Westminster's junior handler win

Hadrian Towell won Best Junior Handler at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show after two days of Junior Showmanship competition in New York. (akc.org) Westminster lists Towell as the 2026 Best Junior Handler with Manchester Terrier GCHG CH Passport Sunkissed It’s A Yes From Me Bonchien, the dog called “Simon.” The club’s results page also names Tatum Bartlett second, Christine B. third, and Emerson T. fourth. (westminsterkennelclub.org) The American Kennel Club said junior handlers competed on Monday, February 2, and Tuesday, February 3, with breed-group rounds before the final. AKC also said the Westminster Best Junior award carries a $10,000 scholarship for post-secondary schooling. (akc.org; msn.com) Junior Showmanship is not a contest over which dog is best. Westminster says handlers ages 9 to 18 are judged on how well they present and control a dog, and the program is meant to teach training, care, and sportsmanship. (westminsterkennelclub.org) That distinction helps explain why Westminster treats the junior title as a separate championship inside the larger dog show. At the 150th edition, the junior competition ran alongside the conformation events that ended with Doberman Pinscher “Penny” winning Best in Show. (westminsterkennelclub.org; sportingnews.com) Showsight’s April 17 profile said Towell handled Simon in what it described as their final show together. In the interview, Towell called the win “a dream come true” and said Simon was the dog he most wanted beside him for the moment. (showsightmagazine.com) Showsight published a second April 17 piece focused on conduct around the ring rather than placements. The magazine said a notable act of sportsmanship at Westminster stood out amid cheers and congratulations across the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (showsightmagazine.com) That emphasis fits Westminster’s own description of the junior program, which puts sportsmanship next to handling skill and responsible dog ownership. Towell’s win, and the attention on how juniors treated one another, turned the 2026 title into a story about both performance and ring etiquette. (westminsterkennelclub.org; showsightmagazine.com)