Hampshire Down and Blue Texel records tumble at Borderway
New breed records of 18,000gns for Blue Texels and 2,000gns for Hampshire Down ewe lambs made headlines at Borderway, Carlisle, on the weekend (24 September).
Leading a busy day of pedigree sheep sales was the reserve supreme champion ram lamb, Joe’s Alvin, a Sams son out of Beili Blues.
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He set a new breed record for Joe Thornley, Swadlingcote, Derbyshire, with a bid from Paul Tippetts and Christine Williams, Shifnal, Shropshire, trumping their previous record call of 13,000gns for a female set at Skipton in 2014.
Blue Texel ram lamb sold to Christine Williams and Paul Tippetts for 18,000gns
Elsewhere, a Blue Texel call of 4,000gns from Sara and Steve Gibbons, Tregoyd, Brecon, sealed the services of ram lamb Jonsland Areo, a Whatmore Siren son out of Jonsland Willo, from Dan and Janine Jones, Tregynon, Powys.
Females topped at 3,800gns, for red ticket winner Nantyderri from Rhys Cook, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. She was fresh from winning the Royal Welsh, selling to DB Roberts, Knely, Shrewsbury. This Whatmore Walnut daughter is out of Ivanhoe.
Hampshire Downs
Another Skipton record was beaten in the Hampshire Down ring by the Maes-Glas flock of EB and SA Jones, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, for six-time champion daughter of Maes-Glas Hercules. She was sold to David Cormack and Gaynor McDowell, Billesdon, Leicestershire.
Record-breaking ewe lamb at the 2016 Hampshire Down sale, sold for 2,000gns
The Royal Welsh winner outstrips the female record of 1,200gns for a shearling ewe from Kevin and Anna McCarthy’s Ballycreelly flock in 2014.
Following the record-breaker at 1,200gns was a ewe lamb from the McCarthy’s Ballycreelly flock, sold to Tony McGrath, Dungannon, County Tyrone. The money maker was out of a Wattisfield Topper daughter and by a Ballycreelly Whatthedevil ram.
Lleyns
Strong pedigree interest helped nine Lleyn tups to 2,000gns or more at Borderway on Wednesday (22 September), lifting ram trade up £132.43 on the year.
The sale managed a top call of 7,000gns from Laga Farms, Evie, Orkney, going to the Whitlaw flock of B Walling, Farmstock Genetics, Lindean, Selkirk, for this year’s Great Yorkshire Show supreme champion, Whitlaw Europe.
Lleyn prices topped at 7,000gns for Whitlaw Europe from B Walling
Next at 4,500gns was Lochar Extract from Hamish Goldie, Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire. The winning bid came from DJ Steen, Whitcastles Farm, Corrie, Dumfriesshire.
He is by a new sire bloodline and from a very efficient line of females and sits in the top 5% maternal and carcass index.
At 4,000gns was another Laga Farms bid, this time for Plasucha Elroy from DN Bennett and Son. A twin out of a ewe lamb and in the top 1% for maternal and carcass index, this sire’s dam is a sister of the 11,000gns Palucha Dependable.
Best money for shearling gimmers was a £500 bid from Clive Long, Stabane, County Tyrone. This was the pick of close to 3,000 females offered on the day and was bred by James Goldie, Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire.
Averages: Blue Texel: 37 shearling rams, £584; 24 ram lambs, £1,337; 50 shearling gimmers, £472; 24 ewe lambs, £575. Hampshire Downs: 17 ewes, £237; 31 shearling gimmers £381; 10 ewe lambs, £558. Lleyn: 108 rams, £905 (+£132); 1,253 shearling gimmers, £149 (-£29); 449 ewe lambs, £93 (+£5)
(Harrison and Hetherington)