TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — The flavor of the year at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show: Wasabi.
A Pekingese named Wasabi won best in show Sunday night, notching a fifth-ever win for the unmistakable toy breed. A whippet named Bourbon repeated as runner-up.
Waddling through a small-but-mighty turn in the ring, Wasabi nabbed U.S. dogdom's most prestigious prize after winning the big American Kennel Club National Championship in 2019.
"He has showmanship. He fits the breed standard. He has that little extra something, that sparkle, that sets a dog apart," said Wasabi's handler and breeder, David Fitzpatrick, who guided the Peke's grandfather Malachy to the Westminster title in 2012.
How will Wasabi celebrate?
He can have a filet mignon. And I'll have Champagne," Fitzpatrick, of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, said with a laugh.