Controversy erupts as Crufts 2025's Best in Show winner revealed as four-year-old Whippet
Crufts 2025's Best in Show winner has been crowned – but just who, exactly, took out the coveted title has some punters up in arms.
In a thrilling climax to the four-day competition, four-year-old Whippet Miuccia, from Venice, Italy, came out on top, beating out more than 18,000 hopefuls from across the globe.
"It is really a dream come true. I am really overwhelmed... I am super super happy," Miuccia's owner and trainer Giovanni Liguori said in the aftermath.
Watch the video above.
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Miuccia, pictured here with her owner and trainer Giovanni Liguori, has won Crufts 2025 Best in Show. Getty
Miuccia, who was praised for her "beautiful elegance", won over an Australian Shepherd, a Cocker Spaniel, a Gundog, a Miniature Schnauzer and a Jack Russell Terrier.
A Tibetan Mastiff called Viking was named runner-up in the competition.
Although Liguori is the first Italian to win Best in Show, Miuccia is the fourth Whippet to do so, and that's sparking outrage in the show dog community.
Judge Patsy Hollings made the final decision and clinched Miuccia's victory, but the Jack Russell Terrier held a special place in viewers' hearts, so much so that even the Crufts narrator acknowledged it.
"The Jack Russell was the public winner, but didn't make the podium this time," they said.
Fans took to social media to vocalise their outrage, with one person writing: "Jack Russell dogs always get robbed in Crufts. Last year or this year should have been Best in Show for them."
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"A Jack Russell ROBBED for the second year in a row," another said.
Last year, an Australian Shepherd named Viking from Solihull, Birmingham, was crowned Best in Show at Crufts.
Historically, Cocker Spaniels are the breed most likely to win, with seven Cocker Spaniels having come out on top in the competition's history.
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Miuccia is the fourth Whippet to win the competition. Getty
Welsh Terriers and Irish Setters, and now, Whippets, have won four times each, with Labradors notably winning three times during the 1930s but having no victory to their breed in the almost 100 years that have followed.
For all the effort it takes to win – the first of many obstacles is securing a top three place in their breed class at a Kennel Club-affiliated Championship show – there's actually not much prize money on offer.
In addition to a replica of the solid silver Keddall Memorial Trophy, Best in Show winners get a cash prize of £100 (approx. $205).
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Many thought the Jack Russell Terrier should have won. Getty
But the title is worth more than that, and we're not talking about honour.
Winners often go on to earn bucketloads from sponsorship deals and stud fees, as puppies from Best in Show winners can sell for thousands.
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