West Of England Ladies Kennel Society

WELKS CH SHOW 14 - Irish Setters

Irish Setters

My grateful thanks to the ladies of the committee for inviting me & to my very able stewards, Alf & Carol Wood for running my ring so efficiently. I had been looking forward to this appointment so very much & was not disappointed on the day both in quantity & depth of quality. I was spoilt for choice in so many classes & some very good dogs & bitches went home cardless. My only concern was the thinness of some otherwise very nicely made exhibits. I am always eternally grateful to the exhibitors for spending their hard earned cash on my opinion; you all took the best dog home.

VD (5,1a) While I love to see them, I find it so hard to judge these grand old chaps who give their all & have served the breed so well. All four are so well made with bone, substance, forechest & depth. 1 Cohen’s Caispern Vilette with Shushana, one I have previously given a CC to & I still love him. He has the substance, outline, topline & quarters that I look for, as well as the most gorgeous head. His movement is superb & he holds his topline so well. He is in full gleaming coat & handled to perfection; 2 Ashley-Turner’s Baibreeze Fred Astaire, from a smaller mould he has a good spring of rib, excellent forehand & return of upper arm; 3 Carter’s Kerrimere Just Rumours. MPD (7,1) This was a good class with some very good puppies, but being the age they are some were at a gangly stage & too long in hock making them weak in hind movement. This will change as they grow into themselves. 1 Loughlin’s Rohanmor It's All About Alfie, just my type! Straight, glossy coat, balanced outline, clean over neck & shoulders, terrific lay back of shoulder & length & return of upper arm. He is impressive on the stack but when he moves he really comes alive. He powers round the ring with such reach & drive covering the ground on a long, easy stride. BPD & BP; 2 Rorke’s Zakhan's Leading Man, great bone & substance on this baby. He is of good type & in profile reminds me of some of the old Hartsbourne dogs; 3 Cooper’s Rowdenhill Jack Daniels. PD (14,2) 1 R It's All About Alfie; 2 Heron’s Caskeys Maestro, very nice type with a good forehand & fabulous hindquarters. No surprise then that when going away his movement is outstanding. His head is well chiselled with a very kind eye & he has a lovely arched neck that fits cleanly into his shoulders. Unlucky to meet the winner; 3 Partridge’s Kerrydown Night Hawk. JD (4) It was a close call between the first two; they both have a lot going for them. 1 Hogarth’s Redclyst Flash, great sinewy bone on this youngster & lovely neat feet. He has deep well laid shoulders, good forechest & well muscled quarters. He holds his strong, gently sloping topline on the move & is well let down behind. He moves well but I would like to see him carry his tail a bit lower; 2 Powis’ Amberwave Fantabulous, a lovely type & much the same comments apply. His outline is classic with a beautiful crest to his neck. His tail is well set on & used to advantage as he goes effortlessly round the ring. Heads are subjective but in the end I preferred the head & slightly better muscled quarters of the winner; 3 Wigfull & Hartley’s Anlory Gamekeeper. YD (13,2) 1 Holley’s Wynjill Well I Am, this young lad has the loveliest head, beautifully oval in skull, raised brows, kind expression & low set ears. He has plenty of bone & substance, ribs carried well back, muscular loin & strong, powerful quarters. His rich chestnut coat is in fabulous order & he is the size I like. He is of such quality that I gave him serious consideration for top honours. I like him very much indeed; 2 Edwards’ Gwendariff The Pink Panther, a rangier dog with a fabulous outline he excels in forehand, has a firm topline & good tailset. His neck fits cleanly into his shoulders but he does not have the strength in neck of the winner. He moves easily with a good tail action; 3 Hogarth’s Redclyst Flash. GD (13) 1 Rutherford’s Clonageera Kinross Love Barolo, he is classic in outline with the gently sloping topline & strength in loin & hindquarters that I love to see, he is clearly built for speed & retains substance. His tailset is excellent & he excels over the croup. Hind legs are long & muscular & his short, strong hocks are well used as he drives round the ring; 2 Rose-Hay & Argard’s Applegrove Wallander with Cataluna, a less mature boy with a lovely head, set on a strong neck. He carries his head well on the move, essential for sniffing the air & moves with verve. He has excellent muscletone; 3 Drinkwater & Watts’ Brabrook Danny Boy. PGD (20,3) I was disappointed in the lack of body in some of the dogs in this class & for this they paid the price. 1 Stockton’s Gwendariff Dr Pepper at Kespas, super type. A dog of style & substance he stands over plenty of ground on strong legs & feet. He has depth in body, ample spring of rib, is well ribbed up & strong in loin. His head & expression are just lovely & his rich chestnut coat is typical of the Standard & very well presented. His movement is fluid & positive with a lively tail action; 2 Luto’s Rappatty Excalibur, he is a darker coated dog with a balanced head, lovely eye shape, deep shoulders & strong topline. He moves easily but does not have the scope of 1; 3 Cole’s Gwendariff Pellegrino. LD (21,1) 1 Bott & Allen’s Ember Red Hot Chillipepper of Quensha, presents a classic outline with flowing lines & strength throughout. His handsome, well balanced head with its kind eye fits cleanly onto his beautifully arched neck which in turn is set cleanly into his deep, well laid shoulders. He has the depth of brisket, pronounced prosternum & spring of rib to give him the heart & lung room that a tremendously active dog needs to fulfil his purpose. Coupled with his strength in hindquarters, this gives him the ability to move effortlessly & cover a lot of ground with ease. His size & type appeal to me & I was delighted to award him the RCC; 2 Stubbs’ Riverbrue Zeus, another of very good type. He has a very handsome head, low set ears, clean back skull & strength in neck. His well laid shoulders & return of upper arm are matched by his wide & powerful quarters. He moves very well but could not match the pizzazz of the winner; 3 Armstrong-Rodgers & Cooper’s Wickenberry Sirius. OD (10) What a class! It was a pleasure & an honour to judge. The first five are all very worth champions. 1 Stewart & Ritchie-Smith’s Gwendariff Whippersnapper, what a superb specimen of the breed. This dog has it all: quality, style, substance, refinement & total balance. When posed, he commands attention with his racy, flowing lines displaying the gently sloping topline that sets the Irish apart from the rest of the setter family. His balance is apparent as he stands most comfortably on sinewy & well boned legs to show off his outstanding breed type. His head is divine with its square finished muzzle, classically chiselled cheeks & beautifully raised brows under which his perfectly shaped eyes have the softest & kindest expression. His strong neck flows into well laid shoulders & his depth & spring of rib give him plenty of heart & lung room. His well muscled loins add to his strength of body & his hindquarters are wide & powerful with a well developed flare over his hips. When he moves his construction is evident in his forward reach, drive & precise footfall; he shows a clean pair of heels when going away. His presentation is faultless & his clearly affectionate nature & love for his handler is apparent as he shows his socks off for her. He put in a stunning performance to make the shortlist in the group. CC & BOB; 2 Edwards’ Sh Ch Gwendariff Rockin Robin, I love this dog’s head & now, as he approaches 7, it is enhanced by a slight sprinkling of grey. He is stunning in outline, refined in looks & very well balanced. Presented to perfection & very well handled, he moves round the ring on a long & easy stride; 3 Crosswell’s Sh Ch Gwendariff Mr Noticeme. GCD (2) 1 Heppell’s Deevonville Santana, VHC in Grad, strong outline, nicely chiselled head, in good coat he moves well; 2 A. Gamekeeper; he has a balanced outline but I would prefer him to carry more weight.

