ShowsChampionship ShowsOctober 2011North East of England Irish Setter Club 22 October 2011 
North East of England Irish Setter Club 22 October 2011
- Saturday, 22 October 2011 00:00
Critique - Judge - Peter Hall - Harreds
Irish Setter Bitches
Firstly may I thank the committee for their hospitality and opportunity to judge their show this year and to thank all my exhibitors for giving me a few mind over heart taxing decisions, but honesty prevails and your day will come, I believe. I also thank my steward, who, alone all day did a splendid job keeping the ring moving; unfortunately though, I do feel it is a lot of work for one person and assistance for them would help, especially when it came to marking up slips and catalogues etc. On viewing my catalogue when I got home I noticed some bitches marked incorrectly making me think did I dismiss this one or that one and on checking with exhibitors who attended that I then established that a few exhibits were in-fact absent. Sadly I must just note a few observations since I last judged our beautiful breed; expressions are lost with the influx of these round and or lighter eyes more akin to birds of prey than an Irish Setter. Additionally, what has happened to feet, I had very few well arched tight neat feet, I appreciate a sports hall floor doesn’t help as they may try and grip, but well made feet can stack and move on any surface and nails won’t need clipping like so many needed today.
Minor Puppy 8
1st Naylor & Morrison’s Anlory Living Water; this is a well covered puppy in good condition and colour to coat with good bone and angulations fore and aft. A very pleasant balanced head with correct stop and brow to give the desired expression. Good depth and spring to gentle sloping topline retained with steady sound movement. Happy to see her go Best Puppy in Show.
2nd Lorrimer’s Oakchase Alexis (A.I.) A slightly rangier puppy with a finer attractive head and eye. Good colour and coat condition, just slightly finer in bone than my winner.
3rd Henderson’s Sutersett Miss Magic
Puppy 11 (3)
1st Quinn’s Wickenberry Moonflower. The first thing to catch my eye was the type and feet, this puppy is quite typey and has the neatest of feet, she has a nice balanced head and brow but sadly she is quite tense when handled so threw it for her handler/owner as she needs to relax to give a better outline when challenged in good competition. Moved OK but will need time to improve I hope.
2nd Sheldon’s Delsanto Snow Belle. A substantial puppy, well constructed, longer cast than the winner, in good condition and moved nice and steady.
3rd Frampton’s Penny Whistle
Veteran 4 (2)
1st Vallance’s Braidmount Georgie Girl (Sh Cm) This bitch has matured well over the years and is a credit to her owner/handler. A larger bitch than I really go for but certainly not put down because of this. Good ribs and angulations fore and aft with good bone, nothing exaggerated and moving nice and steady at nine years old waving her tail as she went. Best Veteran in Show.
2nd Waterton’s Lynwood Strands of Silk at Sandstream (JW) (Sh Cm) An elegant older lady just short of her tenth birthday, finer in build than my winner but all in the right place. She is pretty and has a balanced head, is in lovely condition and moved using her tail enjoying her day out.
Junior 13 (3)
1st Pollard’s Grayrigge Beatrice; A very nice balanced young bitch, very much the size I prefer with no exaggeration. She has a nice balanced expressive head and finish to flew, good rib and depth, firm loin and quarters allowing for free movement on correct amount of bone for her size.
2nd Heron’s Caskeys Delphine; Another very pleasant bitch and very much of the size I like and I have similar comments as above regards her movement and she has a lovely pretty balanced head with a good eye both colour and shape. This young bitch isn’t quite in the coat condition or as mature as my winner, but the quality she has certainly makes up for it. Will be interested to watch both these bitches as they mature.
3rd Watt’s Shenanagin Softly Softly
Yearling 8 (2)
1st Muir’s Romarne Savannah; This bitch is well handled and schooled, not a hair nor foot out of place, she moves very steady but with purpose on good limbs covering her ground. This bitch is in tip top condition, lovely colour and texture to her coat; she has an attractive head with nice expressive brow over a dark eye, good forehand, would just prefer a squarer finish to croup but a worthy winner and will challenge the best for an interesting future I am sure.
2nd Robinswood & Anthony’s Cordarragh Rhianna; my notes say “naughty but nice” I thought this bitch was quite promising and could have been my winner on another day. Not in the best of coats and the fact she and or her handler need ring craft classes held her back. A very nice balanced pretty head on good length of neck into good shoulders. A nice size of bitch with good ribs and sound limbs, there was nothing exaggerated about her and shows great promise if the work can be put into her.
3rd Bott’s Bardonhill Granny Mae
Maiden 10 (3)
1st Pollard’s Grayrigge Beatrice
2nd Heron’s Caskeys Delphine
3rd Bott’s Bardonhill Granny Mae
Novice 11 (4)
1st Pollard’s Grayrigge Beatrice
2nd Heron’s Caskeys Delphine
3rd Bott’s Bardonhill Granny Mae
Under Graduate 7 (2)
1st Wheeldon’s Bardonhill Ka Ching over Colemist; This is a promising bitch and should get out more, very pretty and feminine with a kind eye and of the usual good standard found produced by this kennel. This bitch is small and compact yet still racy in outline and everything all in the right places, good ribs and bone, very balanced and sound moving.
