Balmoral 2014: Sheep interbreed championship results

It was a winning day for the shearling ewes in the sheep ring. The interbreed champion title went to William McAllister’s homebred Charollais shearling ewe, exhibited by his sister Elizabeth Wilson.

Mr McAllister’s champion shearling ewe is sired by Castelleau Figurehead and out of a homebred dam. The dam also produced last years interbreed champion, Miss Dior. Father of the dam is Loaningfoot Highlander.

Winning the reserve breed champion prize, she went on to take the overall title, judged by well-known lifetime pedigree sheep breeder,  John Sinnett.

“To me she is just very correct and exceptionally so due to her size, with a very sweet head. She is one of the biggest ewes of any breed I’ve ever seen,” said Mr Sinnett.

This year’s champion won first prize in her ewe lamb class last year and was also part of a winning group of three in the same show.

“It feels great to win interbreed champion two years in a row.” Said Mr McAllister, who has 20 pedigree Charollais ewes in Ballymena, Co. Antrim.

In reserve was a first outing for Mr Gary Beacom’s Suffolk shearling ewe. Sired by Cairness Classic Fyviee, she is out of homebred Strathisla Shadrock. Her half-brothers sold for £9,000 two years ago at Shrewsbury.

Mr Beacom has 100 pedigree Suffolk ewes at Fivemiletown, Co. Fermanagh.

“This is our second year of winning reserve interbreed with the same family line,” he said.

Judge, John Sinnett said; “He was unlucky to have come up against a ewe as big as the Charollais.”