VD (4)
1 Forsey’s Cristakell April Moon over Muzoku. 7 and a half years, very well balanced boy with plenty of substance without being cloddy or coarse. Attractive head with well set ears carried in typical fashion on the move. Good muscle tone in loin (which was of useful length), tail set in line with croup and carried well. Robust bone and legs of good length to create the desired space under the body. Sensibly angulated with OK feet. No surprise to see him move so very well. Best Veteran in Breed.
2 Nevinson’s Ch Chayo Golden Touch. Beautiful for type though possibly a little heavier condition than 1st which occasionally told on his topline. Great headpiece with excellent ears giving such a typical expression. Super feet and pasterns – ideal for absorbing his movement. Moved well in profile and away but just going a little wide in a front leg coming to. 

PD (2)
1 Ellis-Payne’s Chayo Spellbinder. 10 month in full bloom and with a performance to match. Beautiful headpiece and ears just right. Impressive neck of strength with a slight arch, running into firm topline and correctly angled shoulder (which can be seen even without hands on, as the ‘amount of dog’ in front of the shoulder is very telling). Angulation behind was also correct and matched his front. Moved very well – but that was no surprise. BPIB.
2 Muncaster’s Whitewalker Winter Flight. 8 months and giving a little away as is natural. Changing coats so nothing is hidden – not that he has anything that needs hiding at this developmental stage. Strong topline with good muscle on loin. Hands on – has lots more substance than appears. Bone and feet are built for the job and hint at a capable adult. Not quite got it together on the move today so apt to be a little untidy in front.

JD (4)
1 Horsman-Phoenix and Horsman’s Snow Legend Zenith of Fame Nordicwinds (imp Russ). Very well put together and had super balance when seen from any angle. Enough leg length without detracting from his obvious power. Angulation very good and put to effective use on the move. Well shaped head with ears set just right. Great strength of neck and shoulder/forechest. Tail set in line with back. Moved with great precision of footfall. In the challenge his youthful build showed up (as it should) but I suspect this one may be destined for greater things.
2 Brandenberg and Smith’s Chayo It’s Kurt for Taronakits. A rather exuberant 16month old who, despite his obvious enthusiasm, could not hide the overall promise he has. Well matched angulation front and rear which gave him a balanced stride. Typy head with good ear set and carriage. In profuse weather proof coat that can give the wrong impression until hands-on are applied. 

PGD (5)
1 Horsman-Phoenix and Horsman’s Snow Legend Zenith of Fame N.
2 Brandenberg and Smith’s Chayo It’s Kurt for T. 

LD (4)
1 Innes’s Icycool Atomic (AI) Very honest dog with a workmanlike look about him. Markings create a false impression of depth of body to length of leg but I found him to have plenty of clearance and was well balanced on all four limbs. Gave the impression of power and soundness from every angle and this was matched in his excellent stride. Super topline with impressive width and strength of loin. Masculine head with good ratio of muzzle to skull, correctly set ears, and well set neck. Tail was a gently waving plume above his back. Hocks were strong and wide. Liked him a lot but he was up against tough competition in the challenge.
2 Vasarhelyi’s Okinastar I’m The Man. Well grown with good length of leg to depth ratio. Strong and masculine in skull and jaw with well set eyes. Sensible angulation which gave him a good stride in all directions. Held a firm topline with well muscled back. Could have had a slightly better tail carriage on the day but no constructional issues. 

OD (6,1) What started as a slight unrest in the previous class became a real challenge by this stage due to an ‘interesting’ bitch in the next ring. Well done to exhibitors who managed to regain some focus at various points during the class.
1 Ellis-Payne’s Ch Chayo Cause Celebre. These two males were closely matched in many ways but this one slightly outperformed 2nd although both were excellent quality. This was a powerhouse of a dog whose build perfectly matched his energy and agility. Strongly made bone, excellent hocks that really added to the quality of his movement, firm topline, correctly made useful loin, masculine head with ears and eyes placed ideally to give that dignified expression. I don’t believe I have judged this dog before as I would have remembered this sort of quality but at 4yrs old he still has his best to come. CC, BOB.
2 Jelfs’s Lapema Malizioso. Younger male who was even more distracted by the adjoining breed ring but nonetheless, quality like this is hard to hide and I saw plenty to like. Such a well balanced boy who combines athleticism with strength and type. In the best condition and held a firm topline with correct flexibility at the loin. Depth to leg length ratio was bang on. Eventually got his showing head on to produce sound and easy movement. His day will come. Full maturity is an exciting prospect I think RCC. 

