Northern King Charles Spaniel Club

Northern King Charles Spaniel Club Championship Show

19th April 2026

Many thanks to the officers and committee for their kind invitation to award my first set of CCs in the breed at this well run and friendly Championship show, set in a lovely, bright and airy venue which really helped the dogs. The combination of a Ch Show, SACs and an Open Show really does, I believe, serve to enhance the entries at all three shows. King Charles Spaniels have always fascinated me, and despite my involvement with several breeds, I make no secret that they are my favourite breed. Many thanks to Rhonda and Mike for doing a wonderful job of stewarding, and for their great company at lunch.

My thoughts were very much with Gillian Smith on the day; how hard she worked for this club over a great many years & she is very sadly missed. It was apt that we started with the Gillian Smith Memorial Open Dog or Bitch, sponsored by husband Steve.

Gillian Smith Memorial Open Dog or Bitch (7, 2)

1st) Hardiman’s Tovarich Ticket To Ride, tri dog coming up to almost 9 & he presents a good shape and outline. Decent head properties, I would like a little more dome and turnup. Good neck and shoulder, deep chest & very good ribbing. Well made in body & in good muscle tone. Very accurate footfall away and back and quite good profile carriage. I would prefer him a shade smaller overall. Well presented and handled.

2nd) Maddison’s Justacharma Northern Magic, almost 7 years old and a smart chap. Decent head and eye, but I would prefer a little more layback; enough chest & decent ribbing; firm topline and he stands on good legs and feet. I might prefer a little more clarity and definition to his white markings in an ideal world. Sound on the move, even if he could go with a little more width behind.

3rd) Kendall’s Headra’s Killer Queen JW

Veteran Dog (4, 1)

1st) Rushton’s Tiflin We All Love Jack, just over 7, lovely sized Tri dog, with a good head and eye; lovely rise behind his muzzle & lips meeting as they should. Enough neck and chest, well made body & good ribbing; could perhaps have a touch more angulation at the rear but this didn’t hinder his sound action, carries himself well and was in good nick; BVD.

2nd) Baker’s Cofton Soldier Boy, similar age to the winner & I liked his size too and his cobbiness. Not the head of the winner and nose a little crusty, but he is not unattractive in head. Very thick set & well boned which I admired, and he is quite sound on the move, even if he didn’t have the hindquarters of the winner; I preferred his size to 3rd. A touch wavy in coat, but he is really a “Charlie”.

3rd) Haridman’s Tovarich Ticket To Ride

Minor Puppy Dog (3, 0)

1st) Jackson’s Amantra Thatcher’s Gold, 7-month-old Ruby puppy and I think his breeder has struck gold – all he has to do is grow on a touch then his future really is golden! Fell in love with him, beautiful head and eye, lovely forequarters and chest, so cobby in body and moves with such freedom and a jaunty action it is like he has done it forever. The most perfect colour imaginable. In a tussle with my head and my heart, RCC, BPD, RBIS & BPIS.

2nd) Tarabad and Whitman’s Khatibi Night Howl, son of RBCC, tri dog puppy of almost 8 months & he too is a good quality young man. I liked his head, he has a good dome & facial features; but not the eyes of the winner. Well made in body, and very good to go over, he has a lot of promise but had a hard task to match the winner on the move today. Perfectly presented & gleaming in coat. Another one with a future.

3rd) Allen’s Khatibi’s Ollie Day.

Puppy Dog (4, 0)

1st) Boyer’s Marchog Make Way For Ellinghurst, a year old this week & this ruby chap is certainly quite eyecatching. Very good head and eye, super dome and rise to skull. Good neck and shoulder, plenty of depth to his chest. Well ribbed back but a touch long in body at the minute, maturity will no doubt sit well with him. He carries himself very well on the move & is sound from all directions. Super colour and perfectly presented.

2nd) Bowles-Robinson’s Baldragon’s Golden Shot, 10 month tri son of BIS winner & he has a lovely shape and outline. Decent head and eye, a little too much turnup for ideal; but his eyes and skull are very good. Enough neck and decent shoulder, can fill in front which was apparent when he came back to me; but he has a lovely short body & firm topline. Well presented and handled.

3rd) Spall and Clark’s Khatibi Ken Ya Believe I’m At Llapsttam

Yearling Dog (6, 1)

 1st) Mochrie’s Chacombe Harry On Downsbank, a new one to me; tri dog approaching his second birthday & he is very attractive in head and eye, might prefer a touch more dome for ideal but what he has is pretty. Enough neck & good chest, firm topline and well ribbed back, mature in body even at this difficult age, sound and accurate on the move & I thought he showed a lot of promise. In good coat of correct texture, cut for the CC.

