TOP DOG TRIUMPHS FOR HB AT NATIONAL CHAMPS

Hawke’s Bay’s sheep dog triallists had a big start to the national championships series with wins in two of the four classes at the South Island championships which ended on Friday.

The wins went to former World Championships competitor, multiple island and national titles winner, A Dogs Show TV series veteran, Weber club member and Oringi farmer Bernard Arends, 67, and first-time winner Sam Magee, 22, a Makotuku shepherd thought to be the second-youngest winner in the history of the island and national championships, dating back to 1911.

Both are from the Wairarapa and SHB centre but there was also some runoff success for Hawke’s Bay centre trialists, the two centres between them claiming nine of the 28 runoff places across the four classes at Earnscleugh Station, near Alexander.

Arends was the most successful, with half-brothers Parker and Tarn first and second in the long head. Parker also claimed third place in the short head and yard, in which Brent Matthews, also from Mokotuku club, was runner-up with Reef.

Arends, who also had a hunterway in the five-day championships at Earnscleugh, has now qualified for 26 South Island, North Island or New Zealand championships runoffs with 12 dogs, dating to the first in 1986 – a South Island and NZ titles double with Pat at Hakataramea, South Canterbury.

He’s now won five South Island titles, three North Island championships and three New Zealand championships, but Friday’s win ended a wait of 18 years since the last of the big triumphs in 2005.

Magee, who has been trialling dogs for just two years, got onto the leaderboard for a few days at his island and national championships debut in Southland last year, and set a goal to win.

On Friday, the win with bitch Edge became the first Open title for either the man or his dog at any level, although they had a solid formline together, with 11 second placings in 16 runoffs.

Veteran Waikoau trialist Kevin O’Connor, who became a household name in winning three titles on A Dogs Show about 40 years ago, was fourth in the long head with Jax, Howard Inglis, from the Waimarama-Maraetotara club, was fourth in the short head and yard, and Ned George, of Wairoa, was second and fourth in the zig-zag hunt with Pitch and Kruger respectively.

Magee, a former pupil of St John’s College, Hastings, and son of trialist Grant Magee, bought into the line of Neville Marr, a longtime trialist who placed in a New Zealand championships runoff in 1993.

With time to burn while on the Cook Strait ferry on Saturday, Magee said he’d rung Marr straight after the win. “He was almost crying,” Magee said.

Soon headed to become a stockman on a property near Taihape, Magee says sheep dog trialling has become his sport, and the training up-level.

“I put a lot of time and energy into it,” he said. “Every morning and evening.”

The South Island won both other titles at Earnscleugh, the short head and yard to Scott McRae, of Molesworth, with Cory, and the zig-zag hunt won by Steve Kerr, of Mackenzie, with Holly.

The pandemic had made it a tough season, with 14 club trials cancelled up and down the east coast, and the loss of almost 2000 of the points by which competitors qualify their dogs for the series each season.

The North Island and New Zealand championships are on May 30-June 4, at Taumarunui.