Published in Our Dogs and Dog World on 17 September 2010
Gordon record holder dies
Source: Our Dogs
The male Gordon Setter Challenge Certificate breed record holder, Michele and Ludovica Ivaldi’s Ita/Int/Monaco Ch/Sh Ch Caballus Ebonie Adonis Ludstar (Antti) has died aged 11 years after a very short illness. Antti was exhibited as recently as Crufts this year where he was Best Veteran. It was decided that he would then be retired as he was approaching his eleventh birthday, writes Bonnie Scougall.
Whelped on 4th April 1999 Antti was the result of a mix of a truly international blend of bloodlines. He was bred by Tina Illukka in Finland and his sire, UK bred but Italian owned Multi Ch Shannas Journalist, and dam, Australian bred Trisetter Ebonie Nerissa, were the CC winners at the Gordons 2000 championship show.
As a puppy Antti went to live in Italy with the owners of his sire, Michele and Ludo. He first came to the UK in the summer of 2002 after a successful career in Europe. At his first UK show, National Gundog, he was awarded his first CC and BOB by Maureen Justice, handled here by his owner Ludo Ivaldi. After this show he stayed with Frances Boxall who handled him to his title at Darlington and put the icing on the cake with a fourth CC and BIS at the BGS Club in October before returning to Italy in November ’02.
He came back to the UK in the Spring of 2003 and since then has lived at Laurelhach with his handler, Frances Boxall. They established a very close bond.
With Frances at the helm Antti achieved many awards and accolades, far too many to individually list here. A small snapshot of the most memorable of these include: breed leader in ’03 – the year he won the Group at Bath; he also has three G2, the most recent at Border Union last year at over ten years of age; a G3 and a G4. He has 41 CC which makes him the male breed CC record holder. He had three breed club BIS awards. He qualified for the Pedigree Veteran Stakes Finals at Richmond 2007 and went on to be placed third at the Veteran Finals in January 2008. That year he also won the CC from the Veteran class at Crufts ending 2008 where he was Best Veteran Setter in Show at the prestigious Setter and Pointer Club show.
He has titled progeny both in the UK and overseas as well as other CC winners.
Always a very healthy dog, just a few days before becoming ill he had been running, chasing a ball and tossing his toys around with the aplomb and verve he always showed. He became poorly very quickly and the very hard decision to let him go with the dignity that he so deserved had to be taken.
He was a tremendous ambassador for the breed with his style and superb temperament. I’m sure that everyone will appreciate that this is a very difficult time for Frances with whom he had such a terrific rapport and that she would rather people didn’t contact her about it at the moment.