100 Years of Best in Show

Where were we last time? I think I wrote that the rules governing the competition for Best in Show will be exactly 100 years old in 2024. There was no BIS award at Westminster in 1923 because AKC barred inter-breed competition that year while investigating the irregularities that routinely occurred at this level of judging. For example, defeated dogs could win over competitors that had been placed ahead of them in earlier classes at the same show, and dogs that had not competed for Best of Breed might even turn up to compete — and win! — in the Best in Show judging.

A trophy for Best in Show was until then a “special” award that required pre-entry and often would come with strings attached. It could be awarded to “The best dog in the Show owned by a lady,” “The best exhibit in the show, winner to have been bred by the owner” — and so on. In other words, perfectly legitimate restrictions but hardly what we mean by a regular BIS, which goes to the winning dog without any qualifications. That is why you can't take BIS awards before 1924 completely seriously. (That does not mean that wins before that date should not be mentioned, of course. Reportedly one Greyhound, Ch. Lansdowne Sunflower, won “Best in Show” 85 times pre-1924, and Westminster Kennel Club prints all the winners since 1907 in each year's catalog. But it would help if everyone knew that these wins are not exactly what we mean by BIS these days.)

To recap briefly, AKC made it a rule that from 1924 a dog could only compete in a group in which it had won Best of Breed, and the only dogs eligible to compete for Best in Show were the group winners at that show. The new rules worked so well that they are still employed a whole century later, although the number of groups has increased from five to seven — the Sporting and Hound breeds were judged as one group for a few years, and the Herding group was split off from the Working breeds in the 1980s.

In previous articles, the most frequent all-breed BIS winners from the first four decades have been outlined. This story deals only with the fifth decade, 1964-1973. Some dogs that won during these years had already won during the previous decade and have been mentioned already. The fawn French Bulldog bitch Ch. Ralanda Ami Francine won 39 BIS before finally heading the group in 1964 and winning 16 more BIS. She was shown by Jerry Rigden and placed among the Top Ten of all breeds three times. The Scottie Ch. Carmichael's Fanfare was second for Top Terrier in 1963, won in 1964 (#2 all breeds with 21 BIS that year) and won Westminster in 1965, handled by John Murphy. The brown Toy Poodle Ch. Loramar's I'm A Dandee won 72 BIS during six years, 1962-1967; two of those years he placed among the country's Top Ten show dogs of any breed. He was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Levy of Florida and handled by Mr. Levy. The almost all-black Afghan Hound Ch. Sahadi Shikari was Top Hound in 1965 but had started winning in 1963 and ended up with 32 BIS. Frank Sabella, who showed the dog in California, told me once that Shikari was wonderful but deeply frustrating, because he just couldn't win much with him. Of course, what Frank meant by “not winning much” is relative: He won at least some BIS with Shikari on the West Coast, but the dog undeniably did much better with Jack Funk in the Midwest.

Toy Poodle Ch. Loramar's I'm A Dandee with owner and handler Robert Levy.

These four were illustrated in a previous article, but I am enclosing a different picture of the Toy Poodle with his owner-handler, as this was actually one of the top BIS winners during the years we are dealing with. Two of these dogs are also proof that persistence wins out — at least sometimes. At the start of 1964, when the Toy Poodle was already more than three years old, he had only won two BIS; in early 1965, the Afghan Hound was aged six years and had “only” four BIS. Considering that they both kept winning much more in later years — Shikari won 11 BIS in 1967, when he was almost eight years old, and Dandee won 16 BIS the same year, when he turned seven — that should give a lot of people hope.

Above: Skye Terrier Ch. Jacinthe de Ricelaine. Photo Shafer. Below: Afghan Hound Ch. Holly Hill Desert Wind.

A couple of others demonstrate the same trend — mainly the Skye Terrier Ch. Jacinthe de Ricelaine and another Afghan Hound, Ch. Holly Hill Desert Wind. Jacinthe was one of Walter Goodman's foundation bitches, imported from France and somehow also found time to produce a litter that contained nine champions, including the Westminster BIS winner Ch. Glamoor Good News. She however was not specialed as long as her mother: Jacinthe won 35 BIS between 1962 and 1966. “Windy’s” record is even more impressive: Desert Wind was handled by Jane (Kamp) Forsyth and won 38 BIS between 1963 and 1968. (I had the good fortune of meeting the aged Windy during a visit to the Grayarlin kennels in the late '60s and can still remember what a clown he was, far removed from the haughty Afghans I was used to.)

