CRUFTS 2013- SUE FINNETE

I am sorry I did not complete this earlier but poor health has overtaken me since Crufts. I had a wonderful day judging some lovely hounds and, as expected, all temperaments were excellent. Dentition was good with only one level bite. Type varies somewhat but I think this has always been so. The youngsters, as ever, have somewhat loose action but this improves with age. My thanks to all the exhibitors for bringing their hounds and allowing me the privilege of judging them.

VETERAN DOG (1)

1 Owen &Brodie's Ch Wolfscastle Wood Mellick. Very typical 9 yr old male looking super for his age. He has a beautiful head, lovely well folded ears set on high and a gentle expression & with especially dark eyes. He is well made with a very good layback of & shoulder, good return of upper arm, good ribbing and lovely hindquarters. Presents a lovely outline with a correct topline held on the move. Seeing him & trot round the ring he had a long easy stride which belies his years. Still a contender for top honours.

PUPPY DOG (2)

1 Faircloth's Beardswood Ripley For Calbraigh. Well grown 8 mth male with an attractive head, dark eye and neat ears. He has a good front with good depth and carry back of ribs. Nice hindquarters with a good bend of stifle. Moved quite well for age with a good length of stride.

2 Peach's Nimloth Bilbo For Kilbourne. Smart 9 mth dog with a good head, eye, ear and a lovely dark crisp coat. In outline not the length of my winner and at present not the bend of stifle or width of thigh but a very nice puppy. Moved well but not the length of stride of first.

SPECIAL JUNIOR DOG (3)

1 Peach's Kilbourne Nico. Nice youngster of good length and with a good outline. Pleasing head with a good length of neck running into a good shoulder with a fair return of upper arm. Good depth of chest and a good topline with a nice croup, good width of thigh and bend of stifle. Lovely coat, best mover in the class and well shown.

2 Merrick / Keeling's Pedlars Path Shaman. Tall dog with a good length of body and leg. Fair depth of chest and reasonable conformation front and rear. Nicely folded ears and a good coat coming. Needs time to come together but has nice profile movement although still needs to tighten coming and going.

3 Stabb &Taylor's Greyhawks Romanie Kalo. Medium size youngster with good proportions, a nice head and a good coat. Fair shoulder and return, good depth of chest and a fair topline. Nice profile mover.

YEARLING DOG (2)

1 Peach's Greyflax Taylor Made For Kilbourne. Nearly 2 yrs and coming along well. Covers a lot of ground standing. He has a nice head with a fair length of neck running into a moderate shoulder with fair return of upper arm and good depth of chest with well bent stifles. He moved a little fast with a slightly shorter stride but still moved well.

2 Steele's Harropine  Celtic Warrior For Sorimsway. Quite a nice outline with a nice head and eye and a good coat. Front not the best at present but may improve as he matures. Good length and moved in profile with a nice long stride. Less positive coming and going.

POST GRADUATE DOG (9, 2)

1 Rose's Tyark's Francoises Friend. Medium sized balanced dog with an attractive head, eye and small high set, well folded ears. He has quite a good front with fair depth of chest and good hindquarters, showing good bend of stifle. Best mover in the class both up and down and profile.

2 Helps' Beardswood Quinlan. Shapely young dog maturing well with a proud bearing. Masculine head, neat ears, good front with good depth of chest and ribs carried well back. Nice hindquarters with good bend of stifle and good bone. He moved well in profile but was playing up coming and going.

3 Stuart &Holt's Regalflight Tomahawk At Ollandsheart. This dog has a good outline and is quite shapely. Neat ears and a good neck with a fair front and nice underline. He has good hindquarters, a good coat and moved quite well in profile.

LIMIT DOG (11,2)

1 Wilson's Hamilton Hill Fred D Mercury. Very typical and attractive medium sized dog with a beautiful head, eye and ear. He has a good layback of shoulder and return of upper arm with a good depth of chest and pleasing underline. Nice topline with drooping croup and well angulated hindquarters. Overall a lovely outline with a proud head carriage and wistful expression. He moved soundly up and down and well in profile.

2 Hawkins' Kwaricott Corelli. Very masculine hound bigger and well boned. Head a little heavy for me but has good ears, strong neck going into a good shoulder with a good length of body and well angulated hindquarters. Could have a better underline but moved well and shown well.

3 Peach's Against All Odds At Kilbourne. Another masculine hound with a nice outline and good front and rear assembly. Nice head and coat but lacking enthusiasm on the move today.

OPEN DOG (6,2)

A good class with some lovely Deerhounds.

1 Phillips' All Guns Blazing For Ladygrove. Upstanding dog that fills the eye. Lovely head and dark eye with good ears and typical gentle expression. His long strong neck runs into a well laid shoulder and good upper arm. Great depth of chest, nice topline and underline with strong well angulated hindquarters showing super width of thigh. He had a lovely harsh coat, moved very well and was beautifully presented and shown. A lovely example of strength, fitness and typical movement. Delighted to award him the CC Best Of Breed.

2 Pink's Romanie Rye At Greyhawks. Mature dog with an attractive head and good outline. He is very well made with a lovely shoulder and return upper arm. He has good depth and carry back of ribs running into very good hindquarters with great width of thigh. He moved well. Pleased to award him the RCC.

3 Holm-Nilsen &Paradi's Int Ch Baylind Kielland [ATC AP01041NOR].Another very nice dog, very shapely with a good head and neck, lovely shoulder and return, good topline and underline and nice hindquarters. He moved very well and was well handled and presented.

GOOD CITIZENS DOG

1 Seymour-Jackson's Ghiltan Hero. Lovely mature dog with a good head, neck and body. Good front and hind angulation, he moved well and looked very good. In good coat.

