What the entry lacked in quantity it made up for in quality and the weather defied the forecast and was perfect. The ring was a good size and shape with a decent surface. Thank you to my stewards for their cheerful hard work.
I think that one of the trends in the breed at the moment is to a shorter dog, giving a squarer outline, which is incorrect in Deerhounds. Usually this is coming from a shorter ribcage than is ideal.  A Deerhound needs a large ribcage to protect the organs under stress when hunting, which means depth, spring and also length of ribcage, and deficiency in any of these would compromise stamina and usually lead to an incorrect underline.
There needs as well to be the right amount of coupling for flexibility, so from this it can be seen that a hound that is too short in the body would lack scope and not be capable of hunting on difficult terrain. Ribcages do need attention. I am tolerant of faults if the rest of the dog is good and typical but this is something that I can rarely overlook.
In the entry today I was rather disappointed in feet.  There were very few tight, well-knuckled feet. Feet need to be bred for and then taken care of.
Heads were generally good and well-proportioned, both in themselves and in relation to the body. Movement was better than expected, with not many poor movers. Coats on the whole were excellent and with no obvious or excessive tidying.

Minor Puppy (1)
1.Peach’s Kilbourne Kaine.
Just six months, typical attractive puppy, beautiful shape of head, dark eyes, the sort of ears to grow into, good neck and shoulders, nice topline, great length from hip to hock, low hocks, moved well for his age.

Junior (1)
1.Peach’s Rubeus Hagrid to Kilbourne.
Striking, typical and balanced male, good head, flat skull, eyes a lovely shape and dark with kind expression, small ears well-carried, strong neck, good shoulders, good forechest and front, excellent ribcage with good spring and depth, very good topline, good width across thigh and bend of stifle, lovely low hocks, excellent coat, moved true coming and going and well in profile. Feet not the best today but apart from that has everything going for him. CC, Best Junior and JG1.

Graduate (4,1)
1.Constantine’s Kaleginy the Forester
Attractive head, lovely dark eyes with nice expression, ears could be better, good neck, good shoulders, front and feet, very good ribcage, nice topline, shapely hindquarters with low hocks, moved well all round.

2. Trotman & Dockree’s Stainlonan Pageant of Penherald.
A happy boy, not very cooperative but having fun, which I like to see. Nice head, ears large, but good neck and shoulders, good forechest and good front freestanding, long ribcage, nice topline with long fallaway, very curvy hindquarters, moved quite well. Feet could be a bit tighter but nice dog overall.

3. Heap’s Leoch Jamie of Fintalloch.
Nice type, but standing rather straight in hocks and not flexing them very much on the move, but a lot to like about him.

Post Grad (2)
1.Finnett & Heathcote’s Hyndsight Desperado.
Attractive male with appealing head and expression, excellent small ears, good neck, very good shoulders, forechest, nice straight front, good width across thigh, excellent bend of stifle, lovely low hocks, good tail, excellent coat. Squarer in outline than I like, though he appears to lengthen slightly on the move. Rear movement and profile movement is good.

2. Grimshaw’s Greyflax Domino to Jamalison.
Totally different type, again nice shapely dog overall, especially standing naturally. Lovely head and expression, good neck and shoulders, a little upright in pasterns, good ribcage, good topline and fallaway, well-muscled with good bend of stifle and low hocks. It would help if he would relax more when stacked as he looked so much better on the move than standing, and moved well all round.
 
Limit (2)
Very close decision between these two very different dogs.
1.Grimshaw’s Greyflax the Jazz Singer to Jamalison.
Nice head and expression, well-set ears, good neck, stands straight in front, but pasterns rather upright, ribcage could be better, excellent topline with very good fallaway, good width across thigh, nice second thigh, low hocks, very good tail, excellent condition and very well-muscled, nice coat, moved well coming and going and excellent in profile with a long, easy stride, which gave him the class.

2. Greenhalgh’s Regalflight Poacher at Leksmoor.
More moderately-sized, workmanlike and attractive, beautiful shape of head, excellent ears, good neck, some forechest, good front, pasterns and feet, not so curvy in hindquarters as the first, but nice low hocks, excellent coat. Moved well all round.

Open (1)
1.Baumann’s Ch Regalflight Tarloch.
A very well-proportioned mature male, nice head and expression, good front angulation, some forechest, good straight front, correct pasterns, good feet, very good ribcage and length of body, nice topline, good width across thigh, very good bend of stifle, low hocks, moved well coming and going and in profile. In the challenge, preferred the head, neck and more relaxed outline on the move of the Junior dog.  RCC.

Bitches

Minor Puppy (1)
1.Bailey’s Greyflax Lady Sings the Blus.
Just six months, very pretty puppy, attractive head and expression, nicely proportioned overall, good topline, nice bend of stifle and low hocks, good width across thigh.  Movement a bit loose at the moment but she’s very young.

