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It was a great day for Jason McMorrow and his partner, Fergal Martin, when Jason handled their Maltese, Ch & GB Ch Ray Wonder Of Love, to take his first Ch All Breeds Best in Show at Munster Canine, the pinnacle of a star studded career at home and in GB, with his two Crufts’ CCs with BOB and a Group shortlist, plus a further three tickets across the Irish sea, well and truly putting his stamp on the breed, both here and in GB. At home he won the group at Mid West under Finnish group 9 specialist Jari Partanen, finishing BIS four, and also won the group at Combined National under Dublin all rounder, Joy O’Connor, with second placings at IKC St Pat’s and Fermoy International under Philomena Leonard from Co Mayo, and German judge Stefan Watcher respectively, and a third under Scandinavian, Ewa Nielsen. Munster saw him take BOB and the group under Gail Patterson from Co Down before he claimed the top spot under Simon Rooney from Co Louth. He is currently way out in front in Group 9 on the Irish Canine Press/GAIN Pet Nutrition Top winners Leaderboard where in the past his CC winning predecessor, Ch Ridley Wonder of love, also bred in Germany by Thorsten Sankowski, featured strongly some years back.
but venues anywhere are at a premium, and with so many anti-dog organisations these days, we will all just have to make the best of what we have.  With the current rising costs, particularly fuel, we can also expect a drop in entries for venues which are far from home, and that, coupled with the fact hat a few exhibitors decided that after having two years away from the  show scene, there were other things to do with their family on a weekend than go to a dog show. Unfortunately this trend is showing now and Munster Canine managed just 858 dogs, though that didn’t take away from the quality there. The weather too was a bit unkind with a fairly persistent drizzle through the day, but giving the Best in Show ring a real show of what a downpour was, leaving the final ten on the day a bit damp to say the least but with plenty of time to dry out for the next day as the show was done and dusted before 5 p.m., so full marks for Colm and his Munster Canine team.
Having been secretary of Munster Ag,  held at the old Munster show grounds, for many years until it’s extended holiday back a decade or more when, if I remember correctly, those show grounds closed down, Colm Hastings is back in harness again, this time for Munster Canine Association. So many of us have been familiar with the name Kay Marrett being synonymous with this club going back well into the last century, I remember having my first Green Star appointment (GSDs) from Kay back in 1982, and she was a secretary of repute then and I remember her dealing with the likes of GB judges like the Joe Braddon and Harry Jordan with aplomb, so we were all saddened to hear of her death at the start of  2020 when she was still in post. With no shows for the next two years, Colm had time to get into the mode, and took on his first show here at The Cork Marts at Corrin, which has been the home of this show now for many years; perhaps not the most ideal surface to exhibit on, being a car park with many lines painted, just great fun for the dogs to jump over !!!
Having been secretary of Munster Ag, held at the old Munster show grounds, for many years until it’s extended holiday back a decade or more when, if I remember correctly, those show grounds closed down, Colm Hastings is back in harness again, this time for Munster Canine Association. So many of us have been familiar with the name Kay Marrett being synonymous with this club going back well into the last century, I remember having my first Green Star appointment (GSDs) from Kay back in 1982, and she was a secretary of repute then and I remember her dealing with the likes of GB judges like the Joe Braddon and Harry Jordan with aplomb, so we were all saddened to hear of her death at the start of  2020 when she was still in post. With no shows for the next two years, Colm had time to get into the mode, and took on his first show here at The Cork Marts at Corrin, which has been the home of this show now for many years; perhaps not the most ideal surface to exhibit on, being a car park with many lines painted, just great fun for the dogs to jump over !!! but venues anywhere are at a premium, and with so many anti-dog organisations these days, we will all just have to make the best of what we have.  With the current rising costs, particularly fuel, we can also expect a drop in entries for venues which are far from home, and that, coupled with the fact hat a few exhibitors decided that after having two years away from the  show scene, there were other things to do with their family on a weekend than go to a dog show. Unfortunately this trend is showing now and Munster Canine managed just 858 dogs, though that didn’t take away from the quality there. The weather too was a bit unkind with a fairly persistent drizzle through the day, but giving the Best in Show ring a real show of what a downpour was, leaving the final ten on the day a bit damp to say the least but with plenty of time to dry out for the next day as the show was done and dusted before 5 p.m., so full marks for Colm and his Munster Canine team.
Simon Rooney’s Reserve Best in Show saw Emma Archibald handle her Golden Retriever, Sh Ch & GB Sh Ch Abinvale Levanto, who was Annual Champion in ‘17, ’18, and 2019, to take the rosette under Simon Rooney, and, despite losing his ‘prime years’ over covid, he was back with a bang when the shows opened again over the water in ‘21, taking further CCs to his tally which now stands around 9 CCs and 10 RCCs. At home ‘Cody’, who is co-owned and bred with Emma’s parents, Frank and Bette, won Reserve BIS at the last all breed Ch show hosted by Swords back in 2019, and this year he took the Group at South Tipperary before winning his second group here under Cork judge, Sean Knight. His younger kennelmates, litter brother and sister, A. Arrieta and A. Firestorm, have also kept the Abinvale flag flying at this year’s events, featuring in the groups at several of the previous shows.