2nd) Smith’s Chacombe Hendrix at Justacharma, litter brother to the winner and really not a lot between them, I could have gone either way & it was simply minor details in head and eye which separated them. He too has a very good body & shows a lot of promise, both are very interestingly bred and used wisely could be an asset to the breed. Very well presented and handled.

3rd) Maddison’s Mitapip Macallan

Post Graduate Dog (3, 1)

1st) Smith’s Justacharma Magic Retained, just over two years, the head markings of this tri dog do him no favours, as what appears to be a rather flat skull is not actually the case, and he has a lovely dome and expression. Just enough neck, good chest & short back; sound on the move away and back and uses himself well in profile. Clear markings & a good overall make and type. Cut for CC.

2nd) Abbott’s Helmajon Sibelius, not yet 5 & a cleanly marked Blen with a decent body and overall type. Lovely head and eye, very pretty and with a good dome. Quite wayward on the move and enjoys a good time; very well presented.

Limit Dog (5, 1)

1st) Jackson and Champion’s Amantra King’s Oak, very attractive almost 3 year old Tri dog, reminded me in head of Ch Amantra Regalia JW, melting expression & lovely dome with correct underjaw and lips. Just enough neck as with most today, and decent chest. Topline is better on the table than the floor. Could have a little more power in the rear, but I thought his overall type & shape were the best in this class.

2nd) Matches’ Baldragon French Connection at Fochai, loved the substance & powerfulness of this 2.5 year old tri dog. Strong in head with all the desired features, and so it was attractive, if not quite so melting as the winner. Well built frame & he is all “Charlie”, but the winner just had a touch more elegance. Nice chap though.

3rd) Clarke’s Mitapip Special Edition at Poltomic.

Open Dog (6, 2)

1st) Kendall & Baker’s Cofton Tap Dance, tri 5 year old & in this class where they all had elements on the move that were a touch less than perfect, I went with the head of the winner in the end and his was the best here. Very well set ears, good dome, handsome expression & a gorgeous smudge. Picked up (and this was the only class I headed), his ears fell perfectly into place, and gave a true picture of the head of the breed. Decent body type, his topline could be better & he could be tighter both coming and going; but a happy chap and in good nick.

2nd) Mochrie’s Downsbank Indian Ink, coming up to 5 years this is an attractive B/T at the zenith of maturity & in good coat; I put him here because I felt he had the second-best head in the class, even if he could do with a little more underjaw for ideal. Good to go over and typical Charlie in outline. Compact and cobby in body; went with a considered action.

3rd) Abbott’s Helmajon Rhapsody In Blue

Champion Dog (2, 0)

1st) Bowles-Robinson’s Ch Baldragon Shoots He Scores, 6 years in November & this tri has been my main competitor over the last few years; so, it was interesting to get “hands on”. He is confident and self-assured; with an attractive head which boasts well placed eyes & an attractive dome. His greatness is not in his head, but in his well-built body, excellent bone, accurate footfall & sound movement both directions & he keeps his shape. He is generally well made all through & not many came close to him on the move today. I felt he was the best dog “on the day” and so another CC & BIS for his collection.

2nd) Tarabad and Whitman’s Ch Cofton All I Hav To Do Is Dream with Khatibi, almost 7 year old tri and half brother to the winner of OD, and they are quite similar in head type. Attractive head with good dome and expression, even if he is starting to lose a little plushness in muzzle. Enough neck and decent front angulation, well ribbed but not quite the firmness in topline of the winner standing or moving. Sound in profile; but a little narrower than the winner in front coming back to me. He would have made a worthy ResCC winner, but in the challenge for it, decided he had done enough.

Veteran Bitch (4, 1)

1st) Jones and Bowles-Robinson’s Ch Chacombe Marana Baldragon, coming up to 9 years, really lovely tri bitch with a good head and expression, lovely dome & turnup; might prefer her head a little larger in an ideal world but it is very attractive. Excellent neck and front, good depth to her chest, firm topline but running up ever so slightly now, beautiful legs and feet & very sound on the move. A really lovely bitch, cut for CC and a very worthy Ch, BVIS.

2nd) Boyer’s Ellinghurst Miss Saigon, over a year younger than the winner and another beautiful bitch; excellent head and eye, a touch less neck than the winner; lovely body & firm topline; used herself well on the move, just carried her tail a little high. I felt with these two bitches, if nothing else turned up on the day, I would have been happy to award them the CC & ResCC.

3rd) Abbott’s Cofton Reach For The Stars

Minor Puppy Bitch (3, 1)

1st) Jackson’s Amantra Summer Jewel, 8 month B/T, so cobby throughout & very well made. Good expression and skull, I wouldn’t want any more tan on her face, but the colour was rich. Really lovely size, good neck and chest, firm cobbby body & carried herself well on the move; well constructed & sound from all angles, even with a hint of puppy naughtiness! Lovely puppy, half sister to RDCC, ended up BPB & RBPIS.

