Ben Coster is competing with Coopendale Lucy in the Carcoar Working Dog Challenge.

A PROMISE of big money has attracted Australia’s top working dog trainers and breeders to the inaugural Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange Working Dog Challenge at Carcoar.

The three-day challenge with total prizemoney of $20,000 – the highest in Australia — started today and features a field of 300 entries for the cattle and sheep trials.

The challenge finals will be livestreamed on Saturday night through the Working Dog Challenge Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thewdchallenge/

The inaugural sale on Sunday has attracted 50 working dogs and will be conducted by Stocklive. The auction on Sunday will be live-streamed through Stocklive  on https://www.stocklive.com.au/

RLX regional manager for NSW Brock Syphers said the auction would help meet the growing demand for working dogs and it was hoped the three-day event would become a legacy event.

“The auction and trials are giving working-dog breeders the opportunity to promote their best genetics and showcase their well-trained dogs in both the competition and selling rings,” he said.

A feature event will be the Sire’s Shootout, with working dog stud sires going head-to-head under lights tonight.

“All studs competing in this will also be entering a dog in the sale,” Mr Syphers said.

“It’s not often you get to see the bloodlines that you want to bid on battle it out, so this will be a remarkable competition,” he said.

Well-known Kelpie trainer and breeder Ben Coster of Wandabar Stockdogs at Yass is competing and said the $20,000 prize pool made it a very exciting event. He is looking forward to trialling his open class bitch eight year-old Coopendale Lucy.

Challenge program

Friday, 26 November:

7am Cattle Novice/Sheep Maiden Trial

6:30pm Sire Shootout Calcutta

Saturday, 27 November:

7am Sheep Novice Trial

7.30am Cattle Open Trial

11.30am Sheep Open Trial

6.30pm “Milly Washbrook” Live band

Sunday, 28 November:

8am Sale Pre Works

1pm Auction

Livestock agent Tom Card from Bowyer and Livermore is predicting strong results for the Stockline auction. Click here to review the catalogue.

“It’s a big selling point to producers to be able to secure a dog which can work cattle as well as sheep in the paddock and the yards.”

The event follows a good results at the recent 10th Annual RMA Network Working Stock Dog Auction on 13 November when working dogs sold to $25,500 and averaged $7598 for 33 of 39 sold during the sale. At the Capree sale on 12 October, Kelpies sold to $15,500 and averaged $10,250.

For more information, visit The Working Dog Challenge Trial and Sale Facebook page.