Hampshire dog and owner heading to Crufts after win at agility competition

Stephanie Best, 32, from Ringwood, Hampshire, with her dog, Z-Atomic Spice Koryfej (Skedaddle), a Shetland Sheepdog, won the Crufts Medium ABC (Anything But Collie) Semi-Final, qualifying the pair for the final held at Crufts 2024, the world’s greatest dog show, run by The Kennel Club in March.

Stephanie and Skedaddle will be heading to Crufts after being crowned in the Semi-Final hosted by The Kennel Club and sponsored by Agria at The London International Horse Show at ExCeL London on Thursday 14 December. The judge this year was Paul Hinchley, with assistant judge, Leslie Osborne.

Proud owner Stephanie, said of her achievement: “I’m extremely delighted and proud of  Skedaddle and his achievement and performance at this event. Skedaddle has had a great competition season this year!”

Catherine Guiver, Head of Events at The Kennel Club, said: “This is the first time we have held the Crufts Semi-Finals at The London International Horse Show and the excitement was incredibly high! Well done to all competing dogs and their owners for showing great skill in the arena.

“Congratulations to Stephanie and Skedaddle for their impressive performance – we look forward to seeing the pair compete in the final at Crufts in March.”

The Crufts Semi-Final consisted of two rounds, a jumping round and an agility round. The top eight competing dogs and handlers who earned the highest combined score across both rounds have qualified for the final taking place at Crufts in March:

1^st – Stephanie Best with Z-Atomic Spice Koryfej (Skedaddle)

2^nd – Tanya Cooper with Licosateria Taxi in Motion (Taxi)

3^rd – Nigel Staines with Ag Ch Morgans Golden Eagle AW(D) (Zico Jnr)

4^th – Sue Midgley with Licosateria Tangerina (Zephyra)

5^th – Laura Warwick with Midnight Bloom AW(G) (Blossom)

6^th – Blyth Fox with Ag Ch Devongem Golden Moment (Roo)

7^{th –} Georgia Lott with Pickthorn Hollie (Eadie)

8^th – Robyn Sinclair with Breezybrook Dare Devil (Jasper)

The Crufts Semi-Finals were hosted by The Kennel Club and sponsored by Agria at The London International Horse Show, at ExCeL London, from 14 – 18 December 2023.

More information and a full list of results are available at thekennelclub.org.uk/agilitydiscoverdogs.

For owners interested in getting started in agility with their dog, The Kennel Club has created a guide which can be found online at thekennelclub.org.uk/newtoagility