Gundog Society Of Wales

Dogs I would like to thank the committee & the exhibitors for making my first appointment at this level an enjoyable day. I was pleased to find most exhibits were well presented & I felt that overall quality was good. I was somewhat concerned with the amount of incorrect bites that I found in the younger classes - exhibitors should be vigilant about letting this fault creep into their stock. In addition the standard asks for an Irish to be short from hock to heel allowing powerful driving movement & we are in danger of compromising on this aspect of the breed standard.

MP (9) 1 Kingston’s Covarney Rattle n Roll. Promising youngster, who is well proportioned, has good bone, appealing head & expression & neat feet. Still v raw at this stage but has the potential to do well. Both d & hander would benefit from some ringcraft. 2 Launchbury’s Morchale Celtic Warrior. Different type & somewhat taller than 1. He has gone up on the leg at the moment & lost a little of his angulation. Appealing head & a good reach of neck, has plenty of bone & good side gait on the move. Handled to advantage which got the best out of him. 3 Eddens Meadway Musketeer.

P (13) 1 Edward’s Henaleas Tuscany. This young man was presented & handled to perfection. Head is a little overdone at the moment. Reach of neck, angulation & overall shape is as you would expect for a d of his age. He moves so well, v positive & his lashing tail completed the picture. BPD. 2 Bott’s Kirkavagh Black Tie Affair with Bardonhill. Smaller d but well balanced, pleasing head with dark eye, excellent reach of neck & well angulated for his age, steady mover. Handled sympathetically & presented to perfection as you would expect from this kennel. 3 Walsh’s Janter Moon Magician of Millcroft.

J (16) One of the best classes of the day some v promising youngsters. 1 Ciechonska’s Caskeys Concept at Aoibheanne JW. I liked this young d a lot, typical Irish expression with kind eye & raised brow. Good reach of neck & well angulated front. Balanced body properties & gentle sweep to stifle. In good coat & well presented, his driving action & ground covering movement won him the class. 2 Swainstons Glenvarna Sungod. A new one to me but was v taken with this d. Pleasing head & expression good reach of neck, topline, angulation both front & rear. Short from hock to heel & this showed in his driving action. Super mover who covered the ground well, in good coat & hard condition, will look out for him in the future. 3 Kniveton’s Burrenmist Hot Shot at Orstone.

Y (14) 1 Mugford’s Scotselaw Jackson at Lynwood. Have admired this d from the ringside & was not disappointed when I put my hands on him. Masculine without coarseness, beautiful head & expression, raised brow with quizzical expression. Pleasing outline & well angulated front & rear, sits well on his hocks & is short from hock to heel, in excellent coat & well presented & handled. Considered for top honours but not moving at his best on the day. 2 Swainstons Glenvarna Sungod. 3 Partridges Kerrydown Look at Me.

N (14) 1 Knivetons Burrenmist Hot Shot at Orstone. Placed 3rd in a strong Junior class, pleasing head & expression, racy in outline. Stands well over the ground & moves well both fore & aft, once he fills his frame the picture will be completed. 2 Bott’s Kirkavagh Black Tie Affair at Bardonhill. 3 Pickersgills Barleydale Huntsman with Madruadnan.

UG (11) 1 Swainston’s Glenvana Sungod. 2 Chorley-Newton & Chorley’s Northamber Rushes Back to Kerryfair. Young d with kind expression & raised brows, good reach of neck, good bone & straight front. Deep chest but still needs to fill his frame, stands well over the ground & has a good outline, moved well. Will watch with interest. 3 Bott’s Kirkavagh Black Tie Affair at Bardonhill.

G (6) 1 Armstrong’s Atron Limited Edition JW. What a character! He really does love life. Masculine head with kind expression, this young d looks straight through you & you can see the mischief in his eyes. Good reach of neck leading into well placed shoulders, good topline & tailset, well bent stifles & powerful quarters His movement is free flowing & effortless using his lashing tail to advantage. I consider that he will be one to contend with in a year or two, just loved him. 2 Luto’s Rappatty Bobby Dazzler JW. Different type to 1 but v sound throughout, pleasing head good reach of neck, clean in outline & well angulated front & rear, moved true when coming & going, well presented & handled. 3 Vincent & Spencers Gimaroch on Request at Caervista.

PG (14) 1 Lucas’s Braidmount Gentle Guy at Amberlight JW. Have judged this boy before & did him well. Gentle expression & balanced head, good reach of neck leading to well placed shoulders. Well angulated front & rear, ribs were well sprung & firm in loin. Stifles well bent & well muscled. Neat feet & coat in good condition. 2 Greenan’s Anlory Quantus of Juleset JW. An honest d that has no exaggeration, pleasing head & expression, clean in outline, balanced angulation, gently sloping topline & well set on tail. Moved well. 3 Bott’s Bardonhill Abta.

