Beltex rams make 16,000gns at Carlilse

BY JEREMY HUNT

Years ago when Beltex breeders wanted to establish a date for their main sale the mid-August choice may have seemed a tad early enough, but staking a claim with a fixture two weeks ahead of their Texel rivals has proved a shrewd move and it was confirmed last week when breeders shifted over 500 shearlings in one day’s trading, levelled them at almost £880 and achieved a top price of 16,000gns.

Although the Beltex Sheep Society’s bumper show and sale at Carlisle once again operated two sale rings for shearling tups – not always popular with buyers or sellers – it clearly had no impact on a strong trade that saw commercial buyers out in force.

Wade and Alison McCrabbe’s Ardstewart flock in Co Donegal is no stranger to claiming the richest pickings from this sale and last week it once again brought a bevy of top quality breeders’ tups into Borderway Mart to set the scene for some of the sale’s fiercest competition.

But it was the shearling ram Ardstewart Super Mario, a son of the 9,000gns Broughton Pound Stretcher, that triggered top gear bidding from several leading flockmasters. Out of a ewe by Drumrash Mad Max, the tup was claimed in a three-way split by James McGarva, Annan, Dumfriesshire, Kevin and Rachel Buckle, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, and Neil McQuiston, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire.

“Pound Stretcher is doing a tremendous job for us. We sold a lamb by him last year for 5,000gns but this is his first shearling crop to be sold. He’s leaving power, correctness, muscle and outstanding heads,” said Mr McCrabbe.

And the ringside wasted no time in getting back to business when the next lot in the ring – the shearling flockmate Ardstewart Swagger Jagger – brought a flurry of bids. Also by Pound Stretcher and out of another ewe by the Drumrash tup, this ram soon reached 10,000gns and heads for Cheshire to join Paul Slater’s well-known tup-crossing programme near Macclesfield. A full brother to this ram – Ardstewart Sabbath – has been retained by the McCrabbes.

And the Pound Stretcher sons found no trouble in cranking up the bidding once again when Ardstewart Sony made 6,500gns to M Munro, Lairg, Sutherland.

Alison McCrabbe’s selection from the sale was the ram lamb Langlands Trojan from North Yorkshire breeders J and S Wilkinson, Richmond. By Drumchapel Replay, he was bought for 3500gns.

Some breeders are still making shrewd purchases of ram lambs in Belgium in the hope that they fulfil their early promise and woo buyers when offered as shearlings. And that’s just what happened with Burnside Scooby Doo, imported last year as a ram lamb by Co Antrim breeder Thomas Palmer. Already a winner at Armagh Show this year and out of a ewe that has been a winner on the Belgian show circuit, the ram made 12,000gns and will be shared between Dumfriesshire breeder J Collinge and Paul Tippetts from Shropshire.

Mr Collinge sold the day’s top priced aged ram when he took 4900gns for the two-shear Corra Rambo – a son of Beachy Perfection – who goes to Gwynedd with W Evans.

Shared investments were the order of the day and another three breeders staked their claim in the 9000gns shearling tup Padkin Sugar Daddy that had taken the reserve championship under judge Sarah Gibbons who runs the Whatmore flock in Brecon. By Callacrag Rocky and out of a ewe by Eskdale Joe, this shearling was consigned by Dumfriesshire-based Padkin Beltex and will work between the flocks of J Young, Alford, Aberdeenshire, Mary Dunlop, Biggar, Lanarkshire, and R and K Williams, Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

The breed’s strength in Northern Ireland was further confirmed when Ballymena breeder E McAllister sold the day’s top priced ram lamb at 7000gns. Artnagullion Top Dog is by the 12,500gns Woodies Snoop Dog and will be shared by four flocks – A and V Copland, Orkney, R W Flaws, Orkney, C G Mair and Partners, Turriff, Aberdeenshire and R and G Brown, Stromness, Orkney.

Paul Tippetts was the biggest spender when the females came up for grabs and gave 5,500gns for the reserve female champion Kingledores Sapphire. This shearling from Richard and John Wood, Biggar, Lanarkshire is by sired by the 5,500gns Clary Prankster.

Averages: 505 shearling rams £879; 150 ram lambs £1061; 10 aged rams £1879 and 187 shearling gimmers £580.

(Harrison and Hetherington)