Leeds City & District Canine Association

BULLMASTIFF CRITIQUE

Leeds Championship Show

25 July 2025

I considered it a great honour being asked to award my first set of CCs in Bullmastiffs, a breed which I have admired for a very long time both in this country and at various big shows in Europe and America. I was flattered by the excellent entry on a weekday and I enjoyed it enormously. We were blessed with perfect dog showing conditions and the Leeds showground looked a picture. There was plenty of quality on show and I thought my main winners were outstanding.

PD (2,1)

1st & BP McMenemy’s Islekeepers Missouri for Cairnmount, standing alone, but a quality puppy to start the day. Decent angulation front and back, presenting a typical well balanced outline. Good through the neck and shoulder. Really well made behind with good musculation building. Typical in head with good balance of muzzle to skull. Great pigmentation and good expression. Super, extrovert show temperament. Moved accurately down and back and went easily in profile.

JD (4,0)

1st Allinson’s Big Boy Brucie, substantial dog but retains quality. Typical body lines, presenting a pleasing outline. Well made in front with good shoulder and neck. Correctly angulated and well muscled behind. Powerful chest. Moved extremely well, covering the ground with scope and accuracy. Head is of good underlying balance but does not want to get any stronger. Excellent, happy, extrovert temperament.

2nd Jones’ King of the Manor by Sundabish, another pleasing exhibit who should mature on well. Presents a decent outline on the stack using himself well. Correct neck and decent forehand overall. Stands on good front legs. Will hopefully continue to develop behind as he matures. Head still needs time but the essentials are there and he has a pleasing expression. Really made the most of himself on the move, going with enthusiasm and style. Another with an excellent personality

3rd Downs’ Optimus Johnnie Walker

PGD (1,0)

1st Bown & Reader’s Brinkybull Wilfy’s Legacy at Sundabish, still only a youngster and I’ll be interested to see him when he has matured into his large frame and dropped back into himself a bit more. Cleanly fronted and stands on good legs. Decent neck flowing into strong topline. Pleasing, well balanced head of sufficient length. Typical expression. Moved very soundly down and back though could do with a bit more extension in profile.

LD (6,1)

1st & CC Latter’s Stoneglad Gigolo, a very eye-catching dog whose quality really shines through. Presented in first class condition. Lovely overall balance, correctly angulated front and back, presenting a wholly typical outline. Correct neck and shoulder. Strongly made behind. Deep, well let down chest. Cleanly and powerfully fronted with excellent bone. Head of excellent balance and proportion with super expression. Could have been a bit cleaner going away, but has an effortless ground covering stride in profile. I thought he was a great mix of power, agility, quality and type. I was not surprised to learn that this was his 4th CC. Has a good career ahead of him, for sure.

2nd Lomax’s Stoneglad Seduction, another with good overall balance, maybe not quite the intense quality of the winner but of similarly strong breed type. Presents a typical outline on the stack. Well made forehand with decent shoulder and wide, deep chest. Hindquarters will continue to develop with age. Head well balanced and with typical expression. Sometimes gets a bit over-happy with his tail but made the most of himself on the move, going easily in profile.

3rd Garratt’s Marchmanor Back in the Game

OD (4,0)

1st & RCC Sammut & McGroarty’s Ch Moonlight Bullshadow Big Ali Samforyosa, an impressive, well made, powerful dog of super overall balance and type. Complementary angulation both ends. Pleased through the neck and shoulder and very well muscled behind. Projects a wholly typical outline when stacked with good topline. Head is of good overall proportion and well balanced. Moved extremely well, going with accuracy down and back and with an easy ground-covering stride in profile. Pushed hard in the challenge where the CC winner just shaded it with his intense quality and finer details in head but I liked him a lot and he was a very worthy RCC winner

2nd Latter’s Stoneglad Casanova, very impressive dog who really caught my eye with his excellent type and balance. Turned out in first class order. Impressed when stacked with decent angulation both ends. Excellent neck and shoulder. Cleanly fronted and with high quality bone. Powerfully made behind. Head has good underlying balance and bone structure but is a little muddly with a bit too much work. Moved with accuracy from all angles.