VB (3)
1 Aitchison and Hurst’s Kaskae Tantrums N Tiaras. Very pleasing 8 year old of good type. Well balanced in head with excellent ears, strong neck, and firm topline. Overall conformation, as expected, produced a no-nonsense gait with balanced stride and obvious soundness. Handler mentioned she had been out of the ring for a while – she certainly came back with a bang!
2 Horsman-Phoenix and Horsman’s Nordicwinds American Dream ShCM JW Lovely head and neck, small ears well set, strong, slightly arched neck, and super shoulders for angles and muscle. Moving in great style and pushed 1st all the way. Standing, she tended to relax her topline a little. 

PB (3,2)
1 Mounstephens and Pullin’s Whitewalker Winter’s Gold. 8 months and growing just as she should to create more than average promise. Feminine but with enough type to demonstrate her appropriate build for working as she gets older. Loyal expression with ear and eye set just to advantage. Moved easily and showed good command of her limbs. Has a few points that may change as she matures, tail carriage, topline etc but at this age such things can be forgiven. Not as ready as the male puppy in the challenge for BPIB.

JB (2)
1 Perfitt’s Samjoe From Russia With Love. 15 month powerfully built but with ease of movement and very pleasing for type. Well put together to create a lovely balanced outline. Head is well shaped with good strength and length of jaw, ears correctly set and expression just right. Firm and muscled topline running into excellent tail carriage. That super movement was definitely a decider here.
2 Innes’s Icycool Ottawa (AI). Type, bone, construction, headpiece were all very obvious but movement was very much hampered by too tight a lead. She spent too much time fighting for a looser lead to show off what was eventually revealed as sound, easy strides. I mentioned this to the handler but it is easy to become tense without realising it. This is a lovely bitch who, once she gets her showing head on, will finish as a super adult.

SpBeginB (1)
1 Wilson’s Kurjak As Nana at Arctictundra (imp Serb). Although she could have had a tad more length of leg, this one was not a lumbering type and had a very pleasing head and neck. Coat was of excellent quality, dense and weatherproof. Slightly overwhelmed but moved OK when settled.

PGB (7)
1 Wilson’s Arctictundra Taiya In the middle of changing coats, but did not detract from what is super quality that I would expect to see at the top end eventually. Well constructed and with a notably good front (not that there was anything wrong at the rear). Head was well balanced with good ratio of strong jaw to skull. Ears set just right. Very well matched angulation fore and aft. Movement really did hit the spot, being breed appropriate and sound. One to watch.
2 Horsman-Phoenix and Horsman’s Nordicwinds Miss Marvel. 19 month and also changing coats. Easy moving while keeping a firm topline. Tail set just in line and carried in typical fashion. Could possibly have a tad more angulation but it didn’t impede her in any way on the move. 

LB (8,4) This class was a conundrum with what I thought was my obvious winner, throwing it away by being somewhat spooked (as did others in this class – for unknown reasons they perceived to be alarming)
1 Wilson’s Arctictundra Lady Fortune. Very powerfully built and combined with her slight over-conditioning, can give an impression of being short in leg. Super head shape with small, well shaped ears, powerful jaw, and great strength of neck. Good angulation and had plenty of dog in front of shoulders. Equally balanced out at the rear. Moved easily. A bit reluctant to carry her tail as high as I would like but showed enough bursts of ‘waving plume’ to tick this particular box.
2 Aitchinson and Hurst’s Kaskae Oasis. Lighter build 3 years old who had a tendency to lose her topline on the stand and this creates a slightly less impression of strength for her original role. Despite this, she was well balanced in angulation, has enough length of leg, and enough bone for her size. Attractive head though ears could be a fraction smaller. Moved OK. 

OB (5)
1 Ellis-Payne’s Ch Chayo Vasilisa. Lovely 4 year old who topped this quality class with her overall outline, well made head with correctly set small ears, good ratio of muzzle to skull, and strongly made neck. On the stack, she projected type, power, and ability but on the move she upped her game to show what she was made of. Super drive from such powerful hindquarters and gave the impression that she could keep up a steady pace for ages. Ideal pasterns to absorb the movement, as well as a correctly carried tail to keep that impressive outline. Topline was firm and well muscled. Not an easy choice between her and the male but I felt that the male had a tad more useful loin length to give him a fraction more flexibility on the move. CC.
2 Page’s The Magician Bloody Mary (imp It). 2 year old who was hot on the heels of 1st and surely destined for Ch status! Type was superb, combining power with beauty, soundness and balance. Correctly textured coat, in ideal condition, moving steadily with subtle strength and with perfect head carriage for a freighting dog. Still giving away a little (very minimal) in maturity/development compared to 1st but what an exciting prospect she is. RCC.

Hedd Richards