Sheepdog trials: Peacock joins NZ champs Honours Board

Guy Peacock and Chief at the Weber sheep dog trials in February. On Saturday they won a national title near Blenheim. Photo / FIle

It was an anxious wait but worth it to create a bit of history when Dannevirke sheep dog trialist Guy Peacock won his third New Zealand championship title near Blenheim on Saturday.

As well as earning himself and dog Chief a place in the New Zealand team to compete against Australia in Sydney in October, the win gave him a place on the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trials Association honours board, along with others who have won three national titles or more since the championships were first held in 1936.

It also extended a bit of family history in the championships, which dates right back to the 1911 efforts of great-grandfather Willie Whyte at Dannevirke, the first North Island championships, historically accepted as the country's premier sheep dog event before the New Zealand championships were first held in 1936.

Peacock, now 41, living on a small farm at Te Uri, near Dannevirke, and working fulltime with Waipukurau fertiliser company PFP — which he says played a big part in enabling him the time to compete so soon after starting the new job — had an anxious wait after he and Chief hit the leaderboard the second day of the championships (Tuesday of last week).

When he was still there on Friday night, with 10 other qualifying runs still to be held on Saturday morning, wife Lisa took a punt and booked a flight to watch the seven-dog runoff, for which he qualified in fifth place, and which was his 13th to-seven placing at North or South island championships, dating back to 2000.

It all worked with Chief showing all the station dog toughness and hardness for which Peacock got him as a pup from Craig Lyons, of Raetihi.

It proved to be an astute choice, the now five-year-old Chief has won about 12 Open trials, including three of the five he ran during the 2018 club season. The dog had some pedigree, but neither parent had trialled.

More than anything else, Peacock credited his first dog for teaching him — Hutton, the heading dog he had at Smedley Station cadet training, when Peacock was also playing rugby in the mainly-Smedley Onga-Tiko team which was unbeaten in 1996, winning the Hawke's Bay Under 19 title, with teammates including later All Black Greg Somerville.

"He'd let me know when I did anything wrong," Peacock reflected. "It's good to be able to pay him back for what he taught me. Sometimes you've got to remember what bit was like back then."

Hutton's best year was 2002 when he won the North Island long head title at Te Aute before heading for the South Island championships near Cromwell, which ended with second-place in the New Zealand long head final.

Peacock won his two other New Zealand titles with Frank in the 2011 zig zag runoff at Te Ore Ore, near Masterton, and with Falcon in the 2015 long head runoff at Moawhango, near Taihape.

Great-grandfather Whyte, who was third in the long head at the first North Island championships, the first of 19 times on the leaderboards in 28 years, all with heading dogs named Boy. He won seven North Island titles, his last in 1936 at Hawera where he was sixth in the long head at the first New Zealand championships.

Second great-grandfather Fred Hewitt was seventh in his only island leaderboards finish, the long head at the North Island championships in 1949, also with a dog named Boy.

Despite the strength of numbers from the east coast of the North Island at the North Island, South Island and New Zealand championships, the region came away with just one title at each event.

Prior to Wairarapa SHB centre member Peacock's triumph, Hawke's Bay centre trialist Laurie Horsfall claimed the North Island short head title with Raid at Te Aute last month, and Poverty Bay trialist Leo Edginton last week won the South Island straight hunt title with Robert.

CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Results of the South Island and New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Championships at Meadow Bank Farms, Omaka, Marlborough, from May 28-June 2:

SOUTH ISLAND

Long head: Eion Herbert (Tapawera), Bell, 96pts, 1; Steve Murphy (Whangamomona), 95.75pts, 2; Murray Child (Maungakaramea), Dice, 95.5pts, 3; Brian Dickison (Gore), Ash, 95.25pts, 4; Tom Manson (Raupunga) Pip. 95pts, 5; Scott McRae (Wellsford), Cory, 94.4pts, 6; Neville Child (Maungatapere), Harry, 94pts, 7.

