The title of "Best in Show" is given to the dog chosen as the winner of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show according to conformation show rules. It has its origins in the variety classes for champions that were introduced in 1905 which included prizes for best champion dog and best champion bitch.[1][2] The title of Best in Show at Westminster has been awarded every year beginning in 1907 except for 1923 when changes in American Kennel Club rules prohibited mixed breed judging until a uniform process could be adopted;[3] following further changes in rules it was awarded again in 1924.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breeds conformation show.[4][5] It has been held in New York City, New York annually since 1877.[6] It was held at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 1880,[7][8] and is currently held in the modern arena of the same name.[9] Dogs are first placed in breed specific classes for Best of Breed, with the winners moving on to the respective breed group. Winners from each group then compete for the title of Best in Show. In each class, the individual dogs are judged against the breed standard of each dog breed.[4]
In 1992, competition at Westminster was restricted to champions only.[10] A dog can only become a champion by gaining championship points at other conformation shows.[11] Prior to 1992, admission to dogs was open, and in 1938 an English Setter named Daro of Maridor was the Best in Show title at Westminster in his very first outing at a dog show at the age of 11 months.[12] In 1929, a previously unregistered British dog won at Westminster using the name Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven, aged nine months in his only show on American soil.[13]
The James Mortimer Memorial Silver Trophy is awarded permanently should the dog win Best in Show on five separate occasions with the same owner, otherwise a silver-plated replica is awarded.[14] As of 2020, the most successful dog to win Best in Show at Westminster was a Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy.[15] She was the first winner of Best in Show and the only dog to have won it on three occasions.[16]
The Terrier Group would continue to win until 1913 when a Bulldog, Ch. Strathtay Prince Albert, won the title.[17] The Terrier Group is the most successful group, with 45 wins out of 103 occasions. The least successful group is the Herding Group, a group which was only comparatively recently created in 1983, with wins by German Shepherd Dogs, in 1987 and 2017.[18]
^"Dogs of All Breeds Judged in One Ring" (PDF). The New York Times. February 16, 1905. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
^"Westminster Kennel Club's Best Show" (PDF). The New York Times. February 11, 1905. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
^"History of the Saint Bernard Placing in Groups at the Westminster KC Shows From 1924 to Date" (PDF). Saint Bernard Club of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
^ ab"A Beginner's Guide to Dog Shows". American Kennel Club. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
^"2010 Breed Entries". Westminster Kennel Club. Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
^"Historical Highlights". Westminster Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
^"The Spring Bench Show" (PDF). The New York Times. March 2, 1879. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
^"The Spring Bench Show" (PDF). The New York Times. February 25, 1880. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
^"133rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show gets underway in New York". The Independent. London. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference topdogs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Schedule of Points" (PDF). American Kennel Club. April 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.[permanent dead link]
^"1 of 3,093". Time. February 21, 1938. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference loyaltycollie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Choron & Choron (2005), p. 104.
^Cite error: The named reference first was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference remedy0809 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference bulldog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"AKC Breeds by Group: Herding Group". American Kennel Club. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
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