ML (6) 1 Muir’s Grayrigge Ewan by Romarne JW. I have never seen this d looking so good, he just flows from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, his head is balanced & has the correct proportions. Strong neck leading into well placed shoulders good front angulation, deep chest with well sprung ribs followed by a firm loin. His outline is terrific, so clean with a gently sloping topline, held both standing & on the move. He has a good finish to the croup & a super tailset, his powerful quarters & short hocks enable him to move around the ring effortlessly with true movement when viewed from all angles. He was presented in excellent condition which completed the picture to take the CC & subsequently BOB on the referee’s decision. 2 Greenan’s Anlory Rio Rojo with Juleset. Pleasing head & expression, clean through the neck & shoulders good topline, tailset & quarters, tight feet moved ok once slowed down a little. 3 Meadows Gwendariff Moet et Chandon.

L (11) 1 Lewis-Storey Lynwood Pioneer of Seadog. Lovely headed d with kind expression, raised brow & plenty of work. Excellent reach of neck, correct front angulation, deep chest & ribs well back. Firm in loin & well bent stifles. Presented with gleaming coat, moved true but did not have the enthusiasm that I was looking for in the challenge. 2 Baileys Covarney Monello JW. An honest d that presents a balanced picture. Pleasing head with kind expression, clean through neck & shoulders, deep chest, good bend of stifle & powerful quarters, neat hocks & tight feet. In excellent coat & handled to advantage, not quite as clean in outline as winner. 3 Greenans Dazycutter Piper Heidsieck.

O (9) I was thrilled to have so many Champions in this class, thank you. I was v pleased with my line up & had to split hairs between my winners. On the day I felt that some of the dogs were not in the top class condition in which I had previously seen them. 1 Kniveton’s Sh Ch Orstone Interceptor. A lovely d to go over which I did not appreciate until I got my hands on him. He has a masculine head with kind eye. Good reach of neck with clean shoulders that are well laid back Angulation both front & rear was good & he presented a balanced picture. He has a gentle slope to the topline & holds this well both standing & on the move. On the day he was in hard condition with good muscle which showed in his movement.

He has good bone & neat feet, well presented & sympathetically handled. On the final run for the challenge I felt that he did not have quite the sparkle of the CC winner but I had no hesitation in awarding him the RCC. 2 Bott’s Sh Ch Shenanagin Some Might Say It’s Bardonhill JW. An old favourite of mine that I was honoured to be able to judge & at 9yrs still looks great. He has a classical head & eye. Lovely shape & outline, gently sloping topline that he holds well when moving. Super front angulation & tight front, ribs well sprung & firm in loin, super bend of stifle. Good bone & tight feet. He can still show many a youngster how to move. A credit to his owner. 3 Fosters Sh Ch Shanoah Highly Delighted.

Richard Bott

BITCHES As always, I am grateful to the exhibitors for spending their hard earned cash on giving me an entry that was not only numerically strong but had great depth of quality. It made my job much easier. I was however, worried by the number of short upper arms. The humerus should always be longer that the shoulder blade; long upper arms increase reach. I had a good sized ring & so was able to get a good view of profile movement. This tells me almost everything I need to know about a dog. Good reach without bounce at the shoulders indicates a well laid-back shoulder blade. Those that excelled in front & rear assembly showed maximum coverage of ground whilst taking the minimum number of steps. All exhibits were beautifully presented & it was a pleasure to judge these lovely bitches. Whilst you came for my opinion you all took the best bitch home.

MP (7) 1 Drinkwater’s Brabrook Baboushka. Gorgeous 7 mths, super to go over & sound as a bell very well balanced, lovely reach of neck & lay back of shoulder. Moved confidently showing good reach & length of stride. 2 Bettis’ Ornella Cooper Ess. A little unsettled but nice type. very pretty head, balanced outline, moved well enough. 3 Sheldon’s Delsanto Maisie. Good pro-sternum & layback of upper arm on this 6mths. At that lovely floppy puppy stage which is just right for her age.

P (8) 1 Howatson’s Severnvale Good Heavens Its Vanders. BPiB. 2 Price’s Severnvale Sheer Heaven. Loved these 2 heavenly litter sisters who are daughters of my CC winner. Both very feminine & elegant with excellent angulation & fabulous reach & drive. Both have lovely heads & correct eye shape with melting expressions. Hard to separate. Both very promising. 3 Morley’s Hartsbourne Jasmine by Kylenoe. Rangier b who won her place with her free flowing movement. Correct length of rib, well muscled loin.

J (13) 1 Bayne’s Corranroo Starlight Dancer. Just my type. Racy & elegant with that beautifully gently sloping topline that is a requisite for this breed. Flowing outline, neck fitting cleanly into well laid shoulders. Powerful, driving action. Nothing rugged about her. Indeed I can’t find anything in the Breed Standard that calls for ruggedness in an Irish Setter. 2 Crocker & Hammick’s Brabrook Fantasy Believer. At 15 mths nicely put together & looking just right for her age. Well constructed front & nicely ribbed up. However, she was giving away a good couple of months to 1 which showed in her stage of development. Should do well with more body & maturity. Moved OK. 3 Foster’s Shanoah Jammy Beggar. Clean feminine outline, flowing neck & shoulders. Strong over croup.

