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23/01/07
Ben, a superbly bred 23-month-old black and white Border Collie
dog related to trialling champions on both sides, was top call
of the day when selling for 3,600 guineas (£3,780) at the
opening 2007 sale of working sheepdogs at Craven Cattle Marts’ Skipton
Auction Mart. (Friday, January 19)
An alert Ben, top dog at the Skipton sale of working sheepdogs,
is pictured with vendor Aled Owen and his new owner Aurwen Price.
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Presented by one of the top handlers in the country, North Wales
sheepdog trials team member Aled Owen, of Penyfed, Tynant, Corwen,
Denbishire, Ben, who is fully registered and gave an accomplished
trial, will remain in Wales after being purchased for her impending
retirement by improving novice triallist Ms Aurwen Price, of
Argoed Fach, Doldowlod, Llandrindod Wells, Powys.
Already a well-proven youngster, Ben was third in the 2006 Welsh
Nursery Finals and a member of last year’s North Wales
team that competed against the North of England.
His credentials are top-notch. Ben’s father Bob, in the
hands of breeder Mr Owen, followed up a supreme championship
win in the 2000 International Trials in Alnwick by becoming overall
world champion at the 2002 trials held on home soil in Bala,
North Wales.
On the dam’s side, Ben is a grandson of Aled Owen’s
Roy, supreme champion at the 1999 International Trials in Aberystwyth,
while his great grandfather of the same name, also bred by Mr
Owen, won the Welsh Nationals in 1985.
Mr Owen was making his first appearance in 25 years at a public
sale of working sheepdogs and his first-ever visit to Skipton. “I
had heard so much about the sales at Skipton from my friends
that I decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed,” he
said.
The delighted buyer, Ms Price, described herself as a beginner
triallist. She has competed in local and nursery trials in Wales
over the past six years, already having a novice victory and
a number of placed successes under her belt.
Ms Price will be retiring in September this year after 25 years
as a production worker at filing products company Setten and
Durward, of Llandrindod Wells. “I have bought Ben especially
for my retirement – he will take the place of my making
office files every day,” said Ms Price, who is looking
forward to making an increasing impact on the trialling circuit
with her new acquisition.
In what proved a high-class catalogue, Iolo Jones, from Corwen,
made it a North Wales double when Moss, a registered 17-month-old
dog who has already competed in a number of nurseries, joined
Mr H Owen, from Nantwich, Cheshire, for 2,450 guineas.
Well-known local handler Sean Richards, of Hapton, Burnley, trialled
the workmanlike Fred, by A Scrimgeour’s Killiebrae Laddie
out of Alf Kymes’ Sally, to impress yet another North Wales
buyer at 2,100 guineas.
Forward 51. Broken dogs to 3,600gns (£1,469), part-broken
to 875gns (£591) unbroken to 460gns (£404), pups
to 110gns.
Further seasonal working sheepdog sales will take place as Skipton
Auction Mart this year as follows: Friday, May 25 (entries close
May 11), Friday, August 10 (entries close July 27), and Friday,
October 26 (entries close October 12)
 Prime performances at Skipton Christmas shows
Lazonby Spring Sheepdog Sale
Manderlea flock tops again at Skipton Texel females winter show
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