Nexus’ success continues through his offspring in the UK, who regularly face significantly more competition within their breed as vizslas in Australia do. For example, the largest Specialty Show we have attended in Australia had 76 vizslas, on only one occasion, with the entry often being closer to 30 vizslas, and regular shows having between 1 – 6 vizslas. The number of vizslas in the UK at Championship shows are frequently 80 or higher, with shows such as Crufts having an entry of over 100 vizslas.
Nexus is owned and shown in the UK, by Peter and Liz Harper of Pitswarren Kennels, the Kennels from which Metropolis’ foundational bloodlines originated. Aust Ch Pitswarren Judah, Aust Ch Pitswarren Esther, and Aust Ch Pitswarren Picasso are all in his pedigree. Pitswarren is the current top winning Vizsla kennel in the UK with 29 Show Champions and over 200 Challenge Certificates as at July 2023, and a wealth of experience in the breed.
The system of making up a champion in the UK is the most difficult in the world. The dog must win 3 challenge certificates from 3 different judges beating all vizslas of the same sex competing on that day, with Best of Breed then being selected from the 2 Challenge winners. Wins have to be at selected championship shows approved by the Kennel Club, and the number of vizslas competing is frequently in the double digits, north of 80 dogs.
In Australia, the champion title is based on accumulating 100 points from Championship shows. The winning dog and bitch get 6 points if they win Challenge in their breed, plus one point for each other dog they beat. There is no requirement for different judges to have awarded the wins. Until 2023, Metropolis has always tried to show several dogs at once to ensure that all of our wins have involved strong competition.