Standard Poodle Ch. De Russy Lollypop with handler Frank Sabella.

There were so many others who won a lot during this decade. The Pekingese Ch. Coughton Sungable of Perryacre had the misfortune of coming on the scene just a few years after the immortal Ch. Chik T'Sun of Caversham or would probably be better remembered by breed fanciers today — but he was Top Toy for the two years he was specialed, 1965 and 1966, and won 48 BIS. He was an English import and handled by Elaine Rigden. There was the black Miniature Poodle Eng. & Am. Ch. Frederick of Rencroft, who was #1 all breeds in 1966 and won 40 BIS with his handler Frank Sabella. Frank also won at least 37 BIS a few years later with the black Standard Poodle Ch. De Russy Lollypop, who was by some estimations #1 all breeds in 1969. (The other claimant to the throne was the Boxer Ch. Arriba's Prima Donna, who won fewer BIS than the Poodle but got a few more points, which today would settle the matter; then it was not so easy, as the number of BIS wins still often determined the winner. Popular Dogs magazine had the Standard Poodle as the winner, Kennel Review the Boxer.)

Pekingese Ch. Coughton Sungable of Perryacre.

There was also the fantastic English Springer Spaniel Ch. Salilyn's Aristocrat, who took a record 45 BIS during 1967, which of course made him #1 all breeds. He won 18 additional BIS in 1966 for a grand total of 63, and was then retired to stud, siring 188 AKC champions, which still is the most ever for any breed, as far as I know. Aristocrat's record number of BIS in a year didn't stand long, incidentally, and it seems like poetic justice that it should be his own son who broke it: In 1971 Ch. Chinoe's Adamant James won 47 BIS and #1 all breeds. He was also BIS at Westminster in both 1971 and 1972,  still the most recent dog to do this twice, more than 50 years ago! Altogether “James” won 60 BIS.

Above: English Springer Spaniel Ch. Salilyn's Aristocrat with his handler Dick Cooper. Below: English Springer Spaniel Ch. Chinoe's Adamant James with handler Clint Harris and BIS judge Dorothy Fishman. Photo Graham.

Then there was the Kerry Blue Terrier Ch. Melbee's Chances Are, who was #1 all breeds in 1968 and won 35 BIS at his prime, and the ASCOB Cocker Spaniel Ch. Sagamore Toccoa, who was #1 all breeds in 1972 and won 38 BIS. There were also three Keeshonden, all shown by what must then have been the most successful breeder-exhibitor-handler in the U.S., Porter Washington from California. Ch. Flakkee Sweepstakes won 46 BIS and was #1 Non-Sporting in 1967 and 1968. Ch. Flakkee Jackpot seems to have been specialed for only two years but won 32 BIS and was #1 Non-Sporting in 1971, #2 in 1972, while Ch. Flakkee Instant Replay won 43 BIS and was #2 Non-Sporting for three years in a row, 1972, 1973 and 1974. Sweepstakes was #2 of all breeds in 1967; all told the Flakkee dogs owned by Mr. and Mrs. Washington won around 200 BIS well into the 1980s.

Kerry Blue Terrier Ch. Melbee's Chances Are with handler Ric Chashoudian winning BIS at Del Sur Kennel Club under judge Peter Knoop.

Other great winners of at least 30 all-breed BIS — an arbitrary figure, but a necessary one, for simple space reasons — were the Irish Setter Ch. Major O'Shannon (placed among Top Ten all breeds 1968, '69 and '70); the Doberman Pinscher Ch. Sultana of Marienburg (33 BIS, #2 all breeds 1967); the Boxer Ch. Salgray's Ovation (35 BIS 1967-1969); two West Highland White Terriers, Ch. De-Go Hubert (30 BIS, Top Terrier 1970) and Ch. Purston Pinmoney Pedlar (50 BIS, Top Terrier 1973); the Lakeland Terrier Ch. Special Edition (34 BIS, Top Terrier 1969); the Maltese Ch. Aennchen's Poona Dancer (owner-handled by Frank Oberstar to 38 BIS 1965-1967); the other Maltese Ch. Joanne Chen's Maya Dancer (43 BIS, #2 all breeds 1972); the Shih Tzu Ch. Witch's Wood Yum Yum (39 BIS, Top Toy 1973); and two German Shepherd Dogs, Ch. Lakeside's Gilligan's Island (35 BIS, specialed for just two years, as he died during his campaign, #1 Working Dog both years, #2 all breeds 1972 and #3 in 1973) and Ch. Val-Koa's Roon (30 BIS 1972-1974).

