2016 WWWA Specialty Critique
WWWA 36th Specialty Show Saturday, August 6, 2016 Judge: Stephen Wailes (Bundoora, Victoria, Australia)
It was a pleasure to accept this judging invitation. Thank you so much. The quality in the whippets I judged was most pleasing. Generally the heads are stunning, and I found heaps of balanced flowing toplines with good (not steep), fall away to croups, curvy underlines, and very few who were overdone. The muscling and presentation of them was a credit to their owners. Bitches IMO were stronger than the boys. Lots of typical and quality examples of the breed.
Veteran Dog 7 yrs. & under 10 yrs.
- Shurin’s BRYSTAL GALLANTLY STREAMING. Blue and white masculine boy with pleasing head and expression. Very good neck into well laid shoulders & a correct and balanced topline. Moderate and not overdone although still standing over plenty of ground. Also a curvy underline. A sound moving boy with substance.
Veteran Bitch 10 yrs. and older.
- Hewes’ SPORTING FIELD’S EMBRACEABLE. Feminine bitch of pleasing proportions. Pretty head and expression. Clean lines with a very good neck into shoulder and flowing topline. Not overdone anywhere. Underline not perfect. Sound clean mover.
Lure coursing/Straight racing racing dog.
- Downing’s SERENDIPITY MALARKY AT WHIMSY. Fawn boy with a balanced headpiece, and good alert expression. Excellent pigment. Very good neat ears. Long neck with strength, but front angles not so good. Topline and underline are very good. Muscular with good width to upper thigh.
Puppy dogs 6 months and under 9 months (4)
- Allen & Worden’s PRINCETON’S THE FORCE AWAKENS AT WINDANCER. White and pale brindle. Very sweet head and good expression with dark eyes. Moderate proportions. Good bone. Width to upper thigh very good and he has a very good neck flowing smoothly into his topline. Great underline for his age. Clean moving boy with lots of promise.
- Vernon’s SUMMIT PIPPIN. A darker brindle and white parti color. Beautiful neck flowing cleanly into topline. Overdone behind for me.
- Dorsey’s MCKADEN TIME AFTER TIME. Tallish tiger brindle and white. Good head planes and a very pretty alert expression. Neat ears. Very good neck flowing into topline. Underline not as good as the boys before.
- McKay & Honey-Gillespie’s MCKADEN MONTH OF SUNDAYS.
Puppy dogs 9 months and under 12 months (1)
- McKim & Campbell’s KIMERA PREACHER MAN AT LOVAT. Pale brindle boy with clean planes to head and beautiful eyes and ears. Good neck into shoulder and very good return of upper arm. Topline good and pleasing underline. Moderate and enough angles.
Dogs 12 months and under 18 months (2)
- Hewes’ TALIESIN ROCKIN THE NIGHT AWAY. Tiger brindle with white trim. Good head piece but one eye not properly pigmented. Beautiful neck and super sound on the move. A shapely boy with good topline and underline. Prefer less backend.
- Levine’s SERENDIPITY DOUBLE O SEVEN. I prefer the look of this boy but he seems sore in one shoulder, and his movement is not consistent. Lovely head piece, neck and really pleasing front angles. Very good upper thigh. Topline and underline very good. Also a bit too much behind.
Bred by exhibitor dogs (3)
- Downing’s WHIMSY’S NUTTER BUTTER. Masculine pale fawn and white boy who is the most collected on the move in this class, while holding his shape. Not overdone. Very good topline. Good depth to brisket, and a curvy underline. Typical angles and fit and muscular.
- Brown, Wilson & Lawrence’s STORY BROOKE SALTIMBANCO AT STARLINE. Dramatic red and white with gorgeous head piece. Not as steady on the move. Overdone in rear and a tad wide in front.
- Swepston’s NOUVEAU’S LE CHAT NOIR. Black boy with small splash of white. Superb muscling and very fit boy. Good shoulder and upper arm, but steep in croup and not using his rear today.
Open dog (7)
- Donnersmarck & Wilson’s STORYBROOKE’S UNFORGETTABLE FIRE AT STARLINE. Pale brindle and white boy giving away a bit of age today. Quality. Lovely head piece and dark eyes with soft but alert Flowing and curvy and really positive on the move. Sound both coming and going. WINNERS DOG.
- Hammack’s BRAVADO’s BOUNTIFUL HARVEST. Tiger brindle & white with a lovely outline and perfect head. Curvy shape and not overdone. Very good neck into well laid shoulders. Very good on the move. A close decision with number one, as both dogs are quality. RESERVE WINNERS DOG.
- Davenport & Vernon’s SUMMIT THE PUCK STOPS HERE. Fawn and white boy with loads to like. Another super head piece. A moderate and curvy boy with very good topline and underline. Good tuck up. (Beautiful necks on these three boys.)
