AMERICAN SPANIEL CLUB’S 2024 OWNER- HANDLED TOP TWENTY GALA

PURPOSE

To showcase excellence in owner-handled Cocker Spaniels, the ASC will sponsor an ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala. This event is a part of the ASC National and is intended to educate and entertain judges, exhibitors, breeders and fanciers. This event provides special recognition to those owner-handled Cocker Spaniels with the most outstanding win records. The event provides a continuing incentive for owner handlers to strive for their cockers to excel in structure, movement, temperament and conformation to our written standard.

The event offers all who attend a chance to view the very best owner-handled cocker spaniels in the world, based upon standings unique to each country. In the US, we will use AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) standings for the 2024 year (between September 21, 2023 and May 31, 2024). Using the judging criteria, each dog is evaluated according to how closely it conforms to the AKC cocker spaniel breed standard.

THEME & EVENT INFO

The theme for 2024 ASC’s Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala is A NIGHT IN ASPEN – so put on your best ski or snow-inspired outfit! This event will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2024 in the conformation ring of the Norris-Penrose Event Center.

Tickets will be available for purchase on the ASC website for $60 per ticket or $450 per table of eight. Ticket price includes one complimentary cocktail, delicious dinner and a catalog (which includes the ballot for the People’s Choice Award).

The evening begins with a cocktail hour as you browse the opening night of the silent auction to be run through mid-day Saturday. After dinner, the evening is capped off with the final judging of the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala.

Cocktail attire requested. Black tie welcomed.

JUDGES

There will be three (3) judges of the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala. There will be one judge from each of the following three categories:

BREEDER JUDGE
An established Cocker breeder who has bred Cockers for at least ten (10) years, having produced or shown at least four (4) Champions of Record as published in the AKC Gazette; or is approved by the AKC to judge Cockers. The Breeder Judge must not own or co-own either a dog in the OH Top 20 competition or its sire or its dam. The breeder Judge may not exhibit Cockers in any class (including Intersex) at the ASC National Specialty Show and any associated All-breed or ASC Specialty Shows in conjunction with the ASC National Specialty Show.

MULTI-BREED JUDGE
A person approved by the AKC to judge Cockers and at least one complete group. If the Multi-Breed judge is a Cocker breeder, this judge must not own or co-own either a dog in the OH Top 20 competition or its sire or its dam. The judge may not exhibit as stated above for the Breeder Judge.

HANDLER JUDGE
A professional handler, either active or retired, meeting the requirements for membership in a Professional Handlers’ Association (though not necessarily a member). The Handler Judge must have at least five (5) years experience. The Handler Judge may not handle any dog that is owned or co-owned by an OH Top 20 entrant at the ASC National Specialty Show or associated ASC Specialty Shows.

PRIZES

The Winner of the ASC OH Top 20 competition will receive a cash prize of $500 and a large rosette.

The People’s Choice Award Winner will receive a cash prize of $100 and a large rosette.

All OH Top 20 Exhibitors will receive a rosette personalized with the invited dog’s name.

STATISTICS AND ELIGIBILITY

A dog may win the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala just once.

In the future, if said dog again qualifies for an ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala, it will be invited back as “Exhibition Only” and the entry fee will be waived.

Qualifying dogs are:

  • Those dogs ranked in the Top 20 AKC NOHS rankings in each variety from September 21, 2023 through May 31, 2024.
  • 2023 ASC National Specialty OH Best of Breed Winner
  • Those foreign dogs ranked in the Top 20 of their respective country(ies), meeting all other owner-handler requirements

The ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala invitees are determined by the AKC’s NOHS statistics and ranking statistics of foreign country kennel clubs. The reports will be compiled by the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala Committee. In case of tie(s) within the rankings, the committee will include all eligible dogs.

To compete in this event, all owners must be in good standing with the ASC (ASC membership not required) and AKC (or foreign kennel club for foreign exhibitors) at the time the invitations are extended AND at the time of the event. All dogs must be eligible at the time of the event to compete in AKC events (foreign or US-based invitees).

INVITATIONS

  1. Each ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty finalist will be sent an invitation to participate in this event. There is an entry fee to be returned with the entry form and other required information accompanying the invitation.

In order to eliminate any possible perception of impropriety, the following prohibitions will apply:

  1. A person listed on the slate of judges for the 2023 ASC National Specialty Show, including Sweepstakes, may not own or co-own a dog exhibited in the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala.
  2. No dog that is owned, co-owned, or shown by a member of the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala committee, or a member of their family as defined by AKC rules, can compete in the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala. The dog, if qualified, may be shown as “exhibition only”.

CATALOGS

  1. A catalog will be prepared exclusively for the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala. For those not attending the event, they are available for sale for $15 just prior to the scheduled starting time of the event, during the remainder of the ASC National week, and by mail thereafter through a designated ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala Committee member.
  2. The catalog contains one page for each ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty finalist, with photograph and text supplied by the owner. The catalog also contains score sheets and judging procedures, and a profile of each judge.

TROPHIES, ROSETTES and CERTIFICATES OF ELIGIBILITY

  1. Finalists in attendance will receive a formal rosette.
  2. Co-owners and breeders of finalists may also purchase rosettes by ordering from the show chairperson (advance response is mandatory). The total number of additional rosettes ordered may not exceed the number of listed breeders and co-owners of the finalist.
  3. Finalists responding “No” to the invitation and not in attendance at the event will be noted in the rankings in the catalog but will not receive a rosette (nor can they be ordered).

JUDGING PROCEDURE

  • Hands-on conformation judging will be held in a separate room away from the audience. Each dog will be judged by three different judges, first recording their 1st impression score, to be used only in case of a tie. After examination, each judge will record the scores for each dog on the individual score sheets.
  • As the dogs complete the conformation portion of judging, they will then be presented to the audience in the main ring where the judges will enter the ring to begin judging each dog’s movement in a circle and a down & back pattern. The judges will record these scores on each score sheet. Each dog will then be presented to the audience for the ‘People’s Choice Award’, which will be awarded the same evening of the event.
  • All dogs will be scored by each judge using the scale of points as provided by the ASC Board based on the AKC Standard.
  • Immediately following the completion of judging, the judges’ marked (but not tallied for total scores) sheets will be submitted to an independent and impartial person to be tabulated. The scores for each dog, from each of the three judges, are added together, then divided by three (3) to determine the dog’s average score.
  • The winner will be determined on the basis of the average score of each dog. The score sheets and the identity of the winning dog will be given to the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala Chairperson.
  • In the event of a tie, the winner is determined by consulting the First Impression total. The dog with the highest First Impression total is declared the winner. The first Impression score is used ONLY to break a tie, and is not included in tabulation of the average score. If there is still a tied score, there will be two (2) winners who shall share the title of ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala Winner.

Questions/concerns should be directed to the ASC Owner-Handled Top Twenty Gala Chairperson, Stephanie Kaul, at stephanie@kauls.com.