VETERAN BITCH (3,1)

1 Adams' Hydfron Ula For Zandahar ShCM. Very pretty and looking super for 9 yrs old. Lovely outline, pretty head andexpression and a good shoulder. Well angulated hind quarters she moved very well and was well presented.

2 Wilson's Killoeter Lurag For Hamiltonhill. Bigger bitch but still nicely made and with a nice outline. Well angulated rear but not such a good mover as my winner.

SPECIAL PUPPY BITCH (4)

1 Helps' Beardswood Rhymi. Tall pretty bitch with nice depth for age and good underline. Good leg length and well angulated front and rear. Lovely ;light movement with a good length of stride. BP.

2 Peach's Nimloth Brook For Kilbourne. A more compact bitch with a lovely outline and lovely dark coat. Just lost out to first on hindquarters but she moved well and was well shown. Close decision.

3 Bailey's Greyflax Dear Prudence. Taller bitch with a fair shoulder but not such a good return of upper arm and a little flat in topline at present. Good profile mover with fair depth of chest and good stifle angulation.

SPECIAL JUNIOR BITCH (8, 2)

1 Ellse's Kilbourne Unity. A lovely young bitch with a good head, eye and ear set on high. She has a good shoulder with a fair return, good depth of chest and a nice coat. Very pleasing croup and hindquarters. She moved soundly and well

2 Davis' Kilbourne Nimble. A shapely bitch with a very nice head and a neat ear. She too has a good shoulder and return with good depth. A nice topline and good hindquarters she moved well in profile.

3 Mooney's Rosslyn Quartet. This bitch has a pleasing outline with a good head and a fair front. Good depth of chest and nice hindquarters. She moved well in profile but less accurately up and back.

YEARLING BITCH (5,2)

1 Bailey's Greyflax Just Peachy. Nice young bitch with a good head, lovely length of neck and nice length of body. Good topline and hindquarters, nice depth and fair front assembly. Moved well with a good length of stride.

2 Constantine's Gentiehun Adelaide Of Kaleginy. Shapely bitch with a good front and rear  assembly. Presents a nice outline with a good coat. Not always helping her handler but moved well.

3 O'Brien &Quinn's Araceta Cordelia. Another nice bitch with a lovely head, eye and ear. Nice front, topline and hindquarters and in good coat. She moved well.

POST GRADUATE BITCH

1 Bond's Regalflight Civet. Strong, workmanlike but still a shapely bitch with a nice ragged coat. Lovely outline with a good head and length of neck, good shoulder and return with good depth of chest and powerful hindquarters. Not helping her handler when standing but a good topline moving where she showed sound typical movement.

2 Helps' Beardswood Quintessence. Eyecatching bitch with a high head carriage. Topline still needs to settle but liked her overall balance, good front and rear angulation and her good light movement.

3 Smart's Kessoch Marsco Of Greysteil. Good honest bitch, not overdone at all and very balanced. Well made with an attractive head and good coat. She moved well but occasionally carried her tail a little high which spoilt her outline

LIMIT BITCH (13,4)

1 Morton &Morgan's Cotherstone Duchenne. This is a lovely strong shapely bitch with good bone. Presents a good outline with a long neck running into a good shoulder with a good return. She has great depth of chest a nice tuck, good crisp coat and lovely width of hindquarters. She moved beautifully in profile.

2 Barter Christian's Hoddingrey Strahanna Of Ehlaradawn. Very attractive longer cast bitch, lovely  shape and good proportions and balance. Nice head carriage, long neck with  lovely shoulder layback and good return. Good depth of chest with nice carry  back and well angulated hindquarters. Sadly lost out today on somewhat  lackadaisical movement.

3 Taylor's Kilbourne Baccarat To Ormanstar. Nice shapely bitch with a good head and expression, small ears which could be higher set, and good length of neck. Well angulated all through she has a good depth Of chest and moved soundly.

OPEN BITCH (4)

1 Peach's Ch Kilbourne Teliah. A quality bitch surprisingly mature for just over 2 years. Good proportions and leg length and covers a lot of ground standing. Lovely feminine head with good expression and well folded ears. Long strong neck which runs into a good front assembly with nice depth of chest and carry back of ribs. Good tuck up and topline that flows into well angled croup with good tail set. Good hind angulation and strong well padded feet. She moved with a lovely easy ground covering stride and enough enthusiasm. Well presented and well deserved Bitch CC.

2 Platt's Charbonnel Fliss. Mature quality bitch with a lovely head and  gentle wistful expression. She has a nice outline with a lovely depth of chest and well balanced angulation front and rear. She has a lovely coat and was well shown. I would like a little more width all through and although she moved well she could not match the winner's long easy action. Still a very worthy Res CC winner

3 Wyatt's Fotheringhay's Celtic Woman. I dislike seeing a Deerhound strung up this tightly and raced around the ring. This is quite a well made bitch but very soft in pastern. Unfortunately, she was moved so fast that she could not show the typical Deerhound movement I was looking for.

4 Gillie's Dorrator Song For Drella. This is nice bitch who was a little anxious today and unfortunately stood so she lost some front angulation. Settled on the move and moved well.

GOOD CITIZEN BITCH (4,1)

1 Adams' Hyfron Ula For Zandahar ShCM.

2 Wilson's Killoeter Lurag For Hamiltonhill.

3 Seymour-Jackson's Cassacre Aelfrida Of Ghiltan. A very happy bitch with a nice head and expression, good body of good length and depth of chest and well angulated hindquarters. She has a good coat crisp and dark and moved fairly well although she did pace for a while. Sue Finnett