Winston, a Border Terrier from Bolney, West Sussex, owned by Lauren Goddard, has won the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition final at Crufts 2023 on Thursday 9 March.
Winston (whose Kennel Club name is Ch Awbrooksky Never Back Down JW) is two years old and has had a great start to his dog show career, winning the Junior Warrant, an award for pedigree dogs from the ages of 6 to 18 months which have won a series of first prizes at both open and championship dog shows, and has now followed this up with a major win at Crufts at the NEC, Birmingham.
Winston and Lauren were up against nine other finalists for the coveted title but were named the winner after wowing judge Lee Cox in the exciting final, which took place for the first time at Crufts since 2020.
Lauren said: “I’m speechless. It was very daunting being in the ring, but there’s no feeling like it. This is the first time I’ve ever taken part in the Junior Warrant.
“He’s still maturing but me and my family are very pleased with him. I can’t put it into words, I’m so happy and proud of Winston.
Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said: “Congratulations to Winston and Lauren for this fantastic achievement. The Junior Warrant is one of the highest levels of success for young dogs and a great indicator of an exciting career to come for these dogs. I am certain we will see a lot more of Winston in the future.
“We were delighted to welcome the competition back to Crufts, and the standard this year has been so high. Competing in the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition final is a great achievement for any young dog, so we want to say a huge well done to all the finalists who took part.”
The Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition is usually held annually and is for dogs which have gained the title of Junior Warrant during the previous year.
44 top young dogs and their handlers competed in the semi-finals at The Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event at ExCeL London in October, where ten finalists were selected to compete at Crufts.
Runner-up in the Junior Warrant final was the Briard, Ethan (Fostebrie Just Unique JW), aged 18 months, owned by Carol Foster from Barnsley, South Yorkshire and handled in the ring by Phil Rogers.
The eight other dogs competing in the final were as follows
- Chihuahua (Smooth Coat), Bondor Given Arfa Chance for Akashic JW, Ms S Lyons
- French Bulldog, Olijah Total Knockout JW, Miss O Timms & Mr J Henderson
- Gordon Setter, Glenmaurangi Mandalorian JW, Mrs A Phillips, Mrs E Miles & Ms T Watkins
- Poodle (Standard), Montravia Enchanted Code by Ryneco JW, Miss C Gleave
- Siberian Husky, Pelenrise Don’t Let Me Go JW, Mesdames P Taylor & H Taylor-Morris
- Spaniel (Welsh Springer), Nyliram Telling Tales JW, Mr T Graham
- Tibetan Spaniel, Malia Pumpkin Pie by Susu JW, Miss C Cooper
- Tibetan Terrier, Sanchara Shine A Light JW, Mr A Bridges, Miss C Rose-Dawson & Ms S Rose.
To find out more about the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition, please visit this page.
Crufts is taking place from 9 - 12 March 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham. For more information and results from the show, visit the Crufts website.