A top Hawke's Bay hope for the North Island and New Zealand sheep dog trial championships will be the first on the run as the near week-long big annual event starts today north of Gisborne.
Dave Wallace, of Waikoau, has three of about 500 dogs which have qualified for the championships at Pouawa, near the coastal settlement of Whangara, but it is with Plug that he has drawn the No 1 marble to kick-off the short head runs, scheduled to start at 7am - daylight and fog willing.
Wallace, who won a North Island title last year with Toi, also has Hawke's Bay centre joining Top Heading Dog Blue and third entry Duzar, in a championship featuring more than 50 dogs from Hawke's Bay.
Among them are Hawke's Bay centre president Clark Chrystal, also of Waikoau club, and Te Pohue farm manager Stuart McNeill, who have each qualified with five dogs, as well as Poverty Bay legend Merv Utting, a 73-year-old who was last year bestowed an MNZM for services to sheep dog trials.
Heading runs at Pouawa, near Whangara, will start from 7-7.30am each day from Monday and huntaways from about 9am, almost 1000 runs over the long head, short head and yard, zig zag hunt and straight hunt courses deciding the North Island champions, and the top seven on each course going into the national championship runoffs.