Skipton