Record-grossing Kelso ram sale tops at £12,000
Averages lifted £74 on the year and grossed a record £2,937,285 at Kelso last week (9 September) as stronger prime lamb prices and weather encouraged a strong day’s trading.
Prices bounced back to return close to levels seen at the bumper 2014 sale with a total of 4,238 lots levelling at £685.48 at an 83.56% clearance (2015, £610.68 – 76%).
A total of 91 shearlings made £2,000 or more and 38 ram lambs made four figures, with strong trade throughout the day for all 16 breeds.
See also: Scottish National sales sees Texels hit 70,000gns
Shearlings
Midlock genetics topped Kelso Bluefaced Leicester trade again, this time at £12,000, knocking down to the Barkers at Kier © Tim Scrivener
Bluefaced Leicesters made the day’s top money of £12,000, with a shearling from J Wight and Sons, Biggar, Lanarkshire, leading trade.
This was 1538 F27, a son of Midlock Mustang out of a 1423 E1 Barff House daughter. Barker, Kier, was the buyer.
Last year the Midlock flock set a centre record of £13,500 for a Bluefaced Leicester shearling for another Mustang son.
This year 501 Leicesters averaged £940.86, with 15 Midlock rams levelling at £2,486.
See also: Worcester Blue Texels top at 7,000gns
The first of two Haymount shearlings at £7,000 went in a three-way share © Tim Scrivener
The £7,000 mark was then hit three times in the Texel ring and included two from local breeder Jack Arnott’s Haymount flock.
Both were sons of Ettrick Vagabond, from sisters by the £10,000 Scrogton Powerhouse.
The first was knocked down in a three-way share to the Wights at Midlock, Crawford, Peter and Lynn Gray, Scrogtonhead, Galston, and Dougie Fleming, Coulter, Burnhead Flock.
Stuart Barclay secured the services of the second Haymount shearling at £7,000 for his Harestone flock © Tim Scrivener
Also at this money was the pre-sale show champion, which went to work at Stuart Barclay’s Harestone flock, Insch.
Also at £7,000 was this Lamb Bros Unbeatable son from Peter and Lynn Gray, Scrogtonhead, Galston © Tim Scrivener
Peter and Lynn Gray then received £7,000 for a son of Lamb Bros Unbeatable out of a Foyleview Superstar ewe.
This sold in a three-way split between Cockburns, Kingside, Leadburn, Meikle Jackson, Wolfclyde, Biggar and Jim Gibb, Toftcombs, Biggar.
These three were the pick of 870 shearlings levelling at £878.44, while 101 ram lambs averaged £643.76.
Next in the money at £6,200 was Teiglum Wiseguy, a son of Castlecairn Vavavoom and out of a Teiglum Rembrandt daughter from Alan, Andrew and David Clark, Garngour, Lesmahagow.
He went to Charlie Angus, Oldfield, Thurso.
Father and son team, Alex and Russell Gray, Langside, Lanark, received a top of £6,000 for a son of the 5,000gns Springhill Uppercut, out of a ewe by Midlock Oddsocks.
He sold to Ed Page, Rookwith House, Ripon.
Lambs
Texel lambs from Allan Campbell, Strawfrank, Carstairs, sold to £5,400 and £4,200, both for sons of Cambwell Trademark.
The dearer of the two was bought by WT Wiliams, Llangwnadl Gwnedd, the other sold to RM Watkins, Craswall, Hereford.
See also: Kingledores flock leads Beltex sale
A Suffolk ram lamb from J Douglas, Woodhead of Cairness, Cairness, sold for £4,500, and was shared between Northern Irish breeders Messrs Duncan, Grant and Robinson.
By Cloontagh Chieftain, he is out of a Shannagh Resolve ewe.
Averages: Beltex: 149 shearlings, £779.93; five lambs, £212; Berrichon: 24 shearlings, £434.58; 18 lambs, £268.89; Blue Texel: nine shearlings, £800; one lamb, £380; Bluefaced Leicester: 501 shearlings, £940.86; 26 lambs, £1,013.46; Border Leicester: 65 shearlings, £430; Charollais: 196 shearlings, £491.94; 33 lambs, £373,03; Dutch Texel: 19 shearlings, £1,270; Hampshire Down: 16 shearlings, £465.63; three lambs, £243.33; Lleyn: 85 shearlings, £434.12; North Country Cheviot: 44 shearlings, £435.91; Suffolk: 287 shearlings, £655.71, 229 lambs, £500.57; Texel: 870 shearlings, £878.44; 101 lambs, £643.76; Crosses: 525 shearlings, £587.09; 16 lambs, £369.38; Oxford Down, five shearlings, £220