A new breed record for the highest priced female sold at auction was set when a gimmer sold for 15,000gn at the Beltex Sheep Society’s premier sale in Carlisle.
The two-day sale, held at Harrison and Hetherington‘s Borderway Mart near Carlisle, was hailed a success by the breed society with averages up on the year for all sections.
Gimmers achieved a clearance rate of 80% for 250 sold at an average of £991 – this is up from an average of £920 for 246 sold the year before.
The record-breaker, selling to Lincolnshire breeder Chris Wright for his Brothertoft flock, was Buckles Frisky from Cumbria breeder Kevin Buckle and his sons Jack and Tom.
An embryo-bred daughter of the 10,000gn Gyffin Dexter and out of College Adele, Frisky is a full sister to the 17,000gn shearling ram Buckles Frankel which also sold at the premier sale.
Frankel sold to Victoria and Gillian Bowring for their Windmill flock based near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
Meanwhile, an overall top price of 30,000gn was set in the shearling ram section of the sale where a 90% clearance rate was achieved and 669 rams sold to average just over £1,500 – this compares to an average of £1,392 for 656 at the 2020 sale.
The sale topper was an entry from Cumbria breeder Anne Story and her daughter Rachael, who run the BorderEsk flock at Hobbiesburn, Longtown.
Their sale topper, surpassing the flock’s previous best price of 4,000gn, was Borderesk Finders Keepers. By the 1,600gn Ardstewart Cheeky Charlie, he sold jointly to Aberdeenshire breeder Stuart Wood for his Woodies flock, and his cousin Richard Wood for his Kingledores flock based near Biggar.
Next best in the shearling rams at 20,000gn was an entry from Inverurie breeder Alan Miller who runs the Lurg flock at North Lurg, Midmar, Inverurie.
Brought out with help from Alan’s daughter Ellie, Tullylagan Fairfax was bought for the Lurg flock last year for a fraction of the price he made at this year’s sale.
By Tullylagan Elite, and out of a dam by Callacrag Wise Crack, he sold to Welsh farmer and commercial producer Gerwyn Jones for his newly established Graig Goch flock.
Other leading prices included 18,000gn for shearling ram Airyolland Freuchie from Newton Stewart breeders Neale and Janet McQuistin.
By the Tercrosset Action Man-sired Airyolland Bletherskite, which also bred the top priced Beltex at last year’s Kelso Ram Sales, he sold to fellow Newton Stewart breeder Jock McMillan for his Clary flock.
In the ram lamb section a top price of 24,000gn was paid and a clearance rate of 71% was achieved with 145 lots selling to average £1,666 – up from £1,664 for 161 sold at last year’s sale.
The sale leader was the very first lamb to sell from new breeders Willie and Carole Ingram, and sons Gregor and Bruce, from Logie Durno, Pitcaple, Inverurie.
The Ingrams, who are no strangers to breeding and selling pedigree sheep, topped the ram lamb section with Logie Durno Godfather.
An embryo-bred April-born son of the 11,000gn Buckles Fury, and out of Airyolland Bathsheba, he sold in a four-way split to: the Buckles for their Buckles flock; the McQuistins for their Airyolland flock; Jeff and Sue Wilkinson for their Langlands flock in North Yorkshire; and Louise Van Geffen for her Geffens flock in North Yorkshire.
Next best at 16,000gn was February-born ram lamb Dooley Garnet from Leicestershire breeder Dave Thornley. An embryo-bred son of Clary Cosmos, he sold to David and Karen Shuttleworth for their Heber Park flock based near Skipton, North Yorkshire.
Other leading ram lamb prices included 5,500gn for the sole lamb on offer from Aberdeenshire breeder Rory Gregor’s Gregors flock, based near Inverurie.
Gregors Gunnet – a January-born embryo-bred son of Airyolland Choco – sold to the Gray family for their Espley flock based near Morpeth.