Elkhound is first winner en route to blue ribbon at New York Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

NEW YORK - Duffy, a sturdy Norwegian elkhound, became the first of seven finalists at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog show on Monday, one of four groups set to be judged on the opening night of the competition.

The elkhound is one of more than 2,800 dogs who converged on New York City on Monday to compete for the top prize in the show, the second-oldest sporting event in the United States behind the Kentucky Derby horse race.

It was the 12th time an elkhound has won the hound group; Duffy bested 32 other hound breeds to take the win.

Westminster drew entries from 200 breeds this year, the kennel club said. The final winner will be announced on Tuesday evening.

Three other groups will be judged on Monday. Canines belonging to the herding, toy and non-sporting groups were being groomed and crated backstage at Madison Square Garden waiting to take the floor.

This year's hound group featured the first-ever appearance of the sloughi, a North African sighthound. The breed winner was a five-year-old named Toby, who enjoys soft beds and coffee, according to his owner-handler, Erika Wyatt.

'He's a terribly spoiled dog; a terrible mama's boy,” said Wyatt.

Individual breeds are judged during the day, with the winners of each moving on to group competitions on Monday and Tuesday evenings. The winners of seven groups then compete for the final 'Best in Show” award on Tuesday.

Dogs from 49 states and 16 foreign countries are in this year's show, where they are judged on characteristics specific to their breeds.

Samantha Alaia, 24, a human resources worker from Staten Island, was hoping to see her favorite breed, the miniature pinscher, take home the ultimate Westminster prize.

'I'm obsessed with dogs,” said Alaia, who was attending her first-ever Westminster. 'It's just been great being able to see them.”

Sporting dogs, working dogs and terriers will be judged on Tuesday. The sporting group, representing hunting and retrieving dogs, has the largest number of entries at more than 500. The most popular breed in this year's show is the golden retriever, with 65 entries.

In addition to the sloughi, there are two other new breeds in this year's competition: the American hairless terrier, which was bred in the 1970s to hunt rats and other vermin; and the pumi, an ancient Hungarian herding breed.

While New York is used to seeing thousands of dogs at the show, this year the Westminster Kennel Club also welcomed back the International Cat Association for its 'Meet the Breeds” day which took place on Saturday. This was the fourth time the cat association took part in those events.

An additional 330 dogs competed in an agility competition on Saturday, a separate event from this week's judged show. It featured several winners grouped by size, with the overall championship won by Trick, a 6-year-old border collie.

'It's a dream come true,” said Trick's owner, Rhode Island-based dog owner John Nys, of being at the show. The collie will accept a ribbon on Monday.

(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Sandra Maler)