John Maginn Tops Late Spring Sale For Sheep Dogs

“I’ve hit the jackpot. It’s my best sale price ever,” said the former Irish National champion, after seeing his two-year-old black and white bitch Jess shine on the upgraded trials field, attracting keen interest at the ringside, before selling to a telephone bidder. Mr Maginn has qualified to represent Ireland in this year’s World Sheep Dog Trials at Lowther Park, near Penrith in Cumbria, in September. He and his wife Liz run Dunmore Hill Boarding Kennels at the foot of the Mourne Mountain in Glasdrumman, near Annalong, Newry. [caption id="attachment_24096" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="John Maginn, left, with his 4,600gns Jess, and John Bell with his 4,200gns Dewi Kate, top dogs at Skiptonâx80x99s late Spring working dogs fixture."][/caption] Mr Maginn’s Skipton top performer, Jess, has already won a nursery trial in Antrim and qualified for the Irish National nursery final – is a true Irish-bred dog, being by Allistair Lyttle’s 2010 ‘One Man and his Dog’ singles champion Spot, out of Billy McLean’s Mist. Both renowned handlers and breeders are based in County Donegal. There was again strong demand for quality dogs from buyers from across the UK and overseas. Of the 70 dogs on parade, a total of 31 sold for 1,500gns and more, of which 21 achieved 2,000gns and above. Three classy entrants were each knocked down for 2,800gns (£2,940), among themxa0 a June, 2009,xa0 black and white dog, Dan, from Ireland’s Eamon McAuley, Larne, Co Antrim, andxa0fellow Irish breeder William Lawrence, of Moneymore, County Down, with his black, white and mottled bitch Dora, a Northern Ireland nursery trials finalist. John Bell, of Parks Farm Howden, Selby, narrowly failed in his bid to top the prices at Skipton for a record 16th time when his December, 2009-born black, white and mottled bitch Dewi Kate was sold for 4,200 guineas (£4,410). By Dewi Tweed, who landed the 2009 International Trials at Lowther Park for breeder Richard Millichap, from Port Talbot in South Wales, she is a litter sister to Dewi Fan, who set a new world record price of 6,000 guineas (£6,300) when sold by Mr Bell at Skipton’s opening working dogs sale in February this year. D McNeill, Larne, Co Antrim, sold his 14-month-old tri-coloured dog Sam, by Welshman Michael Gallagher’s 2010 Supreme champion Cap, for 2,200gns (£2,310). Seamus Gormley, of Kilcreen Sheep Dog Centre in Co Derry, Northern Ireland, performed well with his youngsters, selling four pups at 550gns, 500gns, 450gns and 420gns. Prices and averages: Broken registered dogs to 4,600gns (av £2,129), part-broken registered dogs to 950gns (£544), broken unregistered dogs to 1,300gns (£893), part-broken unregistered dogs to 450gns (£315), registered bitch pups to 550gns and registered dog pups to 500gns.]]>