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Wasabi The Pekingese Wins Best In Show At The 2021 Westminster Dog Show

Meet the new top dog!

Wasabi the Pekingese won Best in Show at the 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Presented by Purina Pro Plan on Sunday night. Unlike past shows, this Westminster took place outside of New York City on the grounds of the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York,

The Westminster Kennel Club moved their famous dog show — the second-longest continuous sporting event in the U.S, which usually occurs in February — to the Lyndhurst Estate and the month of June due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

And while spectators could not attend the event in person this year, plenty of pet lovers tuned in to the Best in Show round on FOX.

Wasabi — CHG CH Pequest Wasabi — beat out over 2,400 other canines from 209 breeds to win the coveted Westminster Dog Show purple ribbon and title of Best in Show with help from his handler David Fitzpatrick. This is the Pekingese breed's fifth Westminster Dog Show win.

After winning the Toy Group earlier in the show, Wasabi was carried into the Best in Show round by Fitzpatrick. Filling out the final round, judged by Patricia Trotter, was Mathew the French Bulldog of the Non-Sporting Group, Bourbon the Whippet of the Hound Group, Connor the Old English Sheepdog of the Herding Group, Jade the German Shorthaired Pointer of the Sporting Group, Striker the Samoyed of the Working Group, and Boy the West Highland White Terrier of the Terrier Group

Close behind Wasabi was Bourbon the Whippet, who won second place — also known as Reserve Best in Show — at Westminster this year and last year as well. This year's winner takes the crown from the 2020 Westminster champion, Siba the Standard Poodle.

Wasabi comes from Westminster royalty. The dog is the grandson of Westminster's 2012 winner, Malachy. The 3-year-old canine also won Best in Show at the 2019 American Kennel Club National Championship Presented by Royal Canin.

When asked by FOX how Wasabi will celebrate his big win after a long weekend of hard work, Fitzpatrick said, "He can have a filet mignon, and I'll have champagne."

The 5 Dogs Breeds With The Most Best In Show Wins At The Westminster Dog Show

At the Westminster Dog Show, some dog breeds seem to have better luck than others.

Soon there will be a new Westminster Best in Show winner. The 2023 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show concludes on the evening of May 9 with the Best in Show round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

Each year thousands of dogs from dozens of breeds gather to compete in the prestigious event, and while some breeds have never seen a Best in Show win, other kinds of canines have multiple titles.

The most winningest breeds throughout the Westminster Dog Show's 147-year history may surprise some. Study up on the event's champion canines now to help you with your predictions for the 2023 Westminster Dog Show's Best in Show winner.

Coming in a tie for fourth are the Pekingese and the standard [oodle. Each breed has won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show five times. Pekingese dogs earned two of those wins in the past 12 years. In 2021, Wasabi the Pekingnese won Best in Show, nine years after his grandfather Malachy took the title. The last time a standard poodle won Westminster was in 2020, when Siba strutted her way to the grand prize.

The English springer spaniel ranks third in Westminster's most-winningest dog breeds with six Best in Show titles. James the English springer spaniel has the most recent win for his breed, earning a Best in Show title at the 2007 Westminster Dog Show.

Coming in second place is the Scottish Terrier. This breed has eight Best in Show wins at Westminster, with the most recent occurring in 2010 when Sadie won the top prize. And while eight wins is an impressive total, Westminster's top winning breed almost doubles the Scottish terrier's win count.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty

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The wire fox terrier has won Westminster more than any other dog breed, with 15 Best in Show wins. Two of those wins occurred recently, with Sky in 2014 and King in 2019. Perhaps unsurprisingly, three of the five individual dogs to win multiple Westminster Best in Show titles were wire fox terriers.

Dog lovers can be the first to learn which dog comes out on top at the 2023 Westminster Dog Show by watching the Best in Show round live on FS1 or the Fox Sports app on May 9. Coverage starts at 7:30 pm EST.

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