126 The Dog Book 
when Mr. Mason placed him first in a wonderfully strong class of champions 
—dogs which had won first in the open class. - Here-he defeated Thunder, 
Don Juan, Plantagenet, Coin, and Foreman. So successful were ‘the 
Laveracks up to that time that at this show the classification for English 
setters was divided into sections for Laveracks of pure breeding and 
“except pure Laveracks.” But this was almost the end of this short-lived 
division, for the glamour of the field-trial performances of. certain dogs. 
twisted the setter-judging to such an extent that Laveracks became practi- 
cally extinct. a 
With the. departure of Emperor Fred from the ring, Plantagenet was 
about.the best setter of 1884. Foreman, it is true, defeated him, but while 
there was room for difference of opinion, we always favoured -the more 
quality-looking Plantagenet, for Foreman was a very heavy-headed dog. 
short and round in skull and rather short bodied, ‘chucked up,” in fact, 
Nevertheless he was a very impressive dog, a good, vigorous mover, with | 
superb hindquarters, and but for a slight turning out of the forefeet, and. 
not being quite straight enough in pasterns to please the fastidious, he was 
a dog of grand character, and this, coupled with his superb coat, both in 
quantity and quality, made him a setter that should have pleased both 
sections of the fancy. It soon became noised abroad that he was a good 
field dog, so that when he won the champion stakes at the Eastern Field 
Trials Club meeting he sprang into deserved popularity as a sire with 
beneficial results, more particularly in getting bitches of quality, such as 
Haphazard, Calico, Saddlebags, Daisy Foreman and others, all decided 
acquisitions on the score of shape and appearance, though all showing more 
or less the roundness of skull and shortness of muzzle, with the pinched 
appearance their sire displayed. We take it, however, that he was the 
next dog to do good to the setter following Pride of the Border. 
Tue. Era or Mr. WinpHOLZ AND THE BLACKSTONE KENNELS 
‘We now come to an era that warms the heart of those who can recall 
the dogs of 1885 and following years during which the dogs of Mr. Windholz - 
played such a conspicuous part at the leading shows of that period. This 
gentleman started his prominent show career with Rockingham and Princess 
Beatrice, and, as the former remained an unbeaten dog for some time, it is 
always with considerable personal satisfaction we recall the facts attending 
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