Just curious --- I've always been led to believe that Bred By is the most prestigious class to win from, so the Bred By classes for Potomac are smaller than I'd expect. Am I wrong about Bred By's importance?
Along the same line, is their any "meritocracy" to the classes? Is winning Open, for example, any more important than winning Am Bred if the numbers entered in each are about the same?
The Bred By classes might be smaller because fewer people meet the requirements to show in that class than in the others. The handler must have bred and currently own the dog to be able to show that dog in Bred By. Anyone with a black dog can show in Open Black. I am proud to show my home-bred dog in Bred By at shows, but if the best dog is in Open, the win is no less prestigious. A nice dog is a nice dog, regardless of the class.
It doesn't matter to me which class a dog or bitch wins from.. In the end that Lab has to beat the first class winner in every class to get the points.. I do love the BBE class because a breeder can show off his/ her best Labradors and everyone knows you are the breeder. My Labs are generally entered in age appropriate classes when they are puppies, then it depends on maturity, how competitive they are etc..In past years I have shown in BBE, Open, and Am-Bred. This year I have physical limitations so I chose classes that are not as popular and historically are much smaller. Otherwise I would not have been able to show my own dogs. If the judge feels my dogs are quality and deserving of placements, the judge will pick them out, no matter what class they are in. JMHO.
If there is a meritocracy as the OP would have you think, then there might be some weight given to the BBE class.
Here the dog being shown must be owned and bred by the exhibitor. This by its very nature is a bit of an uphill climb for most AB shows since the handler influence is thereby eliminated.
As to the size of the entry - that is purely a matter of entry.
"Meritocracy" of a class win is largely dependent on the dogs entered. I have seen huge Open yellow classes filled with mediocre dogs while the single Bred By dog is clearly the best there. I have also seen huge Open Black classes that were filled with quality dogs - a placement in that class would mean more than a win from another.