Y (17) 1 Tully’s Highclare Catch Fly. New one to me. Stunning outline, elegant & racy throughout & a very nice size. Not moving as positively behind as I would like but I forgave her this as I found her quite exquisite. 2 Crocker & Hammick’s Brabrook Fantasy Believer. 3 Powis’ Amberwave Truffle JW. Taller b, presents a balanced picture. very nicely put together but a little proud of her tail.

N (6) 1 Wilder’s Clonageera Evening Star at Cataluna. Res in strong puppy class & much more settled here. Typical head with lovely raised brows showing stop & beautiful long, low set ears. Wistful expression. Moved very well this time. 2 Prangle’s Tannymac Could It Be Magic at Heathclare, very mature b reserve in junior who was much more co-operative in this class. Much to like but she was very level in topline today. 3 Evans’ Brabrook Marbela. Nice type just a little raw. Moved steadily.

UGB (9) 1 Luto’s Rappatty Razzamatazz. Liked her for size & type. Such a tidy sound young lady. Handled to advantage presenting a balanced picture standing & moving. Best mover in the class. 2 Davies’ Zymore Sapphire. Honest, sound b of decent type but more level in topline than 1. Excellent front assembly, good legs & feet. Pretty enough but preferred head of 1. Moved well. 3 Mitchell’s Covarney Waltzing Matilda. Bigger b all through but still a very nice type.

G (13) What a lovely class. 1 Reed’s Tatterslee Sunflower. Lovely b with excellent balance, sound in shoulders & front. Clean, feminine outlline, has plenty of strength & maturity. Excellent upper arm, beautiful free flowing, ground covering movement. 2 Meadows’ Clonageera Rhapsody. Another quite exquisite b. Striking outline, very classy. Expressive head & eye, good depth & well ribbed up. Both these bitches were in lovely coat & condtion & are ones to watch for the future. 3 Dale & Wyer’s Aubanjon Celtic Spirit. Unlucky to meet 1 & 2. Good wide quarters, muscular loin. Moved very well but not in such good coat.

PG (17) 1 Waterton’s Lynwood Strands of Silk at Sandstream JW. Quality, balanced type. Good bone, legs & feet. Well placed, deep shoulders with correct lay back of upper arm. in lovely coat & condition. Super reach & drive. 2 White’s Maesffynnon Yasmine at Killymadder. Res in very strong Graduate class she won her place here with her fabulous movement showing me a very clean pair of heels & a lovely lashing tail. 3 Lewis’ Lindenjo Lacey. So well put together & typical. Standing she was my winner but she let herself down by being silly on the move.

ML (10) 1 Drinkwater’s Brabrook Red Rose JW. What a fabulous b this is. She shows us what racy really means i.e. giving the impression of speed without loss of substance, like a thoroughbred racehorse. Arched neck flows cleanly into well laid shoulders. Good length of upper arm giving great reach in front & really drives behind. In the challenge she just looked a little young, which she is. Her day will come. RCC. 2 King’s Brenrue Alicia. Quality b, possesses a lovely head & expression. Good proportions & balance. Clean neck & shoulders, deep brisket & good spring of rib. Moved soundly with drive. 3 Hall’s Glennara Fleur De Mai JW. Beautiful head, lovely low set ears. Not the movement of 1 & 2.

L (13) 1 Price’s Severnvale Seventh Heaven JW. Not a flashy Setter but so well put together. Beautiful head & expression on to well arched, strong neck that flows into deep, well laid shoulders. Clean, true front with width of chest & correct length of upper arm to lay of shoulder. Feminine but with the bone & substance to complete the mature picture. Strong over the loin with width & strength in her quarters, Good width of second thigh to turn of stifle. She flowed from nose to tail & when she moved with that wonderful lashing tail action, showing such excellent conformation, I had to award her the CC. Her first & long overdue. 2 Milliagn-Bott & Bott’s Lunaline Lady Madonna By Thendara. I really liked this very elegant & feminine b. Sound all through, great depth, pronounced pro-sternum, lovely big bum giving her powerful drive. Seriously considered for RCC but not as settled as Red Rose in the challenge. My apologies if her handler felt rushed. 3 Morley’s Kylenoe Chicago Spirit. Gorgeous head & wonderful Irish expression that’s full of mischief. Strides out with powerful, effortless gait.

O (14) A terrific class to judge. Great depth of quality. 1 Stockton’s Sh Ch Clonageera Inspiration for Kespas. Beautiful b, full of quality & a very worthy Sh. Ch. Sculptured head, lovely front & well laid shoulders. Super ribbing & body depth. Presented a mature & very balanced picture. 2 Powis’ Sh Ch Amberwave Spangle JW. Another classy b. Beautifully made throughout. Racy & elegant, good sweep of stifle, short hocks, nice tight feet. 3 Ciechonska’s Sh Ch Aoibheannes Piaffe JW A favourite of mine of just the right size for me. Just not at her best today & not giving her all on the move.

Christine Morgan