RETURNING to Ballymena Livestock Market on Sat-
urday, December 17, at
12.30pm with approximate-ly 85 in-lamb gimmers on offer are Northern Stars consignors, local breeders Richard Henderson, Ballynahone, Alastair and Jack Gault, Forkins and Cherryvale, and Roger Strawbridge, Tamnamoney, with quality lots from Scottish breeders Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, and English breeder Charlie Boden, Sportsmans and Mellor Vale.
The ‘guest’ consigment this year will be from the Seaforde flock of Mark Priestley, County Down.
The Seaforde Flock was est-ablished in 2018 with foundation ewes from the Knock, Knap and Auldhouseburn flocks. The flock is already establishing a name for itself both locally and across GB with its first two years at National sales selling Seaforde Fergie Time 2022 for 15K and Seaforde Egyptian Warrior in 2021 for 26K.
Warrior sons sold this year for top prices of 11,000gns and 10,000gns with many more at four-figures. Selling at Lanark 2021 was 7K Seaforde Empire King to Sportsmans, Auldhouseburn and Glenside. This season saw his sons sell to 100,000gns resulting in Empire King being runner up UK sire of the year.
The flock’s consignment offers an opportunity to purchase two of Warriors ET sisters and a maternal sister to Empire King at Northern Stars.
The consignment of Seaforde gimmers are in lamb to 48K Sportsmans Dare Devil, a Garngour Craftsmans son; 24K New View Electrifying, a Sportsmans Double Diamond son; and Forkins Forever, a Procters El Jeffe son. Forever was purchased privately and maternal brother to 8K gimmer sold to Auldhouseburn and grandson of 350K Double Diamond.
This year’s Auldhouseburn con-
signment sees the exciting gen-eration of daughters by 350,000gns Sportsmans Double Diamond, with all of the in-lamb gimmers forward sired by Double Diamond. Double Diamond daughters have already proved to be great breeders, with sons having sold to a top of 28K and averaging almost £14,000 for five.
The only Double Diamond daughter already sold has produced a five-figure ram lamb for the Rhaeadr Flock. Previous in-lamb gimmers sold have gone on to breed six-figure rams.
The Auldhouseburn consignment gives the chance to buy gimmers in lamb to both 130K Haymount Fan Dabi Dozi, a 24K Rhaeadr Entrepreneur son, and 50K Okehall Fireball, a son of 12K Haymount Earth, Wind & Fire.
The Ballynahone, Forkins, Cherry-
vale and Tamnamoney consign-ments offer a choice of renowned 16K sire Proctors Cocktail, Procters Deacon Blue, Tullagh Dragon and Lakeview Dirty Dancer daughters.
All consignments are giving buyers the opportunity to purchase in-lamb gimmers to Garngour Emerald, who is out of the same family as Garngour Alabama, Clarks Bolt and Garngour Craftsman, with his dam an outstanding proctors Chumba Wumba gimmer.
Ballynahone is also offering the opportunity to purchase in-lamb females from new service sire Largy Fanucci, a Sportsmans Cannon Ball son, as well as gimmers in lamb to Rhaeadr Edge, a son of 48K Sportsmans Dare Devil, whose dam is an outstanding daughter of Kelso Pavarotti out of Rhaeadr Best of the Best’s mother.
The Forkins and Cherryvale flocks are giving unique potential to purchase from homebred Cherryvale Frankel, a Castlecairn Doodlebug son whose dam is ET sister to their 26K gimmer, a Clarks Bolt daughter.
Forkins and Cherryvale also offer in-lamb females to new service sires joint owned 15K Haymount Fancy That, a son of 24K Rhaeadr Entrepreneur and out of an Usk Vale Crackerjack dam and privately owned Charben Fantastic, a Mellor Vale Etambo son.
Tamnamoney is offering an opportunity to purchase gimmers from the strongest female blood-lines in the flock in lamb to private purchased and joint owned new service sire Ballynahone Foreman. Foreman is an Emerald son out of a Scotsmans Avicii dam and from one of the best breeding female Ballynahone bloodlines with his granddam the 19K Ballynahone gimmer sold Northern Stars 2017.
The Sportsmans team is excited to be offering a fantastic consignment this year of Castlecairn Doodlebug and Garngour Detroit daughters in lamb to highly sought after service sires.
Rhaeadr First Choice, purchased for 160,000gns in Lanark and sired by Sportsmans Dare Devil, sold for 48,000gns in 2020; Dare Devil is by Craftsman and out of one of the best breeding ewes in the Sportsmans flock.
130K Haymount Fan Dabi Dozi also goes back to the same line with Dare Devil showing prominence in his pedigree. A select number of the consignment also come in lamb to 50K joint owned Okehall Fireball, a Haymount Earth Wind and Fire son who goes back to Sportsmans Dirty Harry.
The Northern Stars promises availability to invest in progeny from some of the top National breeding lines in Texels, with sheep eligible for export to EU and GB.
Images of gimmers on offer, sires and service sires can be viewed online on the Northern Stars FB page and the sale catalogue will be available for download from the Texel Society webpage www.texel.co.uk or the Mart office on 028 2563 3470.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
