2022 Championship Show Results

THE GREAT DANE CLUB

I would like to thank the Great Dane Club UK for inviting me to judge at your 2022 Championship Show, it was indeed an honour. The friendliness and professionalism of your hard-working committee provided a wonderful event that is surely etched into exhibitors’ calendars each year as a weekend not to be missed.

Thank you also to the exhibitors for your entries and for the sporting way you accepted my decisions.  I am fully aware of the cost these days of exhibiting dogs.  You pay for an honest opinion, and you should expect your monies worth.  Whether you agreed with my decisions or not I can assure you my decisions were both honest and unbiased.   Lastly my thanks go to my steward Tracey Rowe who is not only famous for head butting lumps of chicken into oblivion but has proven to be the most efficient of ring stewards.

MINOR PUPPY DOG  7 (0)

1.  Cranfield’s Zefathers Ralph Lauren.  A handy sized fawn that is surprisingly well balanced for his age.  Nice dark eye and lovely soft expression.  A tight front for one so young and a very tidy mover achieved by correct upper arm and layback of shoulder and a well angled rear.  One to watch for the future.

2.  Morgan’s Rimor Beaumaris.  Striking 8 mth old fawn that took my eye the moment he entered the ring, excellent breed type.  Beautifully balanced head with good ear set, kind eye and expression.  Plenty of bone and his large frame will take it’s time to mature when hopefully his turned out front feet will become less apparent as his pasterns strengthen.  

3.  Walton and Burley’s Novavida Hellboy.  Well balanced harlequin with a very pleasing head showing correct length of muzzle.  His well angled shoulders and stifles took him around the ring with ease and helped him hold his attractive outline together. 

PUPPY DOG   3 (1)

1.  Pocock’s Tamzdane Empower Mint.  An attractive Mantle with correct head planes and lovely dark eye.  Nothing exaggerated here but a good sound and honest puppy with well laid shoulders and strong rear.  His development is exactly where it should be for his age and I have no doubt when he matures he will be a very smart adult. Very well handled.

2.  Donnelly’s Primus Lawman.  An upstanding fawn who I liked immensely.  Masculine head that is well balanced.  Slightly upright in shoulder but with a good topline and excellent croup that I preferred to my winner’s.

JUNIOR DOG    10  (0)

1.  Webb and Morgan-Evans Vanmore My Kind Of Guy at Castleton.  A standout in this class.  A well balanced fawn with a head that perfectly illustrates the Great Dane standard.  Good length of neck set on nicely laid shoulders.  A firm topline with a steeper croup than I like although this didn’t interfere with his drive from the rear due to his well turned stifles.  He made my final cut for the CC but lost out to more mature dogs.  His time will come.

2.  Lipman and Booths Rimor Aurelius.  Handy sized brindle that is well balanced both on the stack and on the move.  Would prefer more length of head but has a nice dark eye and soft expression.  Correct topline. good croup and strong hocks that he used on the move. 

3.  MacDonald’s Zeus Nero von Adamantium of Ronaldane (imp Deu).  13 month old black that I liked a lot although would like to see a bit more of him, but he is young and has time on his side.  A balanced head with correct planes and a lovely dark eye which is so important in a black.  His coat needs to clear but definitely one to watch for the future.

YEARLING DOG  3 (1)

1.  Jacques and Kierby’s Jacqukir No Regrets JW.  A well grown fawn that is all male.  In outline he is balanced to perfection from his good reach of neck that flows so smoothly onto his shoulders, his absolutely correct topline and croup and his perfectly balanced angulation both front and rear, being neither over or under exaggerated.  His powerful hindquarters helped propel him around the ring while holding his topline.  Excellent head planes and correct depth and width of muzzle.  He is still young, so I hope his head doesn’t strengthen any more because right now it is the ideal balance of masculinity and elegance.  A softer expression would make this dog perfect, but the perfect dog doesn’t exist.  I would take him home in a heartbeat.  CC and in conjunction with my co-judge a very worthy Best In Show.  My congratulations to his breeders/owners.

2.  Hewett’s Brooke Springtime.  16 month old blue.  A square, balanced dog with correct head planes and although short in muzzle he has the softest of expressions.  A lovely firm topline and strong hocks with good bone and nice tight feet.

NOVICE DOG  3 (0)

1.  Cranfield’s Zefathers Ralph Lauren.

2.  Ferguson’s Elitedaimos Magick Mago at Chateaudain.  A tall 13 month old blue with a decent head showing correct planes.  A good reach of neck that flowed well onto slightly upright shoulders.  His less than ideal rear angulation kept his movement balanced but lacking reach and drive.  He is still young so when his muscle growth catches up to his bone development his outline will improve.

3.  Tempest’s Adoreadane The Way You Are.  A 7 month old mantle that gave so much away in age.  A nicely balanced head for one so young with a good neck line transitioning smoothly onto his topline.  A nicely boned puppy that needs to settle in the ring.

POST GRAD DOG   1 (0)

1.  Barnett’s Dainoak Dreams Of Blue at Dreamdiamont.  A 3 year old blue that stood alone in his class.  He had solid bone and is short coupled with a firm topline.  His head lets him down as he is too short in muzzle.  Shown in great condition and moved with drive using his hocks well.

LIMIT DOG   4 (0)

1.  Abbott’s Nikama Leap Of Romance.  A nicely put together fawn with a masculine head showing correct planes and width of muzzle.  Correct front with good length of neck that transitioned well over his shoulders onto his topline.  Front and rear angles are well balanced giving him smooth movement that showed good reach and drive.

2.  Marin’s Keishant Zeus.  A 2 year old well grown fawn.  A nice dark eye but not the expression of my winner.  Nicely coupled with good bone and tight feet. Lacked enthusiasm on the move which wasn’t surprising in the searing heat.

