IT was a year of male records at the Beltex Sheep Society’s Premier Sale at Harrison and Hetherington’s Borderway Mart
on Thursday and Friday, Aug-ust 11 and 12, where ram lamb and shearling ram averages both reached new heights with an outstanding pen of shearling rams also setting a new record flock average.
With many pedigree breeders investing in new stock sires, no fewer than 12 shearling rams sold for five-figure prices as 575 shearling rams cashed in to average £1,865, a rise of £365 on the year for 94 fewer when 669 averaged £1,500 in 2021.
Similarly, four ram lambs broke the five-figure barrier as 131 lambs levelled at £2,044, up nearly £400 on the 2021 sale when 145 averaged £1,666.
Females, however, met a stickier trade and were led by two at 3500gns as 188 traded to average £675, against 250 at £991 last year.
Beltex Sheep Society Chairman Kevin Buckle commented: “The shearling tup and tup lamb averages were very pleasing and we saw one of the best pens of Beltex tups there’s ever been in Carlisle.
“Gimmers were a more selective trade which maybe reflects a sign of the times with all the flushing that now takes place, but overall the majority of sellers returned home happy with their two days trading.”
It’s always a sign of a good judge when the top prices reflect the placings in the pre-sale show and that was just what happened at Carlisle when the Supreme Champion Alan Miller’s Lurg Gol-iath ET soared to the top price of 50,000gns with his full brother Lurg Grand Slam ET selling for 45,000gns just two lots later.
The sale-leading duo from Alan, wife Rachel, and daughter Ellie, from Midmar, Inverurie, are the result of a flush from the 16,000gns Woodies Explosive bought back in 2020, and the 3000gns Sinclair’s Daisy, a Kingledores Battleaxe daughter bought the previous year and a favourite of Rachel’s.
Prior to selling, Goliath had caught the eye of the judge of the pre-sale show, Alfie Taylor of the Heatheryhall Flock near Lanark, who put the shearling ram up as Male Champion before tapping him out as Supreme Champion.
“He’s very well put together and balanced and just what a Beltex should be with great character and carcase,” commented Mr Taylor.
Goliath also had a successful summer show season, standing Reserve to his dam at Banchory and Turriff shows as well as at the Scottish National at Perth Show the week prior to Carlisle.
From an opening bid of 20,000gns, Goliath sold in a four-way split to Kevin, Jack and Tom Buckle, Buckles Flock, Kirkby Stephen; Neale and Janet McQuistin, Airyolland, New Luce, Newton Stewart; James McGarva, Horseclose, Lockerbie; and Rafe Cartman, Atherton, Scosthrop, Skipton.
Minutes later his embryo brother, Lurg Grand Slam ET, attracted nearly as much attention when sold on the phone to two breeders from the Emerald Isle – Gary Beacom, Lakeview, Fivemiletown, and Brian Mathews, Quarrymount, Tullamore, County Offaly – for 45,000gns.
Incredibly, Alan’s pen of 10 shearlings averaged £15,488 with plenty more in the top prices.
The very next one through the ring, Lurg Gino ET, sold to Gordon and Lynsey Carroll, of the Edendiack flock, for 16,000gns. Again sired by the Woodies Explosive ram, his dam is Ardstewart Dodo, a daughter of the imported Iglo V/D Drie Musschen.
Another breeder celebrating a strong run was Dan Towers whose Curwen Hill pen of seven from Wray, Lancaster, levelled at £10,440 thanks to two at 20,000gns and another at 18,000gns.
First to hit 20,000gns when sold to Alfie Taylor for his Heatheryhall flock was Curwen Golden Boy, a son of the Rathbone Desperado ram shared with Nick and Charlotte Brown’s Bronic flock. His dam is the Belvoir View Chaos daughter Wannop’s Eureka.
The same sire was behind the rest of the pen and it was the black ram, Curwen Hill Gilbert, that also achieved 20,000gns when chapped down to Ed Page for the Rookwith flock near Ripon.
He is out of Bronic Evie, an Artnagullion Bull daughter.
A total of six shearlings realised 8000gns with the remaining two coming from Wade and Alison McCrabbe’s Ardstewart pen from Raphoe, County Donegal.
First up was Ardstewart Gee Whiz ET, a son of Topflite Al Pacino bred from another Iglo daughter in the shape of Ardstewart Dior. He caught the eye of David Brown for his Brownville Flock near Bessbrook, Newry, County Down.
Selling to Angus Mutch, of the Heath Holm flock, New Yatt, Witney, for the same price was Ardstewart Grey Goose, this time by Riverview Fury and out of Ardstewart Ella, an Ardstewart Darth Vader daughter.
Leading the aged ram trade at 3000gns was Belvoir View Firefox ET from the Buckles family, which sold to Bure Farm Partners, Letton, Shipdam. His pedigree features Belvoir View Diamond Flame on to Corra Agnes, a Wern Sycharth daughter.
Ram lambs proved the star attraction at the first day of the Carlisle Premier Sale where trade peaked at 25,000gns for the Reserve Supreme Champion and 20,000gns for another by the same sire.
Hitting the high note was Brilley Hulk ET from Jamie and Richard Jerman, from Witney-on-Wye, who
welcomed a cracking average of
£12,333 for three lambs from the same flush – the 12,000gns Ardstewart Fred Flintstone on to the 5000gns Hackney Dior, a Topflite Al Pacino daughter.
Hulk caught the eye of Wade and Alison McCrabbe, who will take him across the water to their Ardstewart Flock in Donegal.
A further two lambs broke the five-figure barrier and at 16,000gns was the second prize ram lamb, Muirton High and Mighty ET, from Jimmy Young’s Alford, Aberdeenshire-bas-ed flock.
Sired by the Heatheryhall Fast and Furious ram shared between four Aberdeenshire flocks and selling to Northern Ireland’s Matt Burleigh for his Matt’s flock, his dam is the Langlands Bruiser-sired Muirton Dee Dee.
Another three lots later and Gordon and Lynsey Carroll’s Eden-
diack Hitman ET sold to Elizabeth and William McAllister’s Artna-gullion flock from Kells, Ballymena, for 14,000gns. Bred from the Airyolland Choco daughter, Ed-endiack Franchesco, his sire is the 7000gns Kingledores Einstein.
Recouping some of his ex-penditure, Matt Burleigh received 8000gns from the Jerman brothers for his Matt’s Hercules ET. Full of home breeding on his dam’s side, being out of the Matt’s Defender-bred Matt’s Equipped, he is by the privately purchased Buckles Fizzy Pop.
Following the same standard as in the male section, it was the Female Champion that sold for the equal top price of 3500gns in the shape of Dafydd Owen’s Smart Ass Girlfriend ET, from his Rowen, Conwy-based flock.
Selling to Rosie Boden, Mellor Vale, this daughter of the 7000gns Clary Dumfries is bred from Smart Ass Delilah, a daughter of Ardstewart Aristocrat.
Close behind on 3000gns was the dearest from Gary Beacom in the shape of Lakeview Goddess ET. Her pedigree features the Hackney Wonderboy-sired Matt’s Betty Boo and Ainstable Factotum, and she sold to Ian Reid for his Osprey Flock near Methven.
A short while earlier Gary saw his Lakeview Golden Girl ET sell to Jessica Collings for her Barton flock bear Launceston, Cornwall, for 2800gns. Another by the Ainstable Factotum ram, her dam is the Broxty Boxer-sired Withy Trees Cleo.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