For the third spot, Simon gave the nod to the Siberian Husky, sent in from the group by Alan Matthews, Jimmy Duggan’s Ch Leorient Invincible Spirit, handled as ever by Jimmy’s wife, Anita. He is a Junior Champion, and was Annual Champion and Junior Benelux winner in 2018, and this year so far he has won second in Group 5 at Mid West under Amanda Sammon, following up a few weeks later by winning the Group at Fermoy under Andrew Mulcahy, bringing him to the third place on the Irish Canine Press / GAIN Pet Nutrition Group 5 Top Winners Leaderboard.
Final place in Simon Rooney’s BIS line-up went to the Miniature Bull Terrier, Ger and Laura Cox’ Ch Yanni House Black Russian at Coxgal who started the year at IKC Celtic Winners International by taking Group 3 under Jimmy Byrnes, going on later to Reserve BIS under Angela Hancock, and after today he has more to add. He also tops his group on the Irish Canine Press / GAIN Pet Nutrition Leaderboard and today came through from Group 3 earlier, also under Alan Matthews.
The day after her BIS 4th spot at Munster Canine, the Russian bred Miniature Bull Terrier, Ch Yanni House Black Russian at Coxgal, took the accolade at Cork & District All Breed Championship under Nicky White of the Abberann Irish Glen of Imaal Terriers. Bred in Russia by Yana Streltsova, owner of the Yanni House Mini Bulls who produce prolific winners worldwide, ‘Daisy’ has given owners Ger and Laura Cox a good run this year, with  RBIS at Celtic Winners, the IKC’s first International show and the opening event of 2022, and of course BIS 4 yesterday, all this making ‘Daisy’ currently top of the Irish Canine Press/GAIN Pet Nutrition Top Winners’ Group 3 Leaderboard.
Cork was the second show of the weekend, held at their usual venue in Mallow, where their entry was up on the previous day with 941 dogs entered. A new ring layout meant that they were less spread out than usual and the show, as a result, was more sociable, but still with large rings on the well drained grass, which stayed firm underfoot despite the rain which had been on all the previous night and when day dawned showed there were still reserves in the heavens. This was the first show with the new team in situ, as Eleanor and George Corneille had stepped in to take the reins when Helen Hegarty, popular secretary for decades, retired. Margaret Conran O’Gorman and her daughter, Saoirse, were there to help Eleanor settle in to the Secretary’s job and they all worked together to make the show run smoothly and in a timely manner.  Cork was sponsored by GAIN Pet Nutrition, represented on the day by Sean Martin. Geoge and Eleanor have plenty of ideas up their sleeve for next year, innovations to make their show just that bit different, and more enjoyable for the exhibitors, so good luck to them for next year, all we need now is a guarantee of the glorious weather we used to enjoy at Cork maybe a decade or so ago…..
It was Colin Matthews and Balih Khan’s Whippet, Ch Iason Ailesbuy of Gentle Mind, who, having earlier won Group 10 under Rui Oliviera from Portugal, handled, when Balih isn’t in Ireland, by Lynda Cuthbert Matthews, who was BIS 2 here under Nicky White. This was ‘Chad’s’ third group of the year, the first coming at IKC St Patrick’s International under Colm Beattie, where he finished BIS 4 under Cathy Delmar, and  Mid West under Group judge Ger Philpott, with a Group 2nd yesterday at Munster under Val Coughlan,  and he is also now Top Group 10 on the ICP/Gain Leaderboard.
Next in Line was the Smooth Haired Dachshund, Cwndarhain San Domenico of Glenariff, owned and handled by Caroline Reynolds and bred in Wales, as his name may suggest, by Chris Moes. ‘Geoffrey’, who has to date 6 Green Stars, and in GB he took his second CC when he won Reserve Best in Show at the Great Joint Dachshund Club show last November, so one of each required for a double champ!  After the covid break at home, he went to the Mid West Open, the first show back,  and took Best in Show and at the IKC’s November 2021 Ch Show at Navan racecourse, the first all breed championship show post covid, he took Group 4 under Johnny Muldoon. This year  saw him take second in the group at Mid West under Marie Hamill, fourth at Combined National under Johnny Andersson, and yesterday he took a Group third under Gail Patterson. He is now sitting in joint second on the ICP/GAIN Leaderboard.
Fourth Best in Show was the Shetland Sheepdog, Cathrina Dunne’s Combined Canine National Best in Show winner, Ch Longrange Cailin Dubh, ‘Katy’ with a  CC, BOB and Group third placing plus a Group fourth at IKC St Pat’s to start her Irish wins, then the Group under Benny Blidh at Mid West, with a BIS third spot from Brian Moran, and then a fabulous Best in Show at Combined, with more success today also taking her to the head of Group 1 on the Irish Canine Press/ GAIN Pet Nutrition Top Leaderboard, another in line for the Group crystal at the end of the year.
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