Young talent takes centre stage at Royal Kennel Club Semi-Finals weekend

YOUNG TALENT TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT ROYAL KENNEL CLUB SEMI-FINALS WEEKEND

This weekend, on Saturday 3 October, the Royal Kennel Club will host both the Royal Kennel Club (RKC) Junior Warrant semi-finals and the Junior Handling Association (JHA) National Junior Handler of the Year competitions at The Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.

The event will be live streamed and available to watch via the Dog Showing and Crufts Exhibitors News | Royal Kennel Club Facebook page.

Event timings

8.30am Doors open
9am Registrations open
10am Junior Warrant Competition Semi-Finals – Part 1 (including placings)
10.45am UK Junior Handler of the Year
11.45am Junior Warrant Competition Semi-Finals – Part 2 (including placings)
12.30pm Lunch break
1pm UK Junior Handler of the Year – Final Judging
1.30pm Junior Warrant Competition Semi-Finals – Part 3 (including placings)

Royal Kennel Club Junior Warrant semi-finals

The Junior Warrant competition, for dogs aged between six and 18 months, is now in its 24th year. The 12 lucky winners from this weekend’s competition will compete in the Junior Warrant final at Crufts in the main arena on Thursday 4 March 2027.

All qualifiers for the semi-final have gained their Junior Warrant by attending open and championship shows in the preceding year and gaining points in their breed classes. Junior Warrant qualifying heats are held through-out the summer all over the country and a total of five winners are chosen from each heat and asked to make their way to Warwickshire for the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year semi-final competition. The judges for the Junior Warrant qualifiers this year will be Caroline Friend-Rees, Evan Ryan and Kevin Young.

More about Caroline Friend-Rees

Caroline said: “I first started showing dogs in 1982, showing the families West Highland White Terriers. I would show in both the breed and junior handling classes where I went on to win the UK Junior Handler of the Year in 1985. During this time I would handle many different breeds to their UK titles. At 21 years old, I purchased my first house and along came my first of many Dobermann’s which I campaigned to a UK champion title. My late husband used to show and breed Siberian Huskies which we have continued to show under the “Amical” affix. To date, we have owned/bred 23 UK champions as well as winning Top Dog, Top Breeder, Top Stud, Top Brood and Top Puppy awards on many occasions. We have been honoured to win Best of Breed at Crufts several times, championship show groups and Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show at breed club championship shows and general championship shows. 2026 has been a special year for us, it was the first time my son took a Siberian Husky to the World Dog Show in Italy where she won the CACIB and the Reserve CAC and I became the first Siberian Husky breed specialist to judge Best in Show at a UK general championship show. I am currently passed to award CCs in over 30 breeds across four groups - Hound, Pastoral, Terrier and Working as well as the Pastoral and Working group. I have also been fortunate to have judged in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Malta, Netherlands, Ireland, Guernsey, and Barbados.”

More about Evan Ryan

Evan said: “I have been involved in pedigree dogs since I was eight years old. Firstly showing in Ireland, where I bred/owned seven Irish Champions in Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, King Charles Spaniel, Dachshunds and a Sussex Spaniel. Together with my wife Kirsty, and since moving to the UK; I have owned or bred 22 UK Champions made up of Standard Longhaired Dachshunds, Skye Terriers, CKCS, KCS and Papillons, including multiple championship show group winners, top Skye Terrier for the last five years, joint top puppy all breeds 2021 and top Toy 2025.  

"We have owned/bred Crufts BOB winners in Standard Longhaired Dachshunds, King Charles Spaniels and Skye Terriers, the current Papillon breed record holder and top Toy dog 2025, the only all-breed BIS-winning bitch in the breed, and the Skye Terrier joint breed record holder.

"I am currently approved to award CCs in five Hound breeds, six Toy breeds and one Terrier breed, as well as approved for the Toy group at Championship level. I am also Assistant Show Manager of the UK Toy Dog Society, a former member of the Royal Kennel Club Judges Sub-Committee, and currently serve on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Standards and Stud Book Committee.”

More about Kevin Young

Kevin said: “It is a privilege to be invited to judge the Junior Warrant semi-finals for the Royal Kennel Club. My first judging appointment was in 1981 and I am approved to judge 64 breeds across five groups. My specialist groups are Pastoral and Working, which I have had the honour to judge at Crufts 2025 and 2026.

"I have owned several breeds, but have had most success with Bearded Collies, breeding several champions under the Sunkap affix. Judging dogs has taken me worldwide, including America, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Russia, Malta, Hong Kong, and throughout Europe.

I am looking forward to judging my third Best in Show at South Wales Championship Show in October 2026.”

JHA UK Junior Handler of the Year final

​The Junior Handling Association (JHA) is an organisation created to look after junior handlers in the United Kingdom. It's been running for more than 50 years and hosts the prestigious JHA semi-finals and the UK Junior Handler of the Year competition. Joe Cartledge set up the junior handling classes in the 1970s and his wife, Liz Cartledge, has continued his incredible work of encouraging the younger generation with the formation of the Junior Handling Association (UK) which is still going strong with hundreds of members competing every week in competitions across the country.

The overall winner from this weekend will represent the UK at the Joe Cartledge Memorial International Junior Handling final at Crufts on Friday 5 March 2027 and will represent the UK at the World Dog Show in 2027 in Austria (27-30 May).

In 2025, the UK Junior Handler of the Year winner was Megan Slack handling a Portuguese Water Dog. She represented the UK in the International final at Crufts 2026 with a Japanese Shiba Inu under judge Adrian Hili (Malta). Megan was selected as overall winner. Megan also represented the UK at the World Dog Show in Bologna, Italy and was Runner-up overall handling a Bouvier des Flandres.

This year’s JHA final will be judged by Sara Robertson. Sara said: “"I have been involved with dogs since childhood, beginning with Rough Collies and, a few years later, becoming involved with Smooth Collies and Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. Over 25 years ago, Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens (PBGVs) entered my life, followed by Basset Fauve de Bretagnes.

Over the last 40 years, I have been involved with a wide variety of breeds across the Hound, Terrier, Utility and Gundog Groups. I have owned or bred Beagles, PBGVs, Dachshunds, Basset Fauve de Bretagnes, Miniature Schnauzers, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, Bichon Frisés, Hungarian Vizslas, Jack Russell Terriers, and both Smooth and Rough Collies.

Together with my husband, we have owned or bred 100 UK Champions and more than 30 Champions worldwide. I have had the good fortune to have Top Hound on six separate occasions, as well as the Number 1 Dog All Breeds in both 2012 and 2018, culminating in going BIS at Crufts in 2013 with our homebred PBGV and RBIS at Crufts 2019 with a son of the BIS winner. We are the proud breeders of the 2023 Westminster BIS winner which makes us the only kennel in history to have bred 2 dogs to go on to be Crufts and Westminster BIS winners. I am also the only person to have owned, bred and handled a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier to a UK All-Breed Best in Show. 

I first awarded CCs in 2000 and I am now currently approved to judge both PBGV's and Smooth Collies at CC level, with the highlight being awarding CCs in Smooth Collies at Crufts in 2018. 

I was very fortunate to win the UK Junior Handler of the Year finals in 1990 with a SCWT under Nick Frost, and then I had the privilege of being the first ever UK winner to win the International Junior Handling competition at Crufts 1991, which was the Crufts centenary year, under the great Geir Fylckt Pedersen."

THE JUNIOR HANDLER 2026 FINALISTS