Judge

Males: Ann Beckett-Bradshaw, kennel Hutaka

Ann Beckett-Bradslaw I bought my first show whippet from Frank Moore (Allgarth) in 1973 (although she was bred at the Lowglen kennel of Fred Nicholas) and I have had whippets in my life ever since.
I have campaigned three champions to their titles and owned and bred further CC winners both here, and on the continent.
I gave my first whippet UK CC’s in 1992 and have been fortunate to judge to CC level regularly, including whippet males at Crufts 2016.
I have also been privileged to have judged whippets to CC level in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Sweden (including the ‘Skokloster’ sighthound specialty) and in Italy for the Whippet World Congress, where I was also one of the principal speakers.
After its conversion into booklet form, I gave the rights to my presentation from the Whippet World Congress to the UK Whippet Breed Council, to be used as an educational device for upcoming whippet judges.
I also give CC’s in Afghan Hounds, a breed both my parents and I were involved with, and started owning and judging miniature longhaired dachshunds after my trip to Australia, where one of them captivated me! They live very happily in our home with the whippets.
Since 2007 I have been actively involved with the education of future judges at Whippet Breed Seminars, as a Mentor, Assessor and on several occasions as the main speaker.
I have been a long-time member of several UK whippet breed clubs and I was a committee member of The Whippet Club until my relocation north to Cumbria made it impractical to continue. In addition, I served as Secretary of the UK Whippet Breed Council and, more lately, as Chairman, during which time Breed Council were instrumental in changing the Breed Standard to exclude the colour Merle, in successfully encouraging the FCI to correct their (altered) Breed Standard to fall back in line with the UK. and in starting a successful series of online whippet educational events, which were popular throughout the world, at a time when Covid left us all at home with no showing allowed.
I am a member of The Royal Kennel Club.
I was delighted to be invited, and I am very much looking forward to judging again in Sweden at the special anniversary show.

Ann Beckett-Bradshaw

Females and Best In Show: Thomas Münch, kennel Flic Flac

Thomas Münch Whippets have been part of my life for well over thirty years.
The breed’s natural beauty and athleticism, wrapped in a relatively small package, have made them impossible to resist.
It all started in 1985 with the acquisition of Fleetwing’s Opening Night from Eva Holz in Switzerland: “Nighty” descended from Laguna, Dondelayo, Courthill and Newbold bloodlines and she also became a German Champion for her novice owners. Needless to say, my partner Reinhard Seim and I were hooked!
Since then, a very limited number of litters has been bred under my prefix FlicFlac resulting in a number of Champions in Germany and beyond.
Our first litter was bred in 1988 using Tim Teillers’ Dutch Ch. Samoem’s Startin’ Over and producing our first homebred Champions: Int., Swiss and Ger. Ch. FlicFlac Amazing Grace and her brother, Ger. Ch. FlicFlac Angel Cake.
When Opening Night was bred to Am., Can., GB and Int. Ch. Lorricbrook Runaway at Shalfleet, she produced the Chs. FlicFlac Camelot and Chorus Line and Amazing Grace, bred to Ch. Hammonds Simple Simon (imp. GB; bred by Angela Randall), produced Int. Ch. FlicFlac Flying Flame who started Susanne and Hajo Oschinski’s Whipcats.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to have been able to import a number of influential Whippets from the breed’s native country and North America. Without any doubt, Int. Ch. Pencloe Dutch Amber, bred by Morag Bolton-Lockhart in Scotland, and Ger. Ch. Lorricbrook Bandleader, bred by Max Magder in Canada, deserve special mention here as they laid a solid base for success not only for my own prefix:
The litter sisters GB Ch. FlicFlac Kiss of Gold at Pencloe (owned by Morag Bolton; Britain’s first imported Whippet bitch Champion) and Int. and multinat. Ch. FlicFlac Kiss of Love (owned by Stefan Raghammar; top winning and producing Whippet for “Adagio” in Sweden) were sired by Bandleader and out of Dutch Amber. Bandleader himself was used at stud by a variety of kennels with a huge amount of success. I guess it is safe to say that he has become part of Whippet history as his name can be found in Whippet pedigrees across the globe.
At present, there are four adult Whippet bitches here at home, all of which have a mixed Anglo-American background but share the Bandleader / Dutch Amber cross at the base.
I do feel privileged to have been able to see and judge our lovely breed in many corners of the world including Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and Canada as well as across Europe.
I am currently licensed to judge all FCI group 10 sighthound breeds.
I live just south of Frankfurt and work as a physician for the Federal German Army Administration in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Thomas Münch

Reserve judge: Carina Ekvall, kennel Xciting

Carina Ekwall Afghan Hounds have been in the family since 1968, so I grew up with this breed.
My mother Britt-Marie started the breeding and I became a co-owner of the Xciting kennel in the late 80s. A few years ago I celebrated 50 years with the breed.
I feel at home in the greyhound world. The family spent a lot of time at the racecourse in Skarpnäck and at shows – I don’t think I’ve missed a “Skokloster weekend”.
During these years I have made friends and acquaintances with whippets and have gotten to know this breed outside the ring as well.
For a period I was also active in the editorial team of Whippetbladet.
The idea had been there for a long time to become a show judge, to take my interest in dogs to a new level, to learn new things and to share my experiences. I became an authorized judge in 2010.
Have judged whippets several times in Sweden and abroad. It is a breed I enjoy judging, and I am attracted by their beautiful line play and friendly nature.
Hope to see you in Apalby!

Carina Ekwall