Puppy bitches 6 months and under 9 months (4)
- Vernon’s SUMMIT ALL THAT JAZZ. Pale brindle and white who was so clean and easy on the move. Pretty head piece. Good angles throughout. Shapely with pleasing topline and underline. A tad long today but a very promising bitch.
- McKay & Honey-Gillespie’s MCKADEN HIGHONSUNSHINE. Tiger brindle and white and another with a quality headpiece. Good overall shape to her and her movement improved the more she went. Moderate but standing over enough ground.
- Davis, Abraham & Pautz’s OBAILEE KAP’S PEOPLES CHOICE. Pale brindle and white and another very good headpiece. Not so settled on the move but loads to like. Very feminine. At this time her toes are a bit short, but she’s still growing. Lovely overall shape and balance.
- Erickson & Worden’s PRINCETON’S PADME AMIDALA.
Bitches 12 months and under 18 months (1)
- Chittum’s BELAYA EAGLE WING. White with a brindle patch. Alone in this class but a pretty headpiece. A little straight in shoulders but a good underline. Liked her size.
Bred by Exhibitor Bitches (4) A lovely class with good moving & typical bitches
- Vernon’s SUMMIT JOMYR TOUR GUIDE BARBIE. Gold and white with super & typical expression. Just a lovely headpiece. Clean lines over shoulders into a correct topline and a curvy underline. Very good ribcage. A sound mover in all directions. Balanced and elegant. Nothing overdone. Quality. RESERVE WINNERS BITCH.
- Wagner’s ORTONA BUBBLE WITCH. Pale brindle and another pretty face and feminine headpiece. Elegant lines to her and another who is a sound mover.
- Cabailo, Wilson-Paust & Erickson’s WINDBORN ONE CRAZY SUMMER. A pale brindle and white parti color who has a lovely head piece. Clean lines throughout and excellent angulation in front with a strong upper thigh. Lovely neck on her. Not so settled on the move at times which cost her a better placing.
- Erickson, Wilson & Paust’s WINDBORN PRETTY IN PINK.
Open bitches (8)
- Hopperstad’s ALCYON ALL MIMSY AT WHIMSY. Pale brindle girl with white blaze. “Gorgeous” (the first word in my critique for this girl). Beautiful head piece and soft but alert expression. Curvy with just perfect underline and balanced topline. Well ribbed back. Moderate, feminine and elegant. A light easy mover and sound in all directions. Covered plenty of ground with ease. WINNERS BITCH & BEST OF WINNERS
- Castle and Vernon’s CAMELOT ELEGANT LADY OF SUMMIT. Pale gold and white parti. A pretty and well put together bitch with loads to like. Excellent topline and depth to underline. Very good return of upper arm. Very good mover.
- Johnson’s TIVIO’S WINDSONG. Brindle and white girl who is shapely and feminine. Beautiful headpiece and balanced curves. Front angles not as good as two before.
- Kachinskas, Pope & Hite’s TIVIO’S STEEL OF SPOTLIGHT.
Best of Breed competition (12)
BEST OF BREED : Splawn’s GR CH COTTONWOOD MUMS THE WORD AT MASON HILL. What a stunning stunning girl. A pale brindle and white girl with everything in the right place, and moving cleanly in all directions. A super head piece with bright dark eyes. Neat ears. Strength to her neck which flowed smoothly into well laid shoulders, and a balanced topline. Curvy underline with depth to her brisket. Fit. (What a thrill to have her come through to me two days later, and a pleasure to award her both BISSs).
BEST OF WINNERS : Hopperstad’s ALCYON ALL MIMSY AT WHIMSY. (See above)
BEST OF OPPOSITE SEX : Vernon’S CH SUMMIT JOMYR BUZZ LIGHT YEAR. A pale fawn boy who is masculine and so beautifully put together. There is strength to this boy without him being overdone anywhere or course. Beautiful neck into clean shoulders, and a balanced topline. Shapely underline and waist. Moderate back end but still covering enough ground. Fit and muscular. Clean mover in all directions.
SELECT DOG : Hull-Walton & Hamilton’s CH LISHIMA’S MISTER MAGIC. Pale fawn and white parti color boy with a masculine head piece. Very good neck flowing into a shapely and balanced topline. Very good angle to croup. Good angles to front assembly. Very good profile mover, and sound up and back.
SELECT BITCH : Ackerman & Reilly’s CH WINFIELD-NORTH E-TICKET RIDE. Pale brindle and white bitch who is feminine and elegant. Gorgeous head piece and expression. Very good topline and a very curvy underline with small waist. Sound clean mover
AWARD OF MERIT : Manthou & Downing’s CH LOST CREEK STORMY MONDAY. Gold bitch with white trim. Another feminine bitch with pretty head and typical expression. Balanced topline and underline. Quality bitch. Good mover who covered ground and was clean up and back.
Stephen Wailes
6th August 2016