2nd) Selby’s Pys Delila for Zilcan, tri puppy of similar age to the winner, just not quite so forward yet as the winner, but she too shows a lot of promise in her head and body. She is sound on the move, just now needs to “thicken up” throughout and get a little body to be a real contender. Very sympathetically handled.

Puppy Bitch (3, 2)

1st) Hitchcock and Morley’s Baldragon’s Shooting Star for Lizlanmor, 10 months or thereabouts, very pretty tri bitch with a lovely head, good dome and turn-up & really expressive eyes. Quite a good front and body, firm enough topline but rounds too much over the croup for ideal. Sound enough on the move both ways, but really not showing herself off today to any great merit as I am sure she can. Needs to come back into coat & settle and I am sure she will do well.

Junior Bitch (2, 0)

1st) Selby’s Baldragon Pride of Place at Zilcan, two very nice young ladies and the winner was this 19 month old tri bitch with a lot going for her. Gorgeous head and eye, perfect features, super earset, dome and turn-up, melting expression, lovely neck and shoulder, good depth to her chest, firm topline & such a lovely body and size. Sound and free on the move, and looked lovely in profile. My eye was drawn to her in the challenge all the time, and I felt she was the best of the bitches on the day and just what I am looking for. A really lovely toy spaniel, CC & BOS and her well-deserved crown I believe.

2nd) Rutherford’s Rignolla Devon Dreamer with Potbelli, a month younger than the winner & a really lovely Blen bitch, not disgraced by being second here. Very expressive in head and eye, enough neck and shoulders fairly well placed, good ribbing if not quite the breadth there of the winner; sound on the move but she had a hard task to match the winner there. Excellent Blen coat & very rich chestnut. Well handled and presented.

Yearling Bitch (1, 0)

1st) Headra’s Killer Queen JW, just about to celebrate her second birthday and she is quite a smart looking tri. Decent head properties, but she is perhaps a little masculine for her sex. Good eyes & earset; and she is well pigmented. Enough neck and decent depth to her chest, but forelegs turn out a little too much for ideal. Firm body and in good condition, has enough angulation to her hindquarters and boasts a well set and carried tail. She is a purposeful mover, particularly in profile. In good nick and looked very well.

Post Graduate Bitch (6, 2)

1st) Jackson’s Amantra Perla, first three in this class made me think and they all had things I liked very much about them, ultimately the winner was this almost 4-year-old Blen bitch & on looking at her head, I could easily work out her pedigree! Beautiful head and expression, just what I want in the breed. Lovely neck and shoulder, super topline and tail carriage; really lovely bitch. Loved everything about her, even if she does need a touch more coat; and she did just enough to win the class, and I hoped she might return in the challenge and put a little more in, as she was very much in my mind for the CC or ResCC, but she was a typical Charlie and typically reticent! Cut for CC. 

2nd) Justacharma Magic Dance Dalshareon, close contender, lovely tri bitch just over 2 years old & in great condition. Beautiful head and expression, lovely dome and eyes. Good neck and shoulder, plenty of depth to her chest & very good ribbing. Different stamp to the winner but in no way less attractive. A close call really, I just fell in love with the beauty of the winner’s head. Another one who would well deserve to carry a title.

3rd) Nolan’s Chacombe Last Duchess

Limit Bitch (8, 4)

1st) Tarabad and Whitman’s Yeshalomi Day To Remember with Khatibi JW, 2-year-old Blen bitch with beautiful clean-cut markings & a crisp outline. Not one that has ever caught my eye before, but I thought she was just lovely. Excellent head and eye, lovely earset which is hard to get right in this colour, beautiful pigment and expression. Excellent neck and forehand, beautifully boned legs and super feet. Lovely body, well ribbed back & firm topline. Excellent make and shape and used herself well on the move, both coming and going and in profile and this is where she won. In the challenge, my eye was drawn to her all the time & she continued going with ease and freedom, so was an obvious choice for the ResCC. Should make up.

2nd) Smith’s Chacombe Just Charming at Justacharma, tri bitch coming up to her 3rd birthday, lots to like, lovely head and expression, good dome and facial features; tan could be a mite richer on her face. Good neck and shoulder, a little less chest than the winner but she is well ribbed and a little shorter in body. Moved with freedom and accuracy, but without the zest of the winner. A lovely bitch in great condition.

Champion (2, 1)

1st) Tarabad and Whitman’s Ch Baldragon Russian Around with Khaitbi JW, tri bitch coming up to her fifth birthday. Very expressive head and eye, lovely pigment. Good neck and shoulder, well made in front and well ribbed back. Excellent topline and tail carriage. Sound and free on the move, but a little less settled going around; especially when it mattered in the challenge as against the two I put over her. In good coat and condition and a lovely bitch. Cut for CC. 

Evan L Ryan (Cavallibrook/Feorlig)