3rd Lindley’s Hyerdunscar All About Keith through Optimus

PB (3,0)

1st Murphy’s Valhalla Hunter Upsy Daisy at Nanahboozoo, quite a mature puppy who presents a typical outline when stacked with well balanced angulation front and rear. Pleasing neck, shoulder and topline. Clean front, strong bone. Very nice expression from correct eyes. Head coming on nicely with good strength and balance. Moved accurately down and back and shows promise in profile. Very sympathetically handled to bring out the best in her.

2nd Lindley’s Hyerdunscar Hot Gossip, so promising but so raw and will take lots of time to mature and drop back into her frame. Very good body lines presenting a typical outline in profile. Pleasing neck and topline. Clean in front. Super show temperament. Head is very immature but the essentials are there and she has a very kind expression.

3rd McMenemy’s Hyerdunscar Is Stepping Out with Cairnmount

JB (1,0)

1st Myers’ Optimus Juliette, top quality youngster who impresses with her overall balance, outline, quality and excellent type. Deep, wide chest, stands on good legs with clean front. Correct through the neck and shoulder. Powerful quarters with good second thigh. Head is typical but would benefit from a fraction more length in muzzle. Super show temperament channelled so well by her clever handler. Moved with great accuracy, scope and style.

PGB (2,1)

1st Murphy’s Nanahboozoo Catcha Poacha, pleasing through the neck and shoulder which has good layback. Quarters well made and muscled. Just a shade long in body. Head is typical and well proportioned. A little lethargic on the move. She goes with accuracy but if she’s going to ‘catcha poacha’ she will need to speed up a bit.

LB (8, 2)

1st Latter’s Stoneglad She’s All That, another top quality exhibit from this stable and another one turned out to the nines. Great balance of angulation front and back and presents a very typical outline in profile. Projects herself really well. Deep chest and clean front. Very typical head and expression. Moves with accuracy. A strong contender in a quality challenge line up.

2nd McGroarty’s Ardhub Reprint in Black, completely free from exaggeration and very typical. Good, complementary angulation front and back. Presents a good outline in profile. Correct neck and shoulder. Not quite the overall quality and style of the winner but a very correct Bullmastiff. Pleasing head with good underlying bone structure and typical expression. Moved soundly from all angles and very sympathetically handled

3rd Thomas & Bull’s Phoria’s Eden

OB (5,1)

1st CC & BOB Myers’ Ch Paris de l’Arche Des Loups Anges avec Optimus my notes simply say ‘glorious’ and she is. If someone were to ask me what my mental image of a perfect female Bullmastiff was, then this bitch is an almost exact fit. Her type, balance and quality are exemplary and you just never catch her standing wrong. Her angles, bone, condition, substance and smoothness make her a standout and while I could not take my eyes of her, she could not take her eyes off her talented handler who cleverly allows her to be the star of the show. Beautifully made throughout, her head is then a delight with perfect balance, strength and proportion. While I might just darken her eye a little, she looks at you well and her pigmentation is intense. Moves with great accuracy down and back and with plenty of scope in profile. I was delighted to make her my BOB winner I was not at all surprised to learn that this win gave her the breed record, an accolade that she very richly deserves.

2nd & RCC Hinchley & Connaughton’s Reesley In It to Win It, absolutely no disgrace to be standing second here and although she is slightly different in type and style to the winner, I like her very much indeed. Full of breed type and presents an excellent outline. Very good through the neck and shoulder. Substantial but retaining quality, style and athleticism. Head is very well made, of good balance and correct overall proportion. Typical expression. She is an exciting prospect on the move, really eating up the ground in profile as well as being accurate on the down and back. I thought she was really good value for the RCC in a quality line up.

3rd Myers’ Optimus Daisonville Hello Again

TIM HUTCHINGS (Judge)