Judge’s Critique

Many thanks for good sportsmanship and for accepting me as a substitute judge for this breed which should have been judged by my good friend Per Iversen from Norway. I know how much he had been looking forward to judging this breed at Crufts and it came as a shock to us all when he passed away in January. It was not an easy decision when asked to replace Per, but I felt he was present in spirit throughout the day and I would like to think that he had approved of my winners. As a mark of respect, I asked those present for one minute’s silence and this was much appreciated – many thanks for honouring Per’s memory. It is, however, always a pleasure to judge Curly Coated Retrievers and Crufts 2022 was no exception. I liked my main winners very much and was proud to see my BOB – winner shortlisted in a particularly strong gundog group. Size varied considerably throughout the entry and it saddened me to see many weak back-ends with incorrect croups and very close hind movement. Coats were also varied and quite a few dogs would have benefitted from tighter, denser curls. Temperament was, as one would expect, of the highest order.
VD (3) An excellent start with three masculine veteran dogs. 1 Mistlin’s Maycourt Starman By Crookwood ShCM. Very masculine eight and a half yr old liver dog, excellent body properties, particularly good legs and feet, a little strong in skull, but good eye and expression, moved well and covered the ground with ease. Ok coat. Best Veteran. 2 Fielding’s Roughyeds Romeo Reuben. Black, 9 yrs old dog who excelled in coat, very good neck and shoulders, good body, excellent head, hind movement lets him down and croup could be better. Very well presented. 3 Tostmann’s Multi Ch Lucky Curls Cc Cody.
PD (1) 1 Killick’s Overbore’s Double Or Stick. 11 months old dog puppy who needs to come together as a whole, pleasing head, eye and expression, feet rather splayed and I would have liked a stronger topline also at this stage, needs a lot of time to reach his full potential, good temperament. Best Puppy.
JD (3) 1 Stubbs’ Brightmeadow Take Your Time At Densdale. Very well constructed young dog whom I liked a lot, excellent body, masculine head and expression, good ribcage, ideal overall proportions, moved with freedom and determination, sound behind, not in his best coat today but his many other qualities made him a very worthy winner of this class. 2 Edworthy’s Maycourt Heartbreaker. Another very good dog whose head appealed greatly, also body and coat, sound legs, good feet, not the shoulders of the winner and I felt he could have been more masculine all over, but he is still very young so this may improve with age, presented to advantage. 3 Clayton’s Lizallwood Mr Bojangles.
PGD (3) 1 Baines & Hawley-Clarke’s Karnawalowy Drink Z Basisfory (Imp Pol). Strongly made liver dog, very masculine, excellent overall make and shape, good coat, very good legs and feet, strong in head and he was shown a little heavy today which was reflected in his movement. 2 Rule’s Just The Ticket Jurajska Gwiazda At Overbore. Smaller dog of finer build and not so masculine, would have liked a stronger rear and tighter feet, easy willing mover. 3 Duff’s Overbore League Of Their Own.
LD (6) Very challenging class to judge with considerable variation. 1 Barber’s Foxriever Picture Perfect For Blanshard. Masculine dog with excellent conformation, very good head and eye, excellent expression, first class legs and feet, good neck and shoulders, well made body, sound behind and in good coat and condition. Liked him a lot. 2 Parker-Miles’ Tengore Mr Moonlight. Black dog with an even better coat than the winner but somewhat longer in loin and hind movement not his fortune, very good head, bone, body and substance, presented in good order. 3 Solomon’s Foxriever Mystic Marvel At Elkysar.
