| English Bull | South Wales 2008 Judge's Critique |
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KC
Breed Standards Birmingham National 200 Southern Counties 2008 Three Counties 2008 Blackpool 2008 Windsor 2008 South Wales 2008 East Of England 2008 Welsh KC 2008 City Of Birmingham 2008 Darlington 2008 |
Usk Showground, Gwernesney, Near Usk, Mon Judge(s) Dr David Harris [USA] DCC CH TEIRWGWYN SON OF A GUN AT MEILOW (MRS A J & MISS N & MR M & MRS L ROBERTS & GRIEVES) ENGLISH BULL JUDGE SOUTH WALES 08 Bull Terriers It was a great pleasure to judge so many quality Bull Terriers. There were quite a few absentees; perhaps the extraordinarily high petrol prices account for this. There’s no shortage of top class heads, well filled, beautifully turned & finished with the darkest of eyes. Just a few incorrect bites. Shapely bodies & well angulated hindquarters were commonplace. Strong bone was abundant, though there were a few exhibits who would benefit from better bone. For the most part toplines held on the move. The biggest challenge facing breeders appears to be shoulders which are in a sorry state. Very few are well laid back & really short upper arms are widespread, with all of the resultant consequences. One victim is the long, arched neck called for in the Standard. The correct neck is becoming almost a rarity, yet it is so important to that regal head carriage. I am tempted to suggest that the heavier & heavier heads we have developed over the past 50 years or so are naturally leading to straighter shoulders. We know that the heavier the quadruped the straighter the shoulders needed to support the weight, with the elephant needing a completely upright shoulder. But 50 years is so short a period in evolutionary terms that lack of attention by breeders is more likely to be the cause. I was fortunate to find a number of both dogs & bitches well worthy of the CC, so I congratulate the breeders & owners of my winners & commiserate with those who came next in line. PD (4,3a) 1 Dowell’s Dajan Magic Man, chunky red youngster, good bone & ample spring of rib, nicely finished head, moves powerfully, though rather wide in front. Extrovert personality. JD (2) 1 Blakeley’s Thunderin Sky at Dazlin, typy white with a dramatically turned head, dark eyes & uses ears well, bite about level, plenty of bone, relatively short back on a day when there were quite few longer backs, moved with drive going way. Not the best of toplines on the move. Impressive when he sets himself up; 2 Taylor’s Ragnarok Sigurd, red, good length of head, though not matching 1 in fill or expression. Ample bone, good topline & tailset. Movement difficult to assess. PGD (9,4) 1 William’s Merlindan Xcaliber, striking br/w, long head with good Roman finish, shapely body with deep brisket, well let down behind, moved quite well, in particular going away, showed & presented beautifully; 2 Hodges & Lewis’ Shwnatrw Comfortably Numb, powerful white with strong downfaced head & keen expression, moderate angulation, shorter backed than 1, ample bone, good tailset. Let down by his movement; 3 Young’s Bullyview Screaming Eagle. LD (4,2) 1 Carter’s Kilacabar Constantine, upstanding white with long head & stunning dark eyes, enough bone. Still somewhat rangy, moved OK, though a little picky about putting his feet down. well presented; 2 Karta’s Mistlebrook Causin Concern at Karmara, medium sized white, head well finished & decent fill. Bite incorrect, shorter in back than 1; tail rather gay, movement uncoordinated. OD (7,1) 1 Roberts & Grieves’ Ch Teirwgwyn Son Of A Gun at Meilow, this magnificent red stood out in a very strong open class. Top class head with wide, filled muzzle of good length, one ingrowing incisor. Keen expression, quality bone. Could have better layback of shoulder (which is true of the majority of exhibits). Quality bone & short back, well balanced, correct tailset. Covered the ground reasonably well if a little untidily. Showed beautifully to take CC & BOB with some to spare; 2 Ley’s Virtuous Brute Force by Fortifier, b/br, sets himself up superbly, showing off his lovely reach & arch of neck, long nicely turned head with strong Roman finish, good bone, excellent spring of rib & depth of depth of brisket, well let down behind. Moved pretty well, though just a tad loose in topline. Beautifully presented to take a close decision over 3. RCC; 3 Welsby’s Sherrywells Red Dragon. PB (7,3) 1 Pilkington’s Wanna Be Posh at Javarke, attractive red bitch, excelling in make & shape, nice though not outstanding head, ears a tad wide set. Quality bone, shapely body, really well let down behind. If there had been a movement prize she would have won it. BP on her lovely make & shape & superior movement; 2 William’s Cwmdulais If I Only Knew for Gwynsel, bigger white bitch, gorgeous head & stunning expression. Mismark just behind collar. Plenty of bone & substance. Rather long in back. Well let down behind, not a great mover; 3 Blacker’s Sonatel Flashback at Crossguns. JB (6,4) 1 Sewards’ Padhen Precious Pearl, cobby r/w, very nice all around, good Roman finish, uses her ears well, shapely body & well muscled hindquarters, good topline, showed & presented really well; 2 Bloom’s Abenaki Devil’s Delight, well balanced dark brindle. Her marking don’t help the appearance of her head, in fact she has a nicely turned profile. Ample bone, good make & shape. Would not settle down, so I couldn’t assess her movement. PGB (11,2) 1 Karta’s Cause For Conspiracy at Karmara, elegant white bitch with brindle eye patch, medium in size, built along classical lines, beautiful head, profile & fill, keen expression, decent bone, well laid shoulders plus good spring of rib, back quite short, well bent stifle. Though a little long in hock. Moved quite well once she settled down; 2 Lambert’s Caliber Hoss Play, attractive, cobby dark brindle, super bone & spring of rib, nice head with dark eyes & good Roman finish. Bite just off. Moved with purpose, showed & presented beautifully; 3 Probert’s Llanwenarth’s Buring Love. LB (7,2) 1 Harris’ Sherrywell’s Star Flake at Manzanita, white of classical type, b/br eye patch, lovely feminine head, keen expression, long arched neck, gun barrel front & shapely body, good bend of stifle with wide thighs, moved pretty well, especially going away. Her cross is upright shoulders, which tend to spoil her otherwise lovely outline. Showed really well to take RCC; 2 Cserfalvi-Young’s Dicassos Contray Mary, lovely white, rangier than 1, very nice head & expression, substantial body. Could have better bone for her size. Moved with good reach & drive, if a little closely behind; 3 Morgan’s Romagna Parisienne Walkaway. OB (3) 1 Paterson’s Topfuel Miss Fire at Golitha, top class white with b/br ear, lovely bitch all around, long classical head, keen expression, uses ears well, straight front & well laid shoulders, deep brisket, short back, correct topline, good bend of stifle, moved much more cleanly than her closest rivals, showed herself to best advantage. CC; 2 Jackson’s Dazlin Delivery for Evaduse, cobby white with red smut ear patches, very nice head, darkest of eyes, moderate angulation with well muscled hindquarters, shapely body. Moved pretty well with power going away, a little wide in front. Like 1 beautifully presented & never stopped showing; 3 Probert’s Llanwenarth’s Celtic Love. DAVID HARRIS
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