A goodly entry for a Thursday in January and most made it through the traffic so that 45/51 were present. A feature of Manchester is its efficiency, due in no small measure to the skilled stewarding that kept me on my toes throughout, starting today. I found a good depth of quality with some promising youngsters making their debut. There were some excellent r/w, albeit all critiqued happen to be b/w. In doing this write-up, have noted the ongoing co-operation between breeders, inc imported stock, and as evidenced by the ringside self-congrats as two new Chs were crowned. The future looks to remain secure for the breed in the UK. 

PD (4) Promising quartet of quality to start us off. 1 Allen’s Sheardream Eric. 9 mths, elegant and dainty, yet compact and cobby; lovely head and expression of desired crescents with an excellent skull, eye and muzzle; well balanced and angulated; level; good tail carriage; hare feet; typical of a Chin, his co-operation was only on his terms but he was persuasively handled so as to be both stylish and sound moving. BPD & BPIB. 2 Burns & Hampton’s Sleepyhollow Vincent. 10 mths; close up with many shared qualities and I now see is Yama sired, whereas the above is out of a Yama dam; nothing to quibble about; also scored in skull and eye with the crescents providing breadth; square with width in chest and a firm topline; well distributed colour; straight and positive on the move; assured future. 3 Martin’s Sharlarna Banksy NAF TAF. 

JD (5) 1 Jackson’s Amantra Eiji. 17 mths; beautifully cobby with the most lovely head of a good size; looks at you so expressively; prefer a touch more neck; balanced angles; feathered, hare feet; level with short loin; straight, silky coat; moved out straight with good reach and elevation but no convergence; a promising teenager. 2 Holland-Smith’s Kirdanchi Chisana Senshi. 11 mth pup, so giving age away; one of undeniable quality along with his half- brother who made up the PD quartet; typical head with lovely eye; combines the desired features of being both cobby yet dainty so as to be very good to go over; excellent hind action; obviously immature and came on a little narrow with a rather exaggerated lift; added maturity will assist. 3 Partington-Palmer’s Sharlarna Starman. 

PGD (9, 3) 1 Farmer’s Sangria Salvador Dali. 20 mths; a quality youngster; gd in skull and eye; dainty; slender, fine bone down to a firm pastern and feathered hare feet; square, level through to short loin; good tailset and carriage; sound and stylish on the move with enough lift; will be moving up the ranks this summer, not least being a son of the Res CC. 2 Rooney & Green’s Jaschin Stop And Paws. 18 mths; another quality youngster who will be well capable of holding his own as an adult; typically expressive head as formed by crescents and cushioning; slightly heavier in build and bone; squarely cobby; soft and well broken coat; true, stylish mover. 3 Vincent’s Cholas Yasu At Yama. 

LD (10, 1) Such a competitive class, demonstrating the depth of quality within the breed. 1 Davidson’s Stepheter Constant Contact. Two and a half yrs; a class act with an aristocratic, elegant air yet still well bodied and cobby; beautiful face with characteristic look of astonishment; correctly wide in chest supported by strong, yet fine, bone; good neck and topline; slender, feathered feet; excellent coat and tail carriage; certainly sound and stylish but with such a superior, elevated, attitude on the move that never wavered and kept him ahead... with the help of assured handling. Dog CC & BOB with a ringside roar that revealed this was his third. Congrats to all his connections. Plenty more to come on this form. 2 Rooney & Green’s Littletigers Innuendo With Jaschin JW (Imp Ita). Just turned 3 yrs; a quality import yet still Sleepyhollow sired; not quite the finish of face of the above but choc full of breed type; enviable eye and ear; good in rib and cobbiness; level to a well carried tail; feathered, hare feet; gave it his best shot on the move that was smart and true with gd elevation; strikes me as title bound and have noted is proving a beneficial sire. 3 Hampton, Vine & Strange’s Sleepyhollow Love Me Sibbai TAF. 

OD (5) Excellent class. 1 Farmer’s Ch Sangria Moon Walk. 3 yrs; absolute quality as befits his breeding and himself the sire of the PGD; glorious head with some breadth in skull, crescents and cushioning in muzzle; characteristic look of astonishment; slight crest to neck to give proud head carriage; square and compact with some width and short loin; profuse, silky coat; good tailset and carriage; moved out with balanced activity and required lift so as to give nothing away in the challenge; such a privilege to separate them and it’s a question of which is the most bang on form on this single day so as to give the most goosebumps! Reserve Dog CC. 2 Thomas’ Javalcy The Great Mikado. Three and a half yrs; CC quality for sure; ticked all the specific breed boxes; another able to be dainty yet with a cobby body; head a series of crescents and eyes set far apart with look of astonishment; width through chest; square with short loin; silky coated with frill at neck and a proud, light sure-footed action with excellent tail carriage; a joy to be deciding places on degree of excellence as opposed to on faults. 3 Young’s Ch Sharlarna’s Magician. 

