Beltex ram sets 9,500gns record at Skipton
The Beltex Sheep Society’s 14th annual show and sale hit a record high of 9,500gns at Skipton on Saturday 6 September.
The all-time high fell to George Cropper’s Beltex shearling tup from the newly renamed Signature pedigree flock (formerly Hudhey), from Baxenden, Accrington. The pedigree tup also cleaned up in the prize giving taking home supreme champion, male champion and first prize shearling ram.
Record breaking Hudhey Tenacious sold for 9,500gns
The March, 2013-born Hudhey Tenacious, is by Hudhey Rockafella and out of Hudhey Razzle Dazzle. The sire won first prize aged ram and reserve supreme champion, while the dam, who won first prize in the aged ewe class, was sired by the UK record priced shearling ram, 18,000gns Dooley Napal.
The title winner sold in a two-way split between Brian Hall, Ainstable, Carlisle and Henry Jewitt, of Gracie’s Farm, Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle.
Brian Hall has been running his current pedigree Beltex flock since 2001 when he acquired nine ewes from Belgium, original home of the breed. He now runs some 120 ewes in total and has achieved multiple show and sale successes.
So too has 19 year old Henry Jewitt, one of the youngest breeders in the society’s flock book. He first started with Beltex in 2006 and now has 55 ewes. This year alone, he’s been responsible for the reserve female champion at the Three Countries Show, first prize aged ram at the Great Yorkshire, reserve overall at the Royal Welsh and champion at both Northumberland and Skelton Shows.
They will be sharing Tenacious in the hope of producing top-notch show progeny and potential future champions from what they both agreed was by far the best ram they had seen this year.
Next at 2,600gns from the same vendor was reserve supreme champion and sire of the supreme champion, Hudhey Rockafella. He was knocked down to RW Mickleburgh, Norwich, Norfolk.
Show judge Andrew Graham, who runs the Grahams pedigree flock at Wigton in Cumbria, said his chosen father and son reserve supreme and supreme champion were “real types with outstanding carcases – just how they should be.”
The dam of the supreme champion wasn’t far behind, Mr Cropper’s Hudhey Razzle Dazzle sold for 2,500gns to Harry Wood’s Dean Brow flock in Dutton, near Preston.
He also sold a shearling ram, sired again by Dooley Napal, for 2,400gns to Norfolk breeders MJ Daniels and Son, Norwich, along with a further shearling, sired by Cree Sparticus, at 2,000gns to R Hall and Son, Dalston, Carlisle.
Mr Cropper declared himself “chuffed to bits” with his all-time Skipton record price coup and with his overall performance. He said: “I was over the moon – in fact, you could say I’m still on it!”
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