Irish Setter Ch. Major O'Shannon. Handler Tom Glassford.

Boxer Ch. Salgray's Ovation with handler Larry Downey and judge Haworth Hoch.

There are so many famous names that are NOT included for one reason or another, the most important being that they didn't win at least 30 BIS during the years that they placed in the Top Ten of their group — which in those years would normally net a top winner only a few all-breed Bests, if that. (The Working Group was big until the Herding breeds were separated from it to form their own group, which didn't become a reality until 1983. The Doberman Ch. Ru Mar's Tsushima got sufficient points to become #1 all breeds in 1965 from just six BIS wins and 25 Working groups; the Pekingese Sungable was #2 with 25 BIS and 49 groups but still beat fewer dogs than the Dobe.) To keep this in perspective, you have to remember that there were 400-something AKC all-breed shows during most of the '60s; by 1973 the figure had gone up to 625 — less than half of today's total.

Often there is one or more “hidden” BIS wins — say, when the dog is just starting to be specialed, before the first year it reaches Top Ten status, or it might win an occasional BIS when it's winding down its career that's not reflected in its earlier record. There is no way you can know about those wins unless you are heavily involved in that particular breed. I know for sure that the Whippet Eng. & Am. Ch. Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth won exactly 29 BIS (including Westminster 1964, the year he was #1 all breeds) only because I happen to be involved in Whippets — but I don't know if, say, the German Shorthaired Pointer Ch. Gretchenhof Columbia River won more than the 29 BIS he is credited with at the height of his career, during 1973 through 1975: He won BIS at Westminster in 1974. The Scottish Terrier Eng. & Am. Ch. Bardene Bingo, the Lakeland Eng. & Am. Ch. Stingray of Derryabah (the first dog ever to win BIS at both Crufts and Westminster and sire of the previously mentioned Ch. Special Edition), the Boxer Ch. Arriba's Prima Donna, the Doberman Pinscher Ch. Galaxy's Corry Missile Bell and the Norwegian Elkhound Ch. Vin Melca's Vagabond — all were either BIS at Westminster or #1 all breeds (sometimes both), yet none won 30 AKC all-breed BIS in the years they were among the Top Ten in their group.

The same goes for many other famous names: the Longhaired Dachshund Ch. Jo-Del's Nicholas, the Boxer Ch. Salgray's Fashion Plate (sire of Ovation), the Doberman Pinscher Ch. Dolph von Tannenwald, the Great Dane Heidere's Kolyer Kimbayh, the Maltese Ch. Pendletons Jewel, the Pekingese Ch. Dan Lee Dragonseed, the Old English Sheepdog Ch. Fezziwig Raggedy Andy and many, many others. Or perhaps the famous dog you may have heard of was not shown at all during the fifth decade of modern-style Best in Show competition, 1964-1973?

Lakeland Terrier Ch. Jo-Ni's Red Baron of Crofton, the most successful all-breed winner that was shown during this decade. He won 73 BIS between 1972-1975, including at Westminster and was #1 all breeds. Pictured with his handler Ric Chashoudian. Photo Bergman.

At last we come to the most successful dog that made its debut during this time period. He did some of his most important winning in the next decade, because he was born at least 10 years later than e.g. the Toy Poodle Ch. Loramar's I'm A Dandee, mentioned earlier, but the Lakeland Terrier Ch. Jo-Ni's Red Baron of Crofton is still the most successful all-breed winner that was shown in this decade. He eventually won at least 74 BIS, was #1 all breeds and won Westminster, but he won his first BIS in 1972, and through his famous sire Ch. Special Edition and grandsire Ch. Stingray of Derryabah he retained strong ties to previous years.