After last year's dismal weather kept down attendance during the Greatest Show On Earth, Stampede officials must have considered yesterday's (July 7) soaring heat of 33 degrees on Day One to have been a godsend.

On the first official day of this year's Stampede, people flocked through the gates in droves and broke an attendance record for the first Friday of the show. 115,235 people clicked through the turnstiles obliterating the previous record of 108,455 set in 2012.  It also upstaged 2016's first day attendance of 90,887.

Today on the grounds, the first day of the 2017 World Stock Dog Championship goes at 5:00 pm at the Agrium Western Events Centre with a distinctly Airdrie flavour about it.

2016 Champion, Finn, a Border Collie will be back to try to defend his title with his handler Milt Scott of Airdrie.  The longtime competitor most recently won the 2017 Aggie Days' "Clock, Stock and Barrel" with another Border Collie named Josie.  

As well, Milt's son Kier will be competing at the Stock Dog Championship for the first time with his dog Sweep.

The World Stock Dog Championship is the world's richest indoor stock dog trials with a prize of $10,000 and is known as one of the most compelling events at Stamede with agile and intelligent dogs moving three sheep through a challenging course and into a pen in less than four minutes.

The competition starts out with 60 entries, but only 12 will advance to the championship finals which go Sunday afternoon at 5:00 pm in the Agrium Western Events Centre.  

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