VB (3,2) 1 Griffin’s Corriebran Pure Gem, a pretty girl who presents a good topline. She has ample turn of stifle & a good tailset. MPB (12,1) Just as many of the MP dogs need to grow into their hocks, these pretty babies need to grow into their fronts, as many were throwing them all over the place. Time will correct this, but I must judge them as I see them on the day. 1 Taylor’s Danaway Goody Two Shoes, she is very well balanced & has good movement to boot. She flows from her pretty head to her well set on tail; 2 Price’s Severnvale She's Got Class, I really liked this one but she was overly exuberant on the move & tended to throw her front all over the place. She displays raciness with substance, has an excellent front, neat feet & good wide quarters; 3 Andrews’ Zakhan's Scarlett Ribbons. PB (13,2) 1 Murphy’s Clannrua Teelin, being still a minor puppy she was giving away a lot in maturity but I found her quite exquisite. She has a beautiful head, is refined in neck & shoulder & has excellent return of upper arm, big, wide quarters & neat feet. Sympathetically handled. BPB; 2 Drinkwater’s Brabrook Bippity Boppity, a stronger puppy all through & stronger in head but it is beautifully chiselled. She has ample forehand, spring of rib & has strength behind, but today she was just a touch unsettled on the move; 3 Prangle’s Heathclare Que Sera Sera. JB (8) This was another very good class headed by three lovely examples of the breed. They could all change places on another day. 1 Rose-Hay’s Carrue Shower Of Rain at Cataluna, she is at the top end of junior & although I preferred the topline of 2, this girl had the edge on movement. She is so very well balanced with a strong neck set into clean shoulders. Her ribs are deep & carried well back with plenty of heart & lung room. When posed her topline tends towards level but she carries it well on the move. Her movement is flowing with plenty of reach & drive; 2 Catling’s Shandwick Love In A Mist for Teleri, I really like this 14 month old who was giving away quite a lot in age to the winner. She is out of a bigger mould but she is full of quality & has great style. Her eye shape is classic & she has that wonderful glint of naughtiness in it. Her refinement is evident from her clean back skull through to her well developed quarters which she uses very well on the move; 3 Powis’ Amberwave Feather. YB (17,4) 1 Holley’s Wynjill Well Known, she must be very well known already & will certainly be so in the future. Her head & eye are simply gorgeous, her flowing outline stunning. Her movement is free & relaxed on a long stride. Just like her litter brother who won YD, I considered her for top honours; 2 Longbottom & Stewart-Ritchie’s Gwendariff The Catz Wiskers, this is a very eyecatching bitch, sadly not in her best coat today. She has a classic head carried high on her muscular neck, deep, sloping shoulders, well muscled loin & super sweep of stifle. Her movement is easy & fluid & she carries a good topline; 3 Walker’s Gwendariff The Drama Queen Plays Wroxham. GB (16,1) 1 Swainston’s Glenvarna Dora The Explorer, I love the head on this substantial bitch who presents a classic racy, outline & has elegance & style. Her shoulders are well laid back with a good return of upper arm & her ribs are carried well back giving the correct length to height ratio. She flows round the ring & has lovely tail carriage; 2 Morley’s Deevonville Carmen Miranda Imeasc Kylenoe, on the stack this bitch does not co-operate very well with her handler but she really comes alive & shows off her many attributes on the move. She was not in such good coat as the winner but she deserved her place here by virtue of her superb movement. She has great reach & drive, her footfall is precise & she lashes her tail; 3 Bott, Allen & Morgan’s Bardonhill Please Dont Tease Quensha. PGB (13,1) 1 Milligan-Bott & Bott’s Thendara Jocasta, she has a very well balanced head, square finish to her muzzle, raised brows & gentle expression. Presenting a well balanced outline, she has plenty of depth & well muscled quarters; 2 Stevenson’s Lochlorien Scully Foxes Andley, she has a flowing, curvy outline with no corners, lumps or bumps. Her proportions are correct & she moves very well. I prefer the head of the winner; 3 Tapper’s Kedalita Aeracura. LB (14,3) It was a hard choice in this class & in the end it came down to movement. 1 Price’s Severnvale High Class Babe, she is quality all through with a wonderful head & low set ears. Her eye shape is correct & she has the most beautiful chiselling below. There is plenty of dog in front, sweeping stifles, a nice big bum & well developed second thighs. Her movement is graceful, effortless & strong with that wonderful Setter tail action. In the challenge she pulled out all the stops to take the RCC; 2 Harvey’s Jubliana Sorraia, she caught my eye on my first glance round the ring with her stunning profile & beautiful, flat, rich chestnut coat. Her balance is evident as she stacks so well & her movement both fore & aft & in profile is effortless & ground covering. I prefer the head of the winner; 3 Howatson’s Riverman Royal Rosa at Vanders. OB (8,1) 1 Longbottom & Stewart-Ritchie’s Ir Sh Ch Gwendariff Gonna Be Special, not going to be – is! She is right up my street for size, type & balance. I love everything about her; she is so elegant & racy & typifies the Standard with her exquisitely chiselled head, raised brows, clean back skull, super front, neck & shoulders, strong middle piece & well developed quarters. She moves beautifully & I found her totally captivating. Her performance was first class & she was totally at one with her handler. She was very deserving of the CC; 2 Loughlin’s Ir Sh Ch Discovery's Let The Heart Beat for Rohanmor, this is another lovely bitch who was unlucky to meet the winner today. Refined in head with raised brows & low set ears, she has substance, quality & a lovely big bum to power her round the ring; 3 Rose-Hay & Broadgate’s Riverman Beat The Boys. GCB (2) 1 Heather’s Caskeys Movie Star at Sixoaks, pretty little girl with a nice head & dark eye. She has a good flare over her hips & moved with verve.

CHRISTINE MORGAN