The most successful owner at winning Crufts was H. S. Lloyd, pictured here with three dogs from his "of Ware" kennel including Luckystar of Ware, two-time winner of Best in Show (pictured middle).
The title Best in Show is awarded to the dog chosen as winner of the annual Crufts dog show, according to conformation show rules. This title was first awarded in 1928, the initial winner being Primley Sceptre, a fawn Greyhound.[1] Previously, Crufts had used the title "Best Champion", sponsored by the Illustrated Kennel News, which was awarded from 1905 to 1914.[2][3][4][5] The first winner of Best Champion was Ch. The Sable Mite, a Pomeranian.[2] According to Crufts: The Official History the first winner of that award was the first dog to be considered the "best" at a Crufts show, although it only lists winners between 1906 and 1912.[6]
When Best Champion was introduced at Crufts in 1905,[2] it was seen by Charles Cruft as an extension of the other titles already available at the show. The class was one of several classes reserved for Crufts subscribers at the cost of a guinea per year. Because of the restriction in entry, there were years when the winner of Best Champion was defeated in other classes which were not restricted to subscribers.[7] Crufts was not the first dog show in the UK to introduce this type of title, the first event to do so was at the Cambridge Canine Society Show in 1900.[8]
The change to Best in Show was considered by the press to be of little significance and was not promoted by Charles Cruft,[9] and did not require a dog to have won its Best of Breed class until 1936.[1] It did however remove restrictions on entry, which remained until the mid-1960s when entry to Crufts was restricted to dogs who had already become a champion by gaining championship points at other dog shows.[10]
The most successful breed in the modern era since Best in Show was introduced has been the English Cocker Spaniel. Of the breed's seven show titles, all but one of them were owned and bred by Herbert Summers Lloyd (known predominantly as H. S. Lloyd) from the "of Ware" kennel.[11] Only four dogs have won Best in Show on more than one occasion, and on three of these occasions they were English Cocker Spaniels owned by Lloyd. The fourth occasion was a Labrador Retriever named Bramshaw Bob,[12] owned by Countess Lorna Howe who is the second most successful breeder in the show's history as she also won Best in Show once more with another Labrador in 1937, Ch. Cheveralla Ben of Banchory.[13] Although no dog has won Crufts more than once since H. S. Lloyd's Tracey Witch of Ware in 1950,[14] owner Jackie Lorimer won the title in 1993 with Irish Setter Sh Ch. Danaway Debonair and again with the dog's son, Sh Ch. Caspians Intrepid in 1999.[15]
1905 to 1914
Best Champion at Cruft's
Ch. The Sable Mite, the first dog to win Best Champion at Cruft's in 1905.
First awarded in 1905, it was listed as the 51st and last out of the members-only trophies on its introduction in the show schedule. The description of the award read, "AN ANTIQUE SILVER CUP, value FIVE GUINEAS, offered by the Proprietors of the "ILLUSTRATED KENNEL NEWS," for the best Champion of any breed in the Show. To be won outright."[16]
Introduced in 1928, the prize was first described as "STERLING SILVER GOLD GILT 10-inch REPOUSSE ROSE BOWL. Decorated in flowers on circular base, for the best Dog in the Show. (OPEN TO ALL)".[27]
During World War II, Crufts was not staged and in 1954, the dog-based competition was not held because of the electricians’ strike. In 2001, the canine festival was held in May, two months later than planned, because of the foot-and-mouth disease. The show was not held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
↑ Ch. Wishaw Leader was registered as a Scotch Collie, a breed now split into two breeds, Smooth Collie and Rough Collie.[6]
↑ The date of the event was moved from October to February, causing the event to skip a year.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The abbreviation Sh Ch stands for Show Champion, a title awarded to gundogs and Border Collies for winning three Challenge Certificates under three different judges with at least one of those Certificates being awarded when the dog in question is more than twelve months old.[42]
↑ The abbreviation Nord Ch. stands for Nordic Champion, which is awarded to a dog with a championship title from three different Nordic countries.
↑ The abbreviation Aust Ch. stands for Australian Champion.
The American Cocker Spaniel is a breed of sporting dog. It is a spaniel type dog that is closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel; the two breeds diverged during the 20th century due to differing breed standards in the US and the UK. In the United States, the breed is usually called a Cocker Spaniel, while elsewhere in the world, it is called an American Cocker Spaniel to distinguish it from its older English cousin. The word cocker is commonly held to stem from their use to hunt woodcock in England, while spaniel is thought to be derived from the breed's origins in Spain.
Cocker Spaniels are dogs belonging to two breeds of the spaniel dog type: the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel, both of which are commonly called simply Cocker Spaniel in their countries of origin. In the early 20th century, Cocker Spaniels also included small hunting spaniels.
