Shaun Richards was the headline performer at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening 2014 sale of working sheep dogs on Friday.

Mr Richards, of Hapton, led the field when selling his trials-ready 14-month-old black and white dog, Sweep, for the day’s top call of 5,300 guineas, or £5,565.

The dog was bred by well-known trialist Medwyn Evans, of Dolgellau, and found a new home in the United States with hobby sheep dog trialist Michelle Prescott-Guderian.

“I first viewed him on YouTube and obviously liked what I saw,” said Mrs Prescott-Guderian, who works as a real estate agent in Fridley, Minnesota.

The sale attracted 94 dogs from near and far and 63 were sold on the day – a clearance rate of 68 per cent – with well-bred and fully broken registered performers enjoying the best of the exchanges.

The day’s second top price of 4,000gns (£4,200) fell to Don, a 30-month-old tri-coloured dog from Belgium handler Jo De Meyst. The Welsh-bred dog is already a five times nursery trial winner in both England and Belgium and had found a new home in Holmrook, Cumbria, with Arthur Temple, who finished eighth in the 2011 World Sheep Dog Trials.

Mr De Meyst also sold his daughter’s April, 2011-born tri-coloured bitch Knockmas Kay for 2,200gns (£2,310) to G Gartside, of Derbyshire’s Hope Valley.

Selling well at 3,800gns (£3,990) was a 16-month-old black and white bitch, Groesfaen Nan, from John Bell, of Parks Farm, Howden, who also headed the young dog prices at an exhilarating 2,400gns (£2,520) with a promising nine-month-old tri-coloured bitch, Kate.

Groesfaen Nan sold to a regular buyer from Scotland, who made a total of six acquisitions on the day.

Mr Bell, who last year at Skipton established a new world record price of 8,800gns (£9,240) for a dog sold at an official sale, then saw his up-and-coming Kate top the young dog prices. She found a new home in the south of England.

Late in the day, first-time Scottish vendor Dean Aitken, a sheep farmer in Lockerbie, achieved 3,700gns (£3,885) with his black and white bitch Tweeddale Jess, born on New Year’s Day, 2012.

Jess returned to Scotland with Sandy and Jemma Forrest, of Hillend Farm, Roberton, near Biggar, and will be used as a work dog on the Forrests’ sheep and suckler cow farm.

“We had seen the dog working the previous week and were so impressed, I actually followed her down to Skipton,” said Mrs Forrest.

Tommy McPhee, of Reiss, near John O’Groats, made the journey worthwhile when selling his 18-month-old black bitch Gael for 2,950gns (£3,097.50), his best ever price at Skipton.

Michael Longton, of the famed sheep dog trialing family from Rooten Brook Farm, Quernmore, also achieved his highest price at Skipton when selling his July, 2010-born black and white dog Harry, an Inter-Club nursery winner, for 2,750gns (£2,887.50).

Harry, who has already earned ten National points, fell to Irishman Michael Gallagher buying on behalf of a client.

D Brisbane, of Stranraer, made 2,150gns (£2,257.50) with his black and white dog Roy, while the same price was achieved by Lee, a 21-month-old tri-coloured bitch and nursery trial winner from E Feenay, of County Sligo in Ireland. Both fell to the same Scottish buyer.

Leading prices and averages were: broken registered dogs to 5,300gns (av £2,286), part-broken registered dogs to 1,200gns (av £664), unbroken registered dogs to 550gns (av £299), unregistered broken dogs to 1,050gns (av £1,102), unbroken unregistered dogs to 200gns.

The next seasonal working sheep dogs sale is on Friday, May 16, with entries closing on May 2.