Puppy (3,1)
1.Peach’s Blixten Star to Kilbourne.
Very beautiful bitch, lovely head, gorgeous eyes, ears could be higher-set, good neck and shoulders, some forechest, good pasterns, excellent ribcage of good length, the right depth for her age, brisket carried well back, excellent topline and fallaway, good bend of stifle and lovely low hocks, excellent coat, excellent movement coming and going and really striding out in profile, covering the ground with ease. Would have liked to take her home. RCC, BP & PG3.

2. Nuttall’s Luckhurst Pani.
Much more immature looking, more lightly built, pretty head, nice ears, she could have a longer neck, good pasterns and feet, nice topline and fallaway, good bend of stifle and low hocks. Movement rather wayward at the moment.

Junior (2)
1.Taylor’s Celticmoon Lunar Shadow to Ormanstar.
Just a year old, lovely head and expression, but ears too low set, reasonable front angulation, some forechest, slightly upright in pastern and feet could be tighter, excellent topline and fallaway, shapely hindquarters with low hocks, excellent coat, good mover all round.

2. Nuttall’s Erpingham Titania.
Not as mature, pretty head, rather upright in upper arm and lacking forechest, nice topline and fallaway, good bend of stifle, low hocks, rather wayward coming and going, but lovely light profile movement.

Graduate (4,1)
1.Heap’s Leoch Juniper of Fintalloch.
Typy bitch, lovely head, eyes and expression, excellent ears, really well-set, good neck and shoulders, some forechest, good front, good feet, which were in short supply today, good ribcage, excellent topline and fallaway, good width across thigh, low hocks, excellent coat.  Sometimes standing a bit straight in hock, but moved very well coming and going and in profile, where she did use her hocks.

2. Trotman & Dockree’s Stainlonan Rend of Penherald
Very pretty bitch, different in type, very well-set ears, good neck and shoulders, good topline and fallaway, very curvy hindquarters, with very good width across thigh, low hocks, also moved well coming and going and in profile.

3. Taylor & Peach’s Kilbourne Tess to Talorpeche.
Attractive head, excellent ears, good neck, good pasterns but feet could be better, very nice length on this bitch, good hindquarters standing, but lost out on movement all round.

Post Grad (5,2)
1.Gillie’s Dorrator Garvey.
Nicely balanced, workmanlike bitch, head a little stronger than some but still attractive with typical expression, with nice ears, good neck and shoulders, some forechest, good front, pasterns and feet, excellent topline and fallaway, very good width across thigh, low hocks, good coat, best mover in the class, very good coming and going and in profile. The one to take out on the hill.

2. Kermack & Helps’ Beardswood Rona.
A more feminine and pretty head, lovely really tiny ears, good neck and shoulders, some forechest, good feet, nice length of body, excellent topline and fallaway, good width across thigh, low hocks, moved OK.

3. Lindsay’s Celticmoon Shadow Magic at Strathyre NAF.
Quite an attractive bitch, nice head and expression, good feet, nice topline and fallaway, good width across thigh, very good coat, didn’t move quite as well as the others.

Limit (3,1)
Two very different bitches, both very nice in their own way. 
1.Finnett & Heathcote’s Hyndsight Runnin Down a Dream.
Lovely type, very attractive head and expression, with dark eyes, really excellent ears well-carried, to be critical would like a stronger neck, and lack of coat doesn’t help, but had good shoulders, some forechest, pasterns rather short but slightly sloping, good depth of ribcage and length of brisket and of body overall, good topline and fallaway, nice bend of stifle, low hocks, moved very well coming and going and in profile. Strongly made bitch but still feminine, the ideal combination. This and her powerful profile movement won her the CC & BOB.

2. Bailey’s Greyflax Teenspirit.
A more feminine style of bitch, very good length overall, pretty head, dark eyes, lovely expression, excellent ears, good front, nice topline, excellent fallaway, good width across thigh, very angulated hindquarters, moved quite well coming and going and with nice, light profile movement.

Open (5,3)
1.Constantine’s Gentiehun Adelaide of Kaleginy ShCM.
Ideal size and proportions for a bitch, quite a nice head and expression, good ears, good neck and shoulders, good forechest, straight front, feet better than most today, good pasterns, nice ribcage, excellent topline and fallaway, good width across thigh, nice bend of stifle, low hocks, tail could be better, moved very well coming and going, and in profile but without much enthusiasm. Seriously considered in the challenge, a nice bitch with no exaggerations.

2. Finnett & Heathcote’s Ch Hyndsight a Girl Like You.
Proportions not as good as 1, quite tall and with squarer outline. Preferred her head to 1, beautiful feminine head, though ears could be smaller, good neck and shoulders, good forechest, straight front, good feet, I would have preferred more length of ribcage and more spring, but underline OK, excellent fallaway, good width across thigh, good bend of stifle, low hocks, moved well all round.

 

Kay Barret