Bet on the Baa Blacks

The town of Methven (population 1200) recently hosted a sheep-race, which saw two teams of eight “professionally trained” sheep speed round the local pub and over barrels at speeds of over 40kmp/h. Organiser and trainer David Cone, who has been a sheep breeder and wool consultant for more than 30 years, says he has been astonished by the level of interest in the newly conceived sport of sheep-racing. “I’m starting to get inquiries to take my flock all over New Zealand,” Cone said. “We ran a day-time event earlier this year and five thousand people turned up. We’re starting to take bookings three years in advance.” His intense secretiveness about almost every other aspect of the sport hints at how competitive he expects things to become as its popularity increases. Asked by the Telegraph how he trains his animals to race, he replied: “Can’t tell you that, it’s a trade secret.”