OD (7) Lovely class with much food for thought. 1 Tostmann’s Multi Ch Bling Bling Aatami Omena. Strikingly masculine upstanding dog who appealed immediately for overall make and shape, first class front, body and exceptionally good rear with sound ground covering movement, masculine, breed typical head, good eye, very good None, legs and feet, showed immaculately and was sympathetically handled to win Dog CC and BOB. Did the breed breed proud in the group where he was shortlisted. 2 Stephens’ Sh Ch Brightmeadow Never Say Die JW ShCM. Another really lovely dog and many of the comments above also apply to this dog whom I liked a lot, really excellent overall construction, movement, head, body and coat, just felt he could have had a little more length of leg for perfection, so had to settle for Res CC. A close decision. 3 Mouly’s Flairfor Down To The River. GCD (2) 1 Driscoll’s Fleetpaw One For Arthur At Hisriver. Very sound dog with excellent body properties, good front, ok behind, would have liked a little more quality in head and more length of leg for perfection, adequate mover. 2 Baines & Hawley-Clarke’s Karnawalowy Drink Z Basisfory (Imp Pol). See previous class.
VB (5, 3) 1 Molenaar’s Int/Multi Ch Zonnegroet V Elegast JCh/Nl JCh/B JCh/D JCh/Lux VCh/Nl. 9 yrs old bitch who was an easy winner in this class, very good coat and overall condition for her age, typical head with good eye, sound front and rear, lovely temperament and she moved with ease. 2 Spraggins’ Pepperiever Love In A Mist At Tusepo. Very feminine bitch with excellent body and coat, a little weaker in head and I found her wide in front standing and moving, sound behind, very good feet.
JB (5, 2) Three very different young bitches. 1 Bain & Bain’s Crimblescurl Time To Tango. Black of lovely type, lovely head, excellent neck and shoulders, good front, body and coat and I liked her overall proportions very much but would have preferred a stronger rear, showed to advantage. 2 Courtier’s Maycourt Stairway To Heaven. Liver, also very feminine, but longer cast and needs to firm up in body, well made front, good coat, enthusiastic mover. 3 Hayes, Biglin, Walton & Chattwood’s Gorchest’s Pendlecurls’s Rising Star At Pepperiever (Imp USA).
PGB (12, 4) Big class and yet again with considerable variation ultimately headed by 1, Carrick’s Tessmene The Cat’s Whiskers. Excellent overall conformation with good front, body and rear, pleasing head, ok coat, rather proud of her tail at times and she could have done with less weight, but her many good points outweighed this here today and made her a worthy winner of this class. 2 Cummings’ Molokai Enchanted One. Beautiful type, excellent head and body, wonderful coat, sound legs and feet, weak behind reflected also in movement. 3 Courtier’s Maycourt Stairway To Heaven.
LB (7, 4) 1 Moskowitz’s Blue Willow At Ravenho. Strong bitch whom I liked a lot, very good body, excellent coat and condition, sound front, needs more quality in head, made her presence felt in the challenge where I felt she could have had more drive when moving. 2 Dunne’s Krisbos Jive Talking. This is another good bitch whose construction is good and she is built on clean lines and moves well, eye could be darker and she could have been more focused in the ring, nonetheless a good bitch with many quality points. 3 Findlow’s Roughyeds Audrey Roberts.
OB (7, 2) 1 Spraggins’ Maycourt Hot Love At Tusepo. My notes say: lovely, and she certainly was! All quality liver in wonderful coat and condition, particularly good front, neck and shoulders, ideal body, lovely head, good bone, ok behind, sound effortless mover, liked her hugely and was delighted to award her the bitch CC. Must surely soon be a champion. 2 Batle-Hunter, Batle, Todd & Rahman’s Jeweller’s Pride Jurajska Gwiazda (Imp Pol). Another very good bitch indeed with clean outline, really excellent neck and shoulders, good body, excellent head, pleasing hindquarters, easy fluid mover, handled to advantage, not the coat of the winner. Res CC. 3 James’ Sh Ch Kahawei Teal JW.
Sp Wkg Gdg B (1) 1 Findlow’s Ch All I Ever Wanted Golightly With Roughyeds (Imp Lva) (at4). Very good body, excellent legs and feet, feminine head, shoulders somewhat upright and I would have liked a stronger rear with more parallel movement, excellent topline and very good overall proportions.
GCB (2, 1) 1 Janks’ Tessmene Tea For Two At Beauport. Feminine bitch with good angulation fore and aft, well developed body, good coat, not so pleasing in head and expression, fair mover.
Dan Ericsson