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Record Breaking Bitches by Jayne Gillam (Orenberg)
It’s not often we have a record broken in our breed and when it does happen it is fitting that the event is recorded for posterity. In the history of our breed only a handful of bitches have held the top spot for most Challenge Certificates won, the existing record was smashed this year when Ch Brumberhill Betwixt won her 25th CC on the 1st of September under Margaret Bailey who was awarding CC’s for the first time. By the end of the year this had bumped up to 28 CC’s, a remarkable achievement for a bitch, particularly when you realize she also won 11 Reserve CCs for good measure.
In the early days of the breed, records were broken almost yearly, the first record holder was Ch Winnie who won 2 CCs in 1920, the following year this was broken when Ch Liddesdale Bess (The breeds first Champion bitch) won 4 CCs. A couple of years later this was outdone when Ch Themis won 5 in 1923 and another in 1924. In 1925 Ch Tweedside Red Tatters took the title with 9, that record was eclipsed in 1933 when Ch Happy Mood won 11, by 1934 this had increased to 12 CCs won under 10 different judges. In 1937 a new star emerged by the name of Ch Brimball of Bridgesollers when she matched Happy Moods wins with 12 CCs, by 1939 she had amassed 15 CCs under 13 different judges and her record stood for a staggering 50 years.
Ch Brimball of Bridgesollers was bred by her owner Miss Richmond in 1933, she was sired by Ch Dinger out of Bunty of Bridgesollers and interestingly appears in the pedigrees of the three modern day record breaking bitches that followed her.
Ch Nettleby Mullein who went on to win 18 CCs under 18 different judges took Brimball’s title in 1989. Homebred by Tez and Jena Tuck by their Ch Lyddington Lets out of Blaisdon Souvenir. As nobody in living memory had known Brimball, and all the show people in particular knew Mullein, coupled with the fact that the record had stood for such a long time, everyone was quite excited for Jena and Tez as Mullein neared the record and then broke it. It was like watching breed history developing in our midst! Attitudes seem to have changed since the early days, then the exhibitors seemed to go under the same judge on several occasions, perhaps because there were so few shows and judges, as in the case of Brimball won two CCs each from Sir J Renwick, W Nichols and E Hoskins. This makes it a bit tricky when compiling records, do you consider she won 12 or 15, it’s an unwritten rule but generally historians tend to go for the lower figure, and state the number of CCs under so many judges, leaving the reader to decide. Fortunately the most recent record breakers way surpassed even Brimball’s 15 CCs under 12 judges, so there was never a problem. These days it doesn’t seem fashionable to keep going under the same judge once they have awarded you a CC unless the show was a particularly special one. All our present day record holders won all their CCs under different judges therefore making it much easier to keep the records straight!
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Ch Nettleby Mullein
Ch Dandyhow Cleopatra
In 1996 a new record breaker emerged taking Mullein’s title, Ch Dandyhow Cleopatra winning 24 CCs in total, under 24 judges, although it was still very much in the family as Mullein’s sire Ch Lyddington Lets Go was Cleopatra’s Great Grandsire. Bred and owned by Kate Irving by Ch Dandyhow Claudius out of Incheril Mulberry of Dandyhow, her CCs were won over a 3 year period and she won two Group 1.
Ch Brumberhill Betwixt
Although Cleopatra had set a very hard act to follow, 11 years later Ch Brumberhill Betwixt, matched it and then went on to win 28 CCs under 28 different judges by the end of 2007. Owner bred by Stewart McPherson by Ch Rhozzum Columbo out of Brumberhill be Solo, she carries several lines to Ch Brannigan of Brumberhill who is the male and overall CC record holder with 31 CCs under 30 judges. Betwixt has also made a made for herself in the Group rings too, winning no less that four Group 1, three Group 2 a Group 4 and a Reserve BIS at Border Union Championship show in 2005.
As mentioned earlier Mullein, Cleopatra and Betwixt all carry lines back to Brimball, which is quite a fascinating link in itself, although it comes through male lines as Brimball’s tail female line sadly appears to have died out now. Mullein and Cleopatra are the most closely related with Ch Lyddington Lets going being the paternal sire and grandsire of them respectively. They do share a few other links in their pedigrees too, all three carry Ch Dandyhow Shady Knight (well I suppose the nearly all Borders do!), himself a one time record holder with 24 CCs and still the top sire with 12 Champion progeny.
It has been a great privilege for me to have been in the breed whilst the three modern day record breaking bitches have been around, the first, Mullein I never judged but knew very well and was given the opportunity by her generous owners to go over her on several occasions, the other two, Cleopatra and Betwixt I have judged and awarded CCs to both. At this stage I would also like to mention another top winning bitch from this era, Ch Mansergh Hampos Flaked Oats, although she didn’t break the record she passed Mullein’s with 20 CCs under 20 judges, was one time ahead of Betwixt and certainly gave everyone a run for their money and won a Group 1, 2 and 4 to boot!
One wonders how long the record will stand now, will it ever be broken? An impossibility, but what would it be like to judge a class with all these bitches present, who would be the best – well, that’s another story!
Jayne Gillam (Orenberg) |
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