The names of the dogs which will compete in The Kennel Club 150th Anniversary Celebration Stakes at Crufts 2023 have been announced.
The stakes will be judged by Zena Thorn-Andrews, well-known judge and breeder of the highly-successful Drakesleat Miniature Wire Haired Dachshunds and Irish Wolfhounds. The finalists will parade at 7pm in the main arena on Thursday 9 March at the NEC in Birmingham.
In order to qualify for the stakes, a dog must have won Best in Show at a general championship show in the UK during 2022. The winner will take home glassware and prize money of £150 presented by The Kennel Club.
The following ten competitors have confirmed their intention to compete in this special anniversary event:
- Alaskan Malamute, Ch Chayo Cause Celebre, owned by Mrs S Ellis-Payne
- Basset Griffon Vendéen (Grand), Dutch Ch Forget-Me-Not v Tum-Tum’s Vriendjes (ATC Netherlands), Mr GM & Mrs AN Huikeshoven
- Border Terrier, Ch Otterbobs Tolson, Mr J & Mrs H Gilpin
- Bullmastiff, Ch Hyerdunscar On A Mission with Coulbymoor JW, Mrs J Davies
- Deerhound, Ch Ormanstar Dark Shadow, Mrs S Taylor
- Dobermann, Ch Manzart Wise Guy, Mrs A Everley & Mr N Hughes
- Great Dane, Ch Selmalda Jealous Guy (AI), Ms L & Mr A Chappell
- Poodle (Standard), Ch Huffish Rewrite The Stars with Atastar (Imp Swe), Mr P Langdon
- Weimaraner, Sh Ch Gunalt Hendricks, Messrs D Alcorn & G Ingram
- Whippet, Ch Crème Anglaise's Irish Cream (ATC Netherlands), Messrs J W Akerboom & K van der Schaaf
Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said: “Crufts very much wished to mark this special anniversary year for The Kennel Club, which is how the idea for the 150th Anniversary Celebration Stakes was born. We do acknowledge that the original announcement for this event did say that only the winners of Best in Show at all-breed general championship shows would be eligible.
“However, it soon became apparent that, with some dogs having won Best in Show on multiple occasions and other dogs being unable to attend Crufts this year, the Celebration Stakes were unlikely to be the event we had envisioned. It was therefore decided that the event would be opened up to every general championship show Best in Show winner of 2022, which has resulted in a star-studded line-up of ten top-winning dogs who doubtless will provide the crowds in the arena with an exciting event befitting this special anniversary for The Kennel Club.”