Young-raised, Galong-based yard dog competitor Thomas Woolford notched up a commanding win in the prestigious Dogpro Murray Valley Yard Dog Championships at the 2026 Henty Machinery Field Days. The championships were held last month and drew entries from throughout NSW and Victoria in the maiden, novice, improver and open events. In a tight eight dog final, Woolford, of Galong, and his four-year-old black and tan kelpie Ringers Mac took out the championship on 192 points at their Henty debut. A livestock manager, he set himself the goal to win the open championship at first attempt with a dog he described as a “a bit of weapon”. Mac won the 2026 Australian Yard Dog Championships in South Australia and followed up with a second in the NSW Yard Dog Championships. Thomas bought Mac as a 12-week-old pup and is the first dog he has trained. He uses Mac as his main working dog on 19,000 sheep and 1500 cattle on Bobbara Station and has pups on the ground. A qualified builder, Thomas transitioned into agriculture to follow his passion. He has a team of six working dogs and several seven-month-old pups. “I don’t work a day in my life I reckon – that’s how much I love it," Woolford said. “Mac will go home now, be back at work on Monday, and then get ready for the Australian championships next year. “He’s worth his weight in gold – if someone offered me $100,000, I wouldn’t sell him. “Everyone talks about how good Henty is and that’s why I wanted to come and give it a crack. "The best handlers in the country are here and to take it out is pretty special."
