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Ceredigion sheepdog handler Dewi Jenkins claimed his second sale topper in a week when leading the prices at Skipton’s May sale.

Fresh from achieving £9,030 at Bala , with 17-month-old Cap, he collected a similar price with 13-month-old bitch Graylees Rose six days later in north Yorkshire.

The 26-year-old farmer, who keeps Welsh Mountain ewes and Welsh Black cattle at Tynygraig, Tal-y-bont, sold Rose for 8,500gns (£8,925).

The price confirmed Dewi’s reputation for producing some of the most sought-after working sheep dogs in Britain: he also led the equivalent sales in Bala and Skipton last year , and in February he achieved a Skipton record for a brace of bitches sold at a single sale (a combined 15,200gns).

His latest 8,500gns bitch, an excellent nursery prospect, found a new home in Scotland with John S Hastie, of Fife.

A retired shepherd who still keeps a few sheep, he will use Rose for both work and trialling.

(Image: Adrian Legge Photography)

Rose is by Michelle Anderson’s Red and was bought as a youngster by Mr Jenkins from the Northumberland handler, who runs a Cheviot sheep flock on her 1,300-acre hill farm in Bellingham.

“Red is now our main work dog, strong and powerful with a fantastic temperament,” said Michelle.

“I’ve been running him in the Northumberland League and he is very well-known in this part of the world.”

The dam is Glan y Gors Peg, owned by fellow Northumberland shepherdess Emma Gray, who hit the headlines at Skipton’s February sale when setting a new world record auction price for a working sheepdog bitch. This was two-year-old Brenna, sold to an American buyer for 14,000gns.

The sale’s second top call of 6,400gns fell to a young tri-coloured bitch from a first-time Skipton vendor, David Murray.

The Shetland Islands sheep farmer and trialist had made a 14-hour boat trip, followed by a six-and-a-half-hour drive south, to attend the fixture.

His eight-month-old Maid, who was placed fourth in her first nursery trial, is by twice Irish National champion and 2016 reserve Supreme champion, James McLaughlin’s Dan.

Maid returned north of the border with Ewen Macmillan, of Lurg Farm, Fintry, who fought off competition from a US phone bidder.

“I had seen Maid on YouTube and needed a youngster to bring on,” explained Mr Macmillan, who will use his new acquisition on his 800-strong flock of Scottish Blackface ewes.

Scottish breeder Dean Aitken, from Lockerbie, was next best at 4,800gns with his black-and-white bitch, Midge, who fell to a telephone bidder who requested anonymity.

Another Ceredigion handler, Tregaron’s Dan Rees, achieved 4,300gns with two-year-old Kate, a black-and-white bitch.

By Brendan McAllister’s multiple trials winner, Spot, out of Michael Gallagher’s Templemoyle Hope, she returned to Wales with an unnamed buyer.

Another eye-catcher from Wales was Cynfal Jill, a December 2017 bitch from KB Williams, Bryn Melyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog .

Out of Mr Williams’ own Floss, she is by Aled Owen’s International champion, Llangwm Cap .

The black-and-white bitch was knocked down to T Elliot, Jedburgh, for 3,900gns.

The sale attracted a total turnout of 137 dogs – 96 field-run dogs and 41 in the unbroken pen.

Eight dogs fetched 3,000gns or more, with a further 20 going for between 2,100gns and 3,000gns.

Elsewhere on the trials field, 15 dogs made 1,600-2,000gns, with 20 dogs selling up to 1,500gns.

(Image: Adrian Legge Photography)

Unbroken dogs

Headline performers in the unbroken pen were the Byrne family from County Roscommon, Ireland.

Father Pat and his three sons, Micheal, Daire and Niall, arrived with 12 youngsters and sold all but one of them for a combined 8,950gns.

All were fathered by Moss, acquired by Mr Byrne at Skipton’s 2017 spring sale two years for top call of 9,200gns.

Unbroken prices were led by two three-month-old dogs out of the same litter from Mr Byrne’s Grace, dam of the current Irish National Champion, who both went for 1,600gns.

Another strong performer at 1,400gns was four-month-old Ron from Carmarthen’s Andrew Green.

The black-and-white dog is by Derwen Doug, from top Welsh triallist Kevin Evans, and is out of Preseli Queen, a full sister to Mr Evans’s Preseli Ci, winner of the 2016 International.

He joined a north Yorkshire buyer who requested no publicity.

Sale prices and averages

Broken dogs

Reg dogs(24) 600gns-3,400gns, av £2,067;

Reg bitches (32) 400gns-8,500gns, av £2,302;

Unreg bitches (5) 600gns-2,050gns, av £1,187.

Part/unbroken dogs