Page 186 - ShowSight - September 2019

Two-Timing Terriers
BY DAN SAYERS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY HAS CROWNED SIX
DOUBLE WIN
NERS
ext month, the mem- bers of the Montgom- ery County Kennel Club will once again
Ch. Toplight Template Of Twin Ponds helped to establish the Welsh Terrier as a real contender in the ring against all competitors.
CH. CARMICHAEL’S FANFARE (1963 & ‘64)
host Terrier fanciers from around the world at their one-of-a-kind event. Nestled among the bucolic hills and dales of Southeastern Pennsylvania, “Montgomery” remains a fixture on the calendar for serious Terrier folk and anyone else who can appreciate a show where the breeding of pure- bred dogs is still celebrated. Most
breed winners at this event also become National Specialty winners on the day, and the show’s top dog often finds itself well-positioned for a February victory in New York. (Eight Montgomery winners have also been Westminster winners.) More exclusive still is the list of Terriers that have gone Best in Show at Montgomery twice. Since the first show was held in 1929, only six dogs have managed to double their winnings at the Greatest Terrier Show on Earth.
CH. TOPLIGHT TEMPLATE OF TWIN PONDS (1952 & ’53)
The first two-time Montgomery winner was an imported Welsh Terrier owned by Mrs. Edward P. Alker of Great Neck, Long Island. Ch. Toplight Template Of Twin Ponds was bred by Mr. Laurie Bell of Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the heart of the U.K. A winner of four Reserve Challenge Certificates in his home country, the black-and- tan enjoyed far better luck on this side of the Atlantic. Handled by Mrs. Alker’s kennel manager, John Goudie, “Template” was considered a “dark horse” when he beat the immortal Boxer Ch. Bang-Away Of Sirrah Crest at the Yonkers Kennel Club in 1951. (Incidentally, it was at this show that a future Westminster winner, Ch. Rancho Dobe’s Storm, was first entered.) The upset must have sparked a fire among the fancy, for the Welshman quickly added a Best in Show win at Westbury to his credit, a feat he repeated the following year. In 1952, Mrs. Alker’s import went all the way to the top at Montgomery for the first time under Richard A. Kerns, Jr. The dog’s second Montgomery win was awarded the following year by George H. Hartman. In 1953, the Welsh Terrier’s career was topped-off with a monumental win at Morris and Essex under Anton B. Korbel from an entry of 2,612. Template had achieved immortality alongside Mrs. Alker’s other greats. Together with the 1944 Westminster winner, Ch. Flornell Rare Bit Of Twin Ponds, and Ch. Twin Ponds Belle, a Group winner at the Garden in 1949,
One of the top-winners of the 1960s, Ch. Carmichael’s Fanfare established an enviable record not only for Terriers, but among all breeds as well. Bred by Ruth Johnson and handled by John P. Mur- phy for owners Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Stalter of the Barberry Knowe Kennels in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, “Mamie” won 32 Bests in Show. The silver brindle bitch set an incredibly high bar through a series of important back-to-back wins. She was awarded consecutive Bests in 1963 and ’64 at the Ramapo, Somerset Hills and Westchester Kennel Club shows. Montgomery too was dou- bly lucky for the Scottie. In 1963, John T. Marvin awarded her Best in Show at the Terrier classic. Cyrus K. Rickel had the honor to do so the following year. To say that the Stalter’s show girl was hot throughout the Swinging Sixties would be an understatement. In 1965, the four-year-old dominated the floor at Westminster where Robert A. Kerns awarded her Best in Show from a field that included another fan favorite. Among the finalists that year was the defending champion and top dog of 1964, Ch. Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth, handled by Bob Forsyth for owner Margaret New- combe. Unfortunately for the English-bred Whippet, the two-tim- ing Scottie just couldn’t allow “Ricky” the pleasure of a repeat per- formance. After all, back-to-back wins was Mamie’s stock-in-trade.
CH. MANKIT’S TO THE MOON (1968 & ‘69)
As America pursued an ambitious space program to put a man on the moon, one breeder of Miniature Schnauzers seemed to get caught up in the excitement. Emanuel F. Miller of Noblesville, Indiana, produced an influential family of Miniature Schnauzers during the ‘60s that included several notable winners with decid- edly lunar names. The Mankit dogs were linebred on Dorothy Wil- liams’ influential sire, Ch. Dorem Display. A “Display” daughter, Ch. Gladding’s Bie Bie, became the kennel’s foundation bitch. From Bie Bie, Mr. Miller produced a family of Schnauzers whose accomplishments could not be eclipsed. Ch. Mankit’s Moon Shot sired five champions, including the top-winning Ch. Mankit’s Sig- nal Go. Wayne Miller of the Trayhom Kennels handled the dog to Best of Breed at Montgomery in 1964, ‘65 and ’66. “Signal Go” was the sire of 21 champions, including the top-producing Ch. Mankit’s Xerxes whose champion progeny also numbered 21. The kennel’s most famous winner was Ch. Mankit’s To The Moon. In 1968, Mr. Miller’s young hopeful swept through the entry of
John Murphy handled Ch. Carmichael’s Fanfare to the Scottish Terrier’s first Montgomery Best in Show under judge John T. Marvin. Photo by Brown.
John Goudy handled Ch. Toplight Template Of Twin Ponds to two consecutive Montgomery victories. The Welsh Terrier is pictured here with judge Anton B. Korbel at Morris and Essex in 1953. Photo by Shafer.
184 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019