2nd Pollard’s Grayrigge Beatrice
3rd Bott’s Bardonhill Granny Mae
Graduate 10 (3)
1st Sturrock’s Forfarian Caught You Looking (JW) a dark coated bitch just coming into coat and feathering. Moved well and sound on well muscled limbs. A balanced head but just lacking a tad bit of expression for me.
2nd Proctor’s Shandwick Star Quality; this bitch isn’t quite my type, larger than desired and not as dark as I’d prefer. However, well made and all in the correct place and in very good condition moving well to secure her placing.
3rd Pollard’s Grayrigge Rosalind (JW)
Post Graduate 18 (5)
1st Walsh’s Millcroft Ballad of the Moon; A very promising good bitch with correct bone and enthusiastic but sound movement. A balanced head and kind eye with expressive brow, good coat colour and condition. Stood four square and on good boned limbs giving a racy yet compact outline. I hope she is campaigned as she’ll be one to watch and trouble the best of them.
2nd Beaton’s Kettlemills Star Performer; what an interesting bitch to find, my notes said. Her handler needs to try and get it all together as she is very nice, despite not being quite in her best coat or condition, but a little work can easily sort this out and interestingly I discovered third place was her sister and of similar make up. This bitch has a good balanced feminine head and kind dark eye with expressive brows set onto a good length of neck into good shoulders and forehand showing off an attractive white bib. Would like a slightly squarer finish over the croup, but this didn’t distract from her steady sound movement.
3rd Bowman’s Kettlemills Little Star of Bonahaird
Mid Limit 10 (3)
1st Waterton’s Lynwood Kissed by an Angel at Sandstream (JW) a bitch I have watched shown before and win and I always questioned myself over it, so I was pleasantly surprised and taught the lesson of not pre-judging. A bitch that is well made fore and aft, very feminine and has a good balanced head and eye, not quite the expression I desire but still quite kind. Turned out in lovely condition and moved good and steady to win the class.
2nd Rout’s Shaytell My Happiness; similar comments apply here but maybe slightly better with the spring of rib over the winner. A nice sized bitch and standard from this kennel as usual and they always catch the eye. Would like a slightly less enthusiastic movement from her to have gone over my winner today.
3rd Wheeldon’s Glenlaine Wedding Vows with Colemist
Limit 8 (1)
1st Gisby’s Ballbriggan Ace of Hearts by Sutersett; I am guilty once more of having a view and opinion of this bitch, but thankfully not voicing it publically pre judging today and yet I was very pleasantly surprised once I went up to her. This bitch is well made and honest, what you see is what you get when you go over her. She has the nicest of heads, very balanced, with dark soft expression and twitchy brow, good neck into shoulder and good construction to the fore and aft. Good depth and spring and stood four square holding firm topline stacked. A good dark coat and texture to give her finish with no excessive wave or curl. Unfortunately when it came to the challenge, her promise wasn’t enough for me, but she certainly had me thinking long and hard to take her further based on the fact she had stiff competition on the day.
2nd Hogsflesh’s Lyngor Living Water (JW) Another well made bitch and worthy winner on another day. However, not quite the head I like despite its balance and properties. This bitch is looking good and has matured well, moved soundly and stacks four square.
3rd Rout’s Shaytell Joleene
Open 9 (3)
1st Heron’s Sh.Ch.Caskeys Happy Hour (JW) a bitch that I found hard to ignore, she is well made and not an ounce of exaggeration about her with her good size, balance and coming into good coat, just lacking a little bloom today but it will come; that’s bitches for you I guess. This is a very feminine bitch with soft expressive eye shape and colour, a balanced head with good finish to foreface and nostrils. Well constructed fore and aft on good boned limbs and has good spring of rib and depth of chest with a firm loin and width of thigh. A very worthy title holder and happy to award her the CC and Reserve Best in Show with my Co.Judge today; her failing for me when it came to the challenge was her lack of personality on the move and finish to give her the edge, but her type and lack of exaggeration stood true for me to hold out for BIS over the dog who was in beautiful condition and immaculately turned out, but alas too much dog for me, who went BIS on the referees decision.
2nd Hinslea’s Sh.Ch.Northamber Causing a Riot (JW) This bitch has similar notes to my winner, in slightly better coat and has keen sound movement using her tail as she went. She carries slightly more length which I don’t mind if retaining balance, not quite as feminine in head as my winner though and paid the price for this with her placing but happy to award her the RCC.
3rd Naylor & Morrison’s Sh.Ch.Anlory Carmenere (JW)
Beginners 4 (2)
1st Beaton’s Kettlemills Star Performer
2nd Dobson’s Cymbeline Tannis Brook, this is a young keen moving bitch with good ribs and in good condition. Her handler worked hard with her today but will get there with perseverance.
Peter Hall - Harreds
