Frankie, a Miniature Poodle from Ramsgreave, Lancashire, won the Utility Group title at Crufts 2020 today (Thursday, 5th March), qualifying him for a place in the Best in Show final on Sunday evening.
Frankie (Ch Minarets Best Kept Secret), four, will return to the Resorts World Arena at the NEC in Birmingham for a place in the final at the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, with his owner Melanie Harwood.
Melanie is a third generation breeder of Poodles, with both her mother, Carol, and grandmother, Muriel, also sharing her passion for the breed. Frankie previously won Reserve Best in Show at Crufts in 2017, and will be hoping to go one better on Sunday evening.
People around the world will be watching to see which dog is crowned Best in Show on Sunday evening as the final is shown live on Channel 4 and streamed on the official Crufts YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/crufts.
Almost 20,000 dogs are competing over the four days for one of just seven places in the Crufts final and a chance to win the most celebrated title in the world of dogs.
Proud handler Melanie, said: “Frankie is such a great dog to show and he’s coming to the end of his show career so to win at this level again, I am so proud of him and I’m proud to do this for my mum and my grandmother.
“To win the best of breed is an amazing achievement, to represent that breed and win the group is crazy. We’ll just go into Best in Show and enjoy it.”
Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said: “We are thrilled to see Frankie and Melanie chosen as the Utility Group winner today. They should be very proud of reaching the prestigious Best in Show final for a second time – it’s an incredible achievement and one that not many get to experience in their lifetime.
“Crufts celebrates healthy, happy dogs and recognises the special and unique bond between dogs and their owners. Frankie is such a wonderful dog that clearly has a great relationship with his owner, and is at home in the show ring.
“The final is set to be very exciting on Sunday. We want to wish Frankie and Melanie the best of luck in the ring.”
For more information, visit www.crufts.org.uk. The results for Crufts 2020 can be found online. For free downloadable images from Crufts 2020, please go to www.flick.media/crufts_2020/.