3.  McGlynn’s Allours Albus.  4 year old harlequin who needs more length of head but an elegant boy who moved extremely well from all angles which was helped by his croup which is a good length and set at the correct angle.

OPEN DOG  4 (1)

A strong class of three excellent Danes

1.  Hogarth’s Fendanesylcrest American Outlaw at Sunlind (imp USA).  A handsome well grown fawn who has the correct balance of substance and elegance.  He has a really super head with correct planes and of good length.  I absolutely love the transition from his neck to his topline extending through to his correct croup.  Well angled upper arm with good layback of shoulder and a strong rear end.  Moved out well with good reach and drive.  He stands over more ground than his two competitors and his ‘look at me’ factor won him the class.  A tough decision but he more than deserved his Res CC and along with my co-judge he was awarded Reserve BIS.

2.  Chappell’s Ch. Selmalda Jealous Guy.  Much has been written about this excellent brindle and deservedly so.  A handy sized square dog who processes a perfectly balanced head with a lovely soft expression.  His shoulders are text book and his rear end is difficult to fault, this together with his firm condition makes for a very tidy mover.  A very nice tidy dog.

3.  Mosvold’s Geordieone Torpa Stenhus.   A fawn dog I have admired from afar.  Another handy sized dog that possesses very similar qualities to my 2^nd placed, from his beautifully balanced head through to his balanced angulation front and rear.  A very sound mover who on a different day could have seen a different outcome.  He has a very firm topline which has a tendency to slope on the stack, but this is preferable to some of the softer toplines found today.

CHAMPION DOG  2 (0)

1.  Burns, McGuiness and Nelson-McGuiness’s Ch. Garsak Sir Brodick Dinahtron.  A fawn dog teaming with quality which isn’t surprising when you read the affixes attached to his name.  Masculine head, good reach of neck well placed on neat and well laid shoulders.  Good firm topline and strong hindquarters that propelled him around the ring.  He easily made my final cut for the dog challenge.

2.  Thurlby’s Ch. Santanna Special Legacy at Justinian.  A well balanced fawn with a very pleasing outline.  I felt that unfortunately the heat was getting to him as he moved with no vigour and lacking any animation.  He also lost out on expression to my winner but a very worthy champion that I would like to see again when he is on his toes.

SPECIAL OPEN FAWN DOG  2 (1)

1.  Cunningham and Gilbert’s Lomondane Chuffed Tae Bits.  He stood alone in this class.  An upstanding 2 year old fawn with a decent head and expression which could have been softer with a darker eye.  A well balanced dog with good bone and feet but would like to see more angulation both front and rear although this kept his movement balanced albeit somewhat stilted.

SPECIAL OPEN BRINDLE DOG  1 (0)

1.  Dyson’s Ch Samdice Nobody Does It Betta.  Another that stood alone in his class, but his quality shone through.  This outstanding brindle filled my eye and on the stack he is quite spectacular.  So well balanced, elegant but masculine his outline just flows.  A lovely head piece of good length, he has a true Dane expression that makes you melt when you look into his eyes.  He has all the tools to make for an excellent mover but unfortunately today he just lacked any enthusiasm when moving with just not enough reach and drive.  As disappointed as I was at his lack of energy, my CC and Res CC winners should be grateful because he still ran them a very close race.

SPECIAL OPEN BLACK DOG  4 (0).

1.  Simpson’s Renescent Caught In A Spell.  Well grown 2 year old that was a standout in this class.  Excellent breed type standing over plenty of ground.  Nice typey head with good planes, good reach of neck with text book shoulders.  Firm topline and strong rear end.  Turns out slightly in front but a good honest Dane.

2.  MacDonald’s Zeus Nero Von Adamantium of Ronaldane (imp Deu).

3.  McGlynn’s Allours Bonito.

SPECIAL OPEN BLUE DOG  4 (0).

1.  Lawson’s Creek Danes Out Of The Darkness at Droolakiss (imp USA).  19 month old that has time on his side.  Excellent breed type which one would expect from this very good kennel in the USA.  He has a very pleasing head piece of correct length and parallel planes.  His length and angle of scapula gives an excellent transition from his neckline to his topline and took him to first place.  A very well balanced dog that knows how to move.

2.  Mackenzie’s Carsan Vincent.  Equally well balanced as my first placed but different in type.  A  very square compact boy that was unlucky to meet my winner although ran him a very close race.  He moved with the required reach and drive and kept his outline on the move.

3.  Ferguson’s Elitedaimos Magick Mago at Chateudain.

SPECIAL OPEN HARLEQUIN DOG  3 (0)

1.  Hitcham’s Dainoak Tempus Vincit.  A well balanced 16 month old with a decent length of head of correct proportions.  Firm topline and good croup.  He still has time to grow on and should finish a very nice Dane.

2.  Pocock’s Nordic Giants Leopold at Tamzdane (imp Nor).  A sound moving dog who holds his topline.  Unfortunately, he suffers from lack of showing and socialising due to Covid.  Correct head planes but short in muzzle.  Would prefer more length of leg but what he has he uses well.

3.  Tempest’s Adoreadane Summer Sunshine.  A well put together boy but another too short in muzzle.  He has a strong topline and balanced angulation at both ends which gives him correct rhythm on the move.

SPECIAL OPEN MANTLE DOG  1 (0).

1.  Burton’s Ch Ravendane Deal Me In with Elbarevol.  A 5 year old of excellent breed type.  Good length of head of correct proportions, a nice dark eye and kind expression.  I particularly liked his smooth flow from neck to shoulders that are well laid with a good angulation of upper arm and well turned stifles.