark and well shaped but I would like the set to be more oblique. BPB.

JB (2,2)

YB (4,1)

1st: GATAJ EXOTIC GIRL

Overall shape and outline, together with size yet femininity all rolled into this sable package. Beautifully presented and schooled. Held her topline and tail well on the move and went soundly in all directions. Would prefer a sweeter eye and tighter earset.

2nd: CULBRAE CHARMED AGAIN

Loved the eye, earset and expression on this sweet young lady. Good overall shape in profile, nice length of back and shapely sweep over the neck. She stands wide and toes in at the rear and this lost her the red rosette.

3rd: BELDONES DANCING IN THE DARK AT BRACOISLA

MB (1,1)

NB (3,1)

1st: BELDONES CLASSIC TOUCH

Nicely sized, but ultra-feminine s/w lady, so very well put together. Lovely outline, neck and particularly good rear angulation. Missing her belly hair which somewhat spoils her overall appearance in profile giving an optical illusion of longer legs and shorter body. I absolutely loved her expression, she is so clean, refined and elegant in head, and that eye is just perfection. In her class she moved soundly in all directions but in the challenge she just frustratingly wouldn’t play ball. I loved her though.

2nd: BELDONES DANCING IN THE DARK AT BRACOISLA

3rd in the previous class and an interesting young girl. Jet black body and gleaming whites - truly beautiful presentation and kindly handling of this bitch, who was fit, agile and very light on her feet indeed holding both topline and tail well. I liked her head a lot, clean, well moulded, lovely dark eye, and beautiful expression. For me, she doesn’t have quite enough bone or enough neck, both affecting her sillouette and the latter impacting the overall construction of her forequarters.

GB (2,0)

1st: PAULARA BORN TO BE MY BABY

Such a glamorous and appealing lady, who is very shapely indeed with a lovely outline, and good angulation fore and rear. She has good bone and substance yet retains femininity. She is a pretty girl but I would prefer a more almond eye and touch less stop. Moved very soundly and with good strength and fitness but rather proud of her tail.

2nd: ROUGHRIGG RAGNFRID

Not in full coat but quite immaculate presentation of this feminine girl, with not one hair out of place. I would like a little more bone on her and a little more fill in foreface but she has plenty of overall appeal. She holds her topline and tail well on the move but I felt she could be better muscled in front as she was toeing in coming towards today.

PGB (4,2)

1st: SEA DREAMER'S GRACY LOVE AT AT GEOSAMKA

Eyecatching and elegant g/s lady with instant appeal. She is so nicely balanced and proportioned with a lovely length of back. In my notes I have underlined that I loved her muzzle, which is so soft and well filled. She has a super eye and if her ears were a fraction tighter she would have a near perfect expression for me. She moved ok, not the power and drive I would like to see, quite possibly being indoors on mats isn’t for her.

2nd: DIDEK MOONSHINE FOR CATHBRI

Another shapely young lady, well presented and well proportioned but in an overall smaller package than 1. Very attentive to her handler, she is a pretty girl with a clean head and flat skull and a good dark eye. Today she was toeing in at the front and out at the rear, again I wonder if the floor surface was to blame.

LB (7,2)

This class gave me my hardest decision of the day, and I felt like I took forever deciding between 1 & 2. I surmised that whoever won this class would likely walk away with either a large or small piece of green and white card and so I knew I had to get it right!

1st: UNUSUAL BEAUTY DES CONQUETES DE DON JUAN AT JOPIUM JW (IMP FRA) RBCC

The clarity of the underlying base blue of this lady is just glorious and the presentation of both the exhibit and her handler is every bit top drawer, making for such a lovely and professional picture together. The outline and shape of this bitch in profile is perfection to me, her shapely lines can only be described as ‘sweeping’ and her angulation is just lovely. She has real sweetness when she chooses to bring her ears right up, the only thing that I would change is I would like her eye one size smaller and one shade darker. I actually had the pleasure of judging her just a few weeks ago and she is quite lovely – she moved out today with good reach and drive, but moved with her whole body just slightly lower to the ground (the mats again) and not as well as I know she can so today had to settle for the RCC.

2nd: AVONFAIR SECRET LOVE LETTER

Exemplary and flawless presentation of this golden s/w who has lovely bone and substance yet retains her femininity, she is just a size up from the winner, but both absolutely correct. She is well proportioned with a good length of back but her keenness for food means she has a tendency to look up rather than forwards, and stand pushing back into her shoulders as well as with her rear toes turned slightly outward. I loved the softness in her expression and another with a beautiful fill to her muzzle. Her head handles very nicely indeed. I was quite torn between these two beauties but the front angulation on the blue won her class and ultimately the RCC today.

3rd: BRILYN LOOK AT ME FOR FARALIYA

OB (6,3)

1st: CH GATAJ GOOD TIME GIRL

Very pretty girl overall and very well turned out again, no mean feat in this weather! I remember judging her as a young pup and said then that she needed to develop in foreface and muzzle and she really has. Her head handles very well now and she is very alert to her handler with a good earset. I would like a slightly more oblique eye and if I am honest although she was muscled like an Olympic athlete and with fitness to match on the move, I felt she was carrying perhaps 1kg in the body more than the ideal and she stands wider at the rear than I like to see.

2nd: BELDONES MAGICAL BLISS

Now I thought when this lady came into the ring that she would be my winner as she is every bit my cup of tea. She has such a clean, balanced and unexaggerated head with a lovely eye and kindly expression that I would cheerfully look at in my own back garden every day. Loved her shape and proportions and she is well angled throughout. However, on the move, despite giving her every chance, she was frustratingly skipping every few steps with her left hind and this meant she had to be second. Apparently as soon as she was out of the ring and in the car park she was fine.

3rd: THISTLEWING MAGIC LADY

VB (3,1)

1st: TELFORTH SWEET DREAMS TO CORISIAN JW - BVB, BCC, RBIS, BOSIS, BVIS

Well! I did not get up this morning thinking I would be giving a CC to a 12 year old, but you have to do as you see fit on the day, and this glorious lady just would not allow me to do anything else! I talk a lot about shape, because the outline and profile of a rough collie to me is so important, that balance, those proportions, those sweeping lines, that reach of neck. She has them all, and in abundance. The condition of this bitch makes my heart absolutely sing, not just her coat, but her body condition and muscle too, and her mouth is still as good as one half her age. I judged her a month ago in an ‘in show’ competition and she has lost a good amount of coat since then which I will be honest, I think has only done her well. She retains the loveliest of heads and the sort of soft kindliness that you only see in a collie who has been on this earth for the years that she has and she has what for me is the correct eye and earset that we are seeing less and less of in the ring in recent years. She moved an absolute dream and was one of only a few that could not have cared less about the floor surface as she busily took herself around the ring with no sign whatsoever of anything other than lithe fitness and looked as if she could keep going with the same gusto however many times I asked. She was so eager to please her mum and at one point in the challenge I felt myself fighting my eyes from welling up once I decided that she was going to have the CC. It says ‘worth of the title champion’ and she wholeheartedly is – it will be a crime if she retires without number three.

2nd: CARIADAF CLASSIC TOUCH

Veteran classes are always one of my favourite classes to judge, and this one was a joy. This s/w girl was beautifully presented and wonderfully handled by a very competent and smartly dressed young man who was really kind to his charge. She was clearly enjoying her day out moving and showing with great enthusiasm.

Judge: Hannah Walder (Hanvale)