VD (2) 1 McFarlane’s Myojo Morgan ShCM. Seven and a half yrs; the more mature of this pairing, being cobby with a lovely head and eye comprised of crescents; good mouth; really good to go over; stylish lift and absolutely sure-footed to demonstrate to the younger brigade how it should be done. BVIB. 2 Doran’s Shardlow Mikado With Osakazuki. 7 yrs; dainty but without the substance, lacking condition especially over the loin; lovely, expressive headpiece; moved with elegance and absolutely true. 

PB (6) So much future promise on show. 1 Martin’s Sharlarna Bish Bash Bosh NAF TAF. 8 mths and quite the charmer; look of astonishment from a most feminine face; already well bodied and compact; balanced angulation; elegant and sound with the carriage of an aristocrat; has an assured future. BPB. 2 Bradley’s Ismirelle I Put A Spell On You. 8 mths, who just needs to get more practice at being gone over; she excels in breed type from her lovely head, her well made cobby body and her straight and elegant action that gave no hint of anxiety so as to justify her place; will be one to be reckoned with in due course. 3 Oatridge’s Sleepyhollow Peace Flower At Dalehouse. 

JB (5, 1) 1 Clarke’s Tismechi Yumi. 15 mths; Sharlarna sired; ticked those breed specific boxes; head comprised of crescents; good sized eye giving an astonished look; square and compact yet still dainty with fine, but strong, bone; well coated; hare feet; well angulated; once she deigned to settle she moved true with an elevated style; one to watch out for this summer show season. 2 Young’s Craimose Touch Of Class. 17 mths; her name is well represented through her Sleepyhollow/Choya parentage; so feminine and typical; some breadth in her rounded skull; well placed features; well angulated; cobby with width through chest; not quite the coat and prefer a little more leg length; positive and elegant mover with desired lift, albeit can still firm at pastern. 3 Crane’s Anjuli Margo For Cranvarl. 

PGB (9, 4) 1 Farrugia’s Cholas Miki. Two and a half yrs; 100% Yama breeding and litter sister of 3rd in PGD; very feminine and dainty; pretty headed with well placed features, albeit prefer touch more width to muzzle to give a more cushioned finish; good neck; has some width through and cobbiness; level to a high tailset and carriage; so gd to watch on the move as her excellent angulation made it so balanced and she showed an elegant, elevated style. 2 Cayton’s Sharlarna Temptress. Just 21 mths with an assured future as she matures on; beautiful head and eye; cobby body; enviable hare feet; level and square; sound and elegant with a stylish air; giving age away here but with the summer ahead to come into full bloom. 3 Rooney & Green’s Jaschin Paws For Applause. 

LB (3, 1) 1 Rooney & Green’s Jaschin First Edition. 2 yrs; half-sister of the BOB; a quality exhibit packed with breed type; relatively large head of crescents and cushioning with excellent eye and ear; excellent neck and forehand, duly balanced by rear angulation; width through chest and cobby; well coated with tail plumed over back; used her conformation so well on the move that was as sound as it was stylish, showing no weakness and with lift; Ch quality as recognised by Reserve Bitch CC. 2 Farrugia’s Cholas Lucy Locket. Three and a half yrs; full sister of PGB; breed typical with mainly good head properties, albeit prefer larger nosepad; well rounded in skull; nicely cushioned muzzle; scored in her balanced, well angulated structure, within a compact shape, that told on the move where she combined soundness with style and elegance. 

OB (3) 1 Forth’s Omegaville Ima Showgirl. Four and a half yrs; 100% Sangria breeding; it was back to those goosebumps as she came in and circuited; picture of an elegant, aristocratic Chin; picture of crescents and cushioning; suitably “astonished”; open, well spaced features; good in neck, so well used on the move to give proud head carriage; square, compact and level; silky, feathered coat; balanced angles; excellent tail set and carriage; took it all up a notch on the move as she gave us not only absolute accuracy but gd reach and elevation with no weakness behind; so came the second roar of the day as I handed this disbelieving breeder/exhibitor the Bitch CC and her title. Phew! 2 Davidson’s Sharlarna Booty Call. Just turned 3 yrs; a touch taller and narrower but was giving plenty of age away and less profusely coated; fabulous face with enviable features, spacing, crescents and cushioning; good in neck and angles; straight and elegant with lift on the move. 3 Quinn’s Ch Harlouville Uptown Girl JW.