A TOP sheepdog and handler from Inverkip have claimed victory at a prestigious national trial ahead of next month’s World Championships.
Duncan Robertson and his Border collie, Derwen Roy, won the Team Scotland showcase trial at Dalscone Farm in Dumfries.
The win secures their place at the upcoming Sheep Dog World Trial, set to take place at Huntington Farm near Lauder from September 16 to 20.
He said: "I'm chuffed to bits to be beating all the boys who have been winning all the trials in Scotland recently.
"It's good to get a win because you never know how it's going to go, and I was lucky on the day.
"Now I'm looking forward to the Scottish National next week, and the World Trial next month."
Nine-year-old Roy will compete as part of Team Scotland at the World Trial, which will see more than 300 handlers and dogs from 34 countries compete for the world title.
The showcase event drew crowds throughout the day and was live-streamed to viewers around the globe.
Emma Gray, a judge at the event, and star of BBC’s This Farming Life, praised the winning pair.
She said: "It was really nice to have such a clear winner in Duncan and Roy.
"They had a superb go round the course, they kept their sheep nice and quiet, and I was struggling to get any points off them at all."
The event also celebrated the launch of new sheepdog demonstration facilities at Dalscone Farm.
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Ben Best of Dalscone Farm said: "It was lovely to see such a good crowd and the grandstand packed all day, and we were really happy to be able to put this on for the Scotland team.
"It's a great use of the facilities we've created for our daily sheepdog demonstrations, and it justifies all our hard work.
"We've seen huge interest in the sheepdog demonstrations, it's something there isn't enough of in the country and people are really invested in it."
Many of the competitors at the Dalscone event will now head to the ISDS Scottish National Championships, being held at Glenfarg in Perth from August 19 to 22.
The Sheep Dog World Trial is the largest event in the international sheepdog calendar and is held every three years.
This will be the first time the event takes place in the Scottish Borders, home of the Border collie breed.
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