‘Wasabi’ the Pekingese Wins Best in Show
Say “WOOF!” to the newest Top Dog! Wasabi the Pekingese took home the big ribbon on Sunday’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, beating out over 2,400 other dogs from 209 different breeds to win Best in Show.
The annual dog conformation show is America’s second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby. Rich in history, Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, the invention of basketball and the establishment of the World Series!
Wasabi’s win marked the 5th time a Pekingese, a Toy Group breed, won Best in Show. But, it wasn’t entirely unexpected—the 3-year old pup is the grandson of the 2012 Best in Show winner, Malachy.
Reserve Best in Show went to Bourbon the Whippet. You may recognize Bourbon for his Reserve Best in Show title from 2020, too!
If you didn’t get a chance to watch the 7 ‘Best in Group’ winners compete for ‘Best in Show,’ you can see the exciting final moments of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show here:
Since 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club has held an annual benched all-breed dog show in New York City. Like many longstanding events, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a change of plans. Due to the ever-changing government restrictions, a move to a springtime, outdoor dog show was necessary to uphold Westminster’s commitment to the health and safety of everyone who attended the show. For the first time since its inception, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was held outside of NYC at Lyndhurst, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Tarrytown, New York.
So, how does a Best in Show winner celebrate after the big night? “He can have a filet mignon, and I’ll have champagne,” handler David Fitzpatrick told FOX.
