SCOTY 2019

It was a great honour to be asked to officiate at this very prestigious event. I should like to thank the Officers and Committee of the club for the invitation and my co-judges, Sophie Wray-Ramsden, Christina Bailey and Caz Waterhouse for their wonderful company which helped to add to the overall enjoyment of the day.

The venue setting and grounds were lovely and thank you for allowing us to extend the rings somewhat to allow this majestic breed to move properly. It is a shame there were not more supporters coming to enjoy the garden party atmosphere. The hard work of the committee was obvious, the hospitality was outstanding and I could not have been made to feel more welcome.

It is a pity that there were some absentees but this did not detract from the quality and the success of the winners. I was delighted that Smooth Collie Of The Year was the stunning Petra. I believe this was her final competitive appearance and I feel honoured to have been there to take part in her final event. She will be prominent in the history of the breed and for me personally will be one of the all-time greats who I will always remember with great admiration. Having mentioned Petra I should also say that I also greatly admired so many of the other contenders and it was a real pleasure to go over each and every one of them.

Having been involved with Smooth Collies for 44 years it is good to see that the future of the breed appears to be in good hands and the quality overall is high, showing that the hard work of dedicated breeders has been rewarded and continued. It was also a delight to discover that Caz Waterhouse choose Koczkodan Midnight Sun as Puppy of the Year and Petra (Ch Clingstones Hot Shot At Foxearth) Best Veteran.

My sincere thanks to all concerned.

Mike Vincent

Thank you so much to the Officers and Committee for their kind invitation to co-judge adults at their Smooth Collie of the Year competition, and their kind hospitality on the day. Special thanks must go to the kitchen volunteers who put on a magnificent buffet spread for lunch. The weather was especially kind and there seemed to be a good atmosphere throughout.
There were some superb dogs present on the day, a real joy to go over them, thank you to the exhibitors for bringing them. All 6 of the main winners had so much to like about them.
Best Bitch and The Smooth Collie of the Year 2019 title went to the tri bitch, Ch Clingstones Hot Shot at Foxearth, owned by Mr & Mrs T Hayward. At 8 ½ she really needs no introduction. I’ve admired her many times from the ringside and felt it a real privilege to get the chance to go over her. Very feminine with a lovely head and expression. So well balanced throughout, she has a super front, lovely arch of neck and moved so effortlessly round the ring. Well done.
Reserve Best Bitch was the winner’s daughter, Ch Foxearth Finnish Spirit at Jimjack SHCM, owned by Mrs J Hartley, another tri and so like her mum in many ways. I really liked her eye and ear carriage which gave a lovely expression, and again, she is so balanced.
Runner Up Bitch was the bm, Wynele Alice Blue Gown with Breckamore, owned by Ms A French. She had a super outline, good bone, good depth of chest and an excellent shoulder. Moved very well.
The dogs were topped by Ms A French’s Ch Breckamore By Design, a bm of good colour. Lovely eye and expression, really loved his foreface. Super outline, with a lovely reach of neck and good depth of chest. Moved well with drive.
Reserve Best Dog was a shaded sable owned by Mr & Mrs R Denton, Ch Brackenhaye Fields of Gold. Well balanced with good bone and outline, moved well.
Runner Up Dog was a 10-year-old shaded sable, owned by Mr & Mrs K Russell, Ch Foxearth Fashion Guru for Koczkodan. Lovely clean head with a good eye and expression. Well balanced with a super outline. Moved very well.

Sophie Wray-Ramsden

First of all I would like to thank the committee for giving me the opportunity to officiate as the all rounder at this prestigious event. I enjoyed my day enormously with your lovely dogs & was most impressed by some of the exhibits present on the day. I felt that the show was very well organised with a great atmosphere amongst all the exhibitors. How very lucky we all were with the Weather God liking the breed too and giving us all a gloriously warm and sunny day. The fair sized rings were big enough to assess all the dogs easily and give them a chance to move at a good speed.

I was very happy that my co judges & I agreed unanimously in the lovely Veteran bitch Ch. Clingstones Hot Shot At Foxearth being the Smooth Collie of the Year. She has so much breed type and quality and her correct body weight for a ‘working’ dog and her sound movement just added to her overall pretty picture.

The day finished on a high by sitting down afterwards for a great lunch with all the exhibitors and the committee. Well done on organising such a great day & THANK YOU again.

Christina Bailey

How lovely to receive the invitation to judge the Puppies and Veterans at The Smooth Collie of the Year 2019. I must first thank the committee for this honour. I could not have wished for a better way to spend my Saturday. The sun shone which always helps to make any outside event relaxed. The whole day was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed watching Mike Vincent, Sophie Wray- Ramsden and Christina Bailey put the smooth adults through their paces and enjoyed their feedback later in the day. The hospitality of the club from the minute I arrived to the minute I left was first class. The committee laid on such a fabulous lunch for everyone which finished the day off perfectly. Huge congratulations to the hard-working committee you should all feel very proud of your efforts.

It is always interesting to meet the younger generation of any breed. These puppies had qualified the year before so from those early stages they have now reached young adults. So, some faults that maybe when judged were not so evident then, are now there fixed for all to see. At this time of the year with the weather, and the ages of the youngsters meant that coats and for some body condition were not at their best. But even if not in top condition, weight should be monitored carefully an overweight dog is as worrying to me as an underweight dog. I was totally blown away by the happy temperaments on each exhibit every dog greeted as though they knew me with a kind eye and gentle body language, a tail wag from all was greatly appreciated by myself. They all seemed so happy to be in the ring performing which is always lovely to witness as a judge.

For me today The Smooth Puppy of the Year 2019 was awarded to KOCZKODAN MIDNIGHT SUN her femininity I found very appealing. She was completely balanced on the move giving her the edge over the rest. Res Smooth Puppy of the Year 2019 went to the striking tricolour male FOXEARTH FORMULA ONE so much to like about this male in so many departments. Interestingly to see that he is a son of the best veteran. Congratulations to you both.
I would like to wish every exhibitor and their dogs here today every success in the coming years with their young charges. I hope they fulfil their early promise and give you all some great wins and many wonderful memories.

On entering the ring I turned to take my first look at the veterans and it was a complete pleasure. The breed type just hit me. Each exhibitor should be proud of keeping these gorgeous dogs in such wonderful condition for their age. Every now and again a dog comes along that has qualities that makes it very special. So, what makes a dog special! Breed type, charisma, style, balance, confirmation, effortless movement. Then there is that something extra special that you cannot put your finger on that makes a quality dog a class above the rest.
Well today I found all that in one very special lady. I had no hesitation in awarding Smooth Veteran of the Year 2019 to Ch CLINGSTONES HOT SHOT AT FOXEARTH, a beautiful tricolour bitch who I could not take my eyes off. It really was an absolute thrill to get the chance to judge her, something I never thought would be possible for me until today. I just loved everything about her. She truly has been a wonderful ambassador for the breed.
Res Smooth Veteran of the Year 2019 CH ALOPEX MARIONETTE OF OAKESTELLE, now in contrast I judged this lovely blue bitch at the very beginning of her show career as a minor puppy. Her feminine charms captivated me then. On seeing her today as a very mature lady brought everything I thought of her then, flooding back to me. She is an absolute joy and nothing has change except to say that at 10 years old, age has been very kind to her in every department. Congratulations to you both a wonderful achievement.

It has been a real privilege to spend the day with you all and your gorgeous dogs. Thank you all for making my day one to add to my own memories.