Continued success at South of England Show
Regular contributor to the Taking Stock blog Jonathan Long and partner Chrissie Lawrence, had much success at last weekend’s South of England Show taking the interbreed championship for the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years.
The three-shear Knockout, a son of Owlesbury Rapier out of a Brittons dam, is on his final season on the show circuit and was praised by interbreed judge and butcher Brian Glaves for being exactly the type of modern sire the industry needed.
“He’s square on his legs, moves tremendously, but most importantly he has fantastic fleshing with minimal waste. He’s everything I like to see in a senior tup.”
Knockout has previously been breed champion at South of England, reserve breed champion at the Royal Highland and breed and reserve interbreed champion at Edenbridge and Oxted. He now heads to this week’s East of England Show.
Addding to the flock’s success by claiming the breed championship in the Southdown classes was a Chaileybrook Southdown shearling ewe. This one is a daughter of French sire TC4028 and is out of a homebred ewe by a Steepdown sire which goes back to Sheila Colman’s French sire Thomas.
Southdown judge Irving Pallister said she was a perfect example of the breed and carried a level of fleshing no other sheep could match. “She’s solid all through her top and loin and has an excellent gigot to match.”