Borderway Suffolk females top at 11,000gns

A top bid of 11,000gns led Borderway’s second Three Nations Suffolk sale as the Rhaeadr flock took the headlines on a day of high quality stock and strong bidding interest.

Maternal sister to Rhaeadr Dynamic, the daughter of Baileys BMW is “arguably the best lamb ever to be sold” by M.A.Evans, Denbighshire. She is a maternal sister to Rhaeadr Dynamic, which sold to the Rookery flock for 5200gns at Stirling last year who went on to sire this year’s Three Counties Show Breed Champion.

Borderway’s Three Nations Suffolk sale was led by the Rhaeadr flock from Denbighshire at 11,000gns

The great granddaughter of Thurston Calzaghe went to R Fitton, Ryders Farm, Kearsley, Bolton, with the Rhaeadr pen also managing the second price on the day, a ewe lamb by Rookery Best of the Best from Adlea Arbennig to M J Cornish, Buckfastleigh, Devon.

Next in the money was a Rhaeadr Ring-a-Ding  daughter out of Clunty Mackezie from the Limestone flock for 5,500gns, knocked down to M McNally, Draperstown, Northern Ireland. She was flushed in January producing five Grade 1 Embryos to the 10,000gns Brigadier.

M J Cornish was then back in the bidding to secure a daughter of Limestone To-tal for 4,500gns from Kings Theatre, a sister to an embryo transfer lamb selling to Mardle flock for 3,800gns.

“It was a very good sale with a lot of interest for the top draw quality lots that were forwarded,” said Heather Pritchard, Pedigree Sales and Marketing Manager, Harrison and Hetherington.

Commenting on the sale leader, she said: “If you look at the pedigree of the lamb itself it’s the best ewe lamb ever from the Rhaeadr flock and flock progeny has topped the National English and Scottish sales at Sterling and Shrewsbury this year.”

Flock averages peaked with the Rhaeadr flock at £2110.50 (10 shearling gimmers) and £3609.30 (8 ewe lambs), with the Limestone flock averaging £2012.50 (3 ewes), £1953 (5 shearling gimmers) and £1190 (6 ewe lambs).

The Cairness flock offered 10 shearling gimmers averaging £1275.70, with the Solwaybank flock managing £1194.30 (4 ewes) and £1715 (6 shearling gimmers). A total of 14 shearling gimmers from the Ballynacannon flock levelled at £873.75, with the Saffaden flock averaging £367.50 (2 ewes) and £622.50 (7 shearling gimmers).

Suffolk Sheep Society chief executive, Dr Lewis McClinton, said that over recent years Mr Evans has been willing to invest in the best rams possible, with live sales being the main way to obtain genetics from his Rhaeadr flock.

He added that many UK farm enterprises were under profit pressure but that people who are staying in the sheep business want only the best stock, whether pedigree or commercial.

Clearance 90% (Harrison and Hetherington)