Wasabi the Pekingese wins Best in Show at 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Such was the inescapable conclusion at the 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Sunday night, when Wasabi, a 13 ½-pound Pekingese with a flowing lion’s mane of a coat and serious family history, boldly rose above six worthy competitors, even though he’s not even nine inches tall.Wasabi is a three-year-old from East Berlin, Pa. He took home the most coveted prize in Dogdom, capturing Best in Show at the 145th edition of the nation’s most renowned dog show – and one that was unlike any of its 144 predecessors.Since 1877, Westminster - the second oldest continuously running sport event in the U.S. “But truly when you are judging purebred dogs you are judging not just their athletic ability, and their beauty, but how close they come to the breed standard.”Although the show was closed to the ticket-buying public, several hundred spectators – family and friends of owners and handlers – made for a boisterous atmosphere, the excitement reaching its zenith a few minutes before 11 p.m. ET, when Wasabi officially became Top Dog, with the runner-up honor – Reserve Best in Show in Westminster parlance – going to Bourbon, a five-year-old whippet.Talking to reporters with Wasabi at his feet and Wasabi’s hair brush in his coat pocket, Fitzpatrick said that the winner was “pretty nonchalant about the whole thing,” but still had plans for a major celebration.