Australian Grand Champion Ahmadi My Name is Jack

By Kathryn E. McKay©

The first time I saw Jack, he took my breath away. I was only a newcomer to salukis, but to me he represented everything I thought a saluki should be.  His movement was light, lifting and effortless. He was a brilliant show dog, and as a producer he has more than proved his worth.

Aust Grand Ch Ahmadi My Name Is Jack was the epitome of the show dog and of classic saluki type. Bred by Ian Rasmussen and Phillip Bennett, his bloodlines trace back to the old Daxlore hounds, in particular English Ch Alexandra of Daxlore. His show career was impressive. When he retired at the age of six, he was the winner of more Best in Show awards than any other saluki in Australia’s history. In all he notched up 52 Best in Show/Runner Up to Best in Show awards under Ian’s expert handling.

Jack also achieved more than 80 Best in Group awards. He was a group winner at the Brisbane Royal Show. He also went Best of Breed at Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne Royal Shows. He was the winner of the Queensland Dog of the Year competition in 1993. This was a feat repeated by his son, Aust Grand CH Willowmist the Hijacker in 2004.

Jack was sired by the Margaret Giles bred dog Aust Ch Kiabe Tango out of the red, extremely feminine bitch, Aust Ch Ahmadi Imarah Shamirah. His siblings also did well in the ring, most notably the stunning cream bitch, Aust Ch Ahmadi Match My Style, owned by Ian Rasmussen and Robin Slade.

Jack has passed his legacy down though his children. He is the sire of many champions, including his son from Aust Ch Quanmarra Zardeenah, the cream dog Aust Grand Ch Willowmist the Hijacker and a cream bitch from Aust Ch Qat Classic, Kiabe Injah. Other champion offspring include The Hijackers sisters Willowmist Unicorn Song and Willowmist Into Heaven, Injah’s brother Ibn Jala, the grizzle bitch Quanmarra Ashnan (dam: Quanmarra Bai Jia), sisters Qat Fleur and Qat Fabula (dam: Aust Ch Qat Camelot), a bitch Ahmadi Step Back in Time (dam: Aust Ch Akhdar Abyat), and the siblings Ahmadi Just a Kiss, Ahmadi Jealousies a Curse and Ahmadi Just a Cassanova (dam: Aust CH Ahmadi Indecent Obsession).

Jack has proven to be a pre-potent sire, with his looks and movement coming through in his grandchildren. He is the grandfather on both sides to the number one saluki in Australia for 2006 and 2007 BIS Aust Ch Ahmadi Hiwayman, and the number one saluki in Japan in 2006 INT/JKC Champion Ahmadi Hi Five (brothers from a breeding between Aust Gr Ch Willowmist the Hijacker and  Ahmadi Evrythnold Znuagn). Another brother, Aust Ch Ahmadi Hi Jinks has had a very successful show career in Central Queensland.

Other grandchildren include multiple Best in Group winner Australian Champion Ahmadi Heart N Soul and her sister in Victoria, Aust Ch Ahmadi Hearts A Fire (Aust Gr Ch Willowmist the Hijacker – Ahmadi Evrythnold Znuagn). Also BIS winner Aust Ch Quanmarra Sortalege, Aust Ch Quanmarra Venezia, and Aust Ch Quanmarra Tommy Hilfigar - Puppy in Show at a Saluki Club of NSW Championship show under Ute Lennartz of the internationally renowned Mata Salamata Salukis. These three siblings are by The Hijacker, from Aust Ch Quanmarra Ashnan. Recently another grandchild started his show career in Malaysia, the tri coloured dog Quanmarra Saahir. He is another dog sired by The Hijacker, from Taejaan Hocus Pocus. At the 255th & 256th Malaysian Kennel Association All Breed Championship Shows he went best puppy in show and was reserve best in group at both shows.

Jack’s success as a sire is also reflected in his great grand children. One is JKC Ch Willowmist Heart N Soul and her sister Aust Ch Willowmist Unicorn Muse. Both these young bitches are heavily line bred to Jack, being sired by Aust Ch Quanmarra Tommy Hilfigar, from the Jack sired bitch, Aust Ch Willowmist Unicorn Song.

It was with great sadness that Ian and Phillip lost Jack in 2007, at the grand age of 16 and a half years old. But his name lives on through the quality of the salukis he sired as well as their children and grandchildren. And with so many of them being the beautiful creams I first admired, it is as if he truly has been reborn.