Victorian Yard dog championship won by tiebreaker

Geoff McDougall and his companion Ace won the 2023 championship at Bendigo Showgrounds after a runoff with fellow competitor Bree Cudmore, Colac.

Mr McDougall said he was ecstatic with the win, after he led the scoreboard for most of the day.

"We had a great day, we led with a top score going into the final on a 95 in the top 20," he said.

"We scored a 93 again so we were leading going into the top six, and then Bree Cudnall who is a very talented handler, we both drew and we had to have a runoff.

"And the little fella came out trumps."

He said he started trialling about 34 years ago in 1989, and first trialled at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show's dog trials in 2019.

Mr McDougall said his winning dog Ace had no particular pedigree, but was a hard-working companion.

"He's bred by a drover out of Deniliquin, and that's all I know," he said.

"Just a big thank you to Gavin O'Sullivan for the sheep and the top price sponsorship and all the crew that did the setting up, it's a six-day job here, it's a big effort and well-worth coming."

Bree Cudmore with pup Vera Blue came in second after the runoff with Mr McDougall.

"I'm feeling very good, really really happy," she said.

"We had to have a runoff, that was nice and intense, bit of an extra element and it was really good, I really enjoyed it."

Ms Cudmore won four ribbons for the day, after Vera Blue's brother placed third in the improver category, and second in the championship.

"A mate's dog who I ran came third in the open and third in the championship," she said.

"I've bred Blue, he's out of the first bitch that I owned, he turns three in October so he's quite young.

"He's just come up this year, and he's won the New South Wales' state yard dog championship already this year so that's fantastic."

Broken River Kelpie stud principal, and judge Dale Thompson said over the entire weekend there was a great quality of dogs shown, with exceptional handlers to match.

With an impressive lineup of top five recipients, third place went to Adam James and Yarrabee Scout, Geoff McDougall took out fourth place with Champ, and fifth was won by Kayne Gardner and Nowlans Bruiser.

"The sheep have been tough enough which sorted out the softer dogs from the stronger types that can handle these sheep," Mr Thompson said.

With the tense, deciding tiebreaker between Ms Cudmore and Mr McDougall leaving the crowd in suspense, Mr Thompson said it was just a few small things Ms Cudmore fell behind in.

"it was tight enough, it was just a few little things where the handler made just a few little mistake, there was not much in it, but the fella that won it come through in the end," Mr Thompson said.

With the scores even at 279 by the final round, Mr McDougall's final run with Ace was very effective according to Mr Thompson.

"He's a dominant sort of dog and there's no mucking around with him, but in saying that both dogs performed very well in the runoff," Mr Thompson said.

"Overall, the whole weekend and the dogs have been very good and the weathers been very good too."

With the type of sheep used being Merino wethers, it's one of the more difficult trials of the year to win, according to Mr Thompson, who said winning here meant you had to have a pretty good dog.

"Because it's over three rounds, with those dogs doing four rounds because of the runoff, the cream comes to the top, you don't win this trial without trying," Mr Thompson said.