Fox Terriers are two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terriers, and are related to other modern white terrier breeds. In addition, a number of breeds have diverged from these two main types of fox terrier and have been recognised separately, including the Jack Russell Terrier, Miniature Fox Terrier and Rat Terrier. The Wire and Smooth Fox Terriers share similar characteristics, the main differences being in the coat and markings. They have been successful in conformation shows, more prominently in America than their homeland.
The West Highland White Terrier is a breed of dog from Scotland with a distinctive white harsh coat and somewhat soft white undercoat. It is a medium-sized terrier, though with longer legs than other Scottish terriers. It has a white double coat of fur which fills out the dog's face, giving it a rounded appearance.
The setter is a type of gundog used most often for hunting game such as quail, pheasant, and grouse.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show, held annually in the New York metropolitan area.
Ch. Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, also known as Charmin, was a male Sealyham Terrier who was the Best in Show at the American Kennel Club National Championship in 2007, World Dog Show in 2008, and Crufts in 2009. He also won the Terrier Group at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2008.
Sh Ch/Aust Ch. Hungargunn Bear It'n Mind, also known as Yogi, was a male Hungarian Vizsla who was the Best in Show at Crufts in 2010. He was the record holder for Best in Show victories at all breed championship shows in the UK, having gained 18 of these awards, breaking the record in 2010 which had previously stood for eighty years; this was subsequently beaten in September 2014.
Kathleen Florence May Pelham-Clinton, Duchess of Newcastle-under-Lyne OBE, was a well-known conformation show judge and dog breeder who influenced the Borzoi and Wire Fox Terrier breeds.
Sh Ch. Vbos the Kentuckian, also known as Jet, was a Flat-Coated Retriever show dog, bred and handled by Jim Irvine, who won Best in Show at Crufts in 2011 aged 9 years and 7 months, becoming the oldest dog to do so. He was descended from the 1980 Best in Show winner, Ch. Shargleam Blackcap, and placed Best in Show at several other shows around the UK including the Gundog Society of Wales and the National Gundog Association.
Herbert Summers Lloyd MBE was an English dog breeder of show English Cocker Spaniels. He remains the most successful breeder/owner at Crufts, having won Best in Show on six occasions in the 1930s and 1940s.
Ch. Yakee A Dangerous Liaison, also known as Danny, was a Pekingese, who was the winner of the title of Best in Show at the Crufts in 2003. He had previously been Reserve Best in Show at the competition in 2002. Following his victory, he was accused of having undergone a cosmetic procedure, which supposedly turned out to be an exploratory surgery for tonsillitis. A documentary broadcast in 2008, "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" later revealed that Danny had in fact undergone surgery due to a serious inherited disorder, exacerbated by conformation to breed standards.
Ch. Zentarr Elizabeth (2005–2017), also known as Elizabeth, was a Lhasa Apso show dog bred and handled by Margaret Anderson who won Best in Show at Crufts in 2012. She also placed third at the Eukanuba World Challenge in 2011.
Ch. Torums Scarf Michael in Liverpool, England, was a Kerry Blue Terrier who is best known for being the 2000 Best in Show winner at Crufts, and 2003 Best in Show of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. He is the first dog to win the "Triple Crown" of dog shows, having also won the 2002 AKC/Eukanuba National Invitational Championship.
Ch. Jafrak Philippe Olivier,, also known as Philip, was a male Giant Schnauzer who won the title of Best In Show at Crufts in 2008. He had previously won the Working Group in 2004 and 2005.
Luckystar of Ware, was a male English Cocker Spaniel who won the title of Best In Show at Cruft's in both 1930 and 1931. He was the first dog to retain the title, and the first of three dogs owned by H. S. Lloyd to win the Cruft's Best in Show title, including Tracey Witch of Ware, the granddaughter of Luckystar.
Tracey Witch of Ware was a female English Cocker Spaniel who won the title of Best In Show at Cruft's in both 1948 and 1950. She missed out on the Best in Show judging in 1952 because of a delay in breed judging, and also became Reserve Best in Show in 1953. She was a descendant of a previous Cruft's Best in Show winner, Luckystar of Ware.
Exquisite Model of Ware was a female English Cocker Spaniel who won the title of Best in Show at Crufts in both 1938 and 1939. She was the most successful female English Cocker Spaniel in Great Britain prior to the Second World War.
Ch./Am. Ch. Afterglow Maverick Sabre, also known as Ricky, is a black Standard Poodle show dog owned at that time by his handler Jason Lynn together with John and Sandra Stone, who won Best in Show at Crufts in 2014. After the win, Ricky's owners stated he would retire from show ring competitions in the UK. He has also had a successful career in America.
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