Short head and yard: Ginger Anderson (Gore), Boss, 98.5pts, 1; Stuart Child (Te Kuiti), Mitch, 98.25pts, 2; Merv Utting (Gisborne), Prince, 98pts, 3; Kevin Lamont (Cheviot), Trump, 97.75pts, 4; Guy Peacock (Dannevirke), Chief, 97.5pts, 5; Graeme Brier (Piopio), Sumo, 97pts, 6; Andy Clark (Tai Tapu), 96.5pts, 7.

Zig zag huntaway: Dave Stuart (Pohangina), Charm, 98pts, 1; Alex Matthews (Mangamahu), 97.5pts, 2; Mark Lourie (Parapara-Makirikiri), Bella, 97pts, 3; Scott McRae (Wellsford), Toby, 96.75pts, 4; Tom Manson (Raupunga), Spud, 96.5pts, 5; Gerard Brown (Dannevirke), Brew, 96pts, 6; Lloyd Smith (Palmerston), Charlie, 95.5pts, 7.

Straight huntaway: Leo Edginton (Tolaga Bay), Robert, 97.5pts, 1; Murray Child (Maungakaramea), Ralf, 97.1pts, 2; Trevor Rumbal (Taumarunui), Thug, 97pts, 3; Clark Chrystal (Tutira), Trix, 96.5pts, 4; Dave Stuart (Pohangina), Gus, 96.4pts, 5; Rebecca Baynes (Wairoa), Tom, 96.2pts, 6; Alex Matthews (Mangamahu), Bonnie, 96.1pts, 7.

NEW ZEALAND

Long head: Neville Child (Maungatapere), Harry, (94, 95) 189pts, 1; Murray Child (Maungakaramea), Dice, (95.5, 93) 188.5pts, 2; Eion Herbert (Tapawera), Bell, (96, 92) 188pts, 3; Tom Manson (Raupunga), Pip, (94, 91.5) 186.5pts, 4; Scott McRae (Wellsford), Cory, (94.4, 91) 185.5pts, 5; Brian Dickison (Gore), Ash, (95.25, 85) 180.25pts, 6; Steve Murphy (Whangamomona), Sharp, (95.75, 84), 179.75pts, 7.

Short head and yard: Guy Peacock (Dannevirke), Chief, (97.5, 97.5) 195pts, 1; Merv Utting (Gisborne), Prince, (98, 96.5) 194.5pts, 2; Graeme Brier (Piopio), Sumo, (97, 97) 194pts, 3; Ginger Anderson (Omarama), Boss, (98.5, 94) 192.5pts, 4; Stuart Child (Te Kuiti), Mitch, (98.25, 93.5) 191.75pts, 5; Kevin Lamont (Cheviot), Trump, (97.75, 89.5) 187.25pts, 6; Andy Clark (Tai Tapu), Girl, (96.5, 67) 163.5pts, 7.

Zig zag huntaway: Alex Matthews (Mangamahu), Rex, (97.5, 98) 195.5pts, 1; Mark Lourie (Parapara-Makirikiri) Bella, (97, 96) 193pts, 2; Scott McRae (Wellsford), Toby, (96.75, 94.5) 191.25pts, 3; Gerard Brown (Dannevirke), Brew, (96, 95) 191pts, 4; Lloyd Smith (Palmerston), Charlie, (95.5, 93.5) 189pts, 5; Tom Manson (Raupunga), Spud, (96.5, 92) 188.5pts, 6; Dave Stuart (Pohangina), Charm, (98, 90) 188pts, 7.

Straight huntaway: Alex Matthews (Mangamahu), Bonnie, (96.1, 98) 194.1pts, 1; Rebecca Baynes (Wairoa), Tom, (96.2, 96) 192.2pts, 2; Leo Edginton (Tolaga Bay), Robert, (97.5, 994), 191.5pts, 3; Murray Child (Maungakaramea), Ralf, (97.1, 93.5) 190.6pts, 4; Clark Chrystal (Tutira), Trix, (96.5, 92) 188.5pts, 5; Trevor Rumbal (Taumarunui), Thug, (97, 91) 188pts, 6; Dave Stuart (Pongahina), Gus, (96.4, 69) 165.4pts, 7.

Winners of the C.P. Perry M.B.E. Memorial Shield (top centre for 2018): Northland 1, Wanganui 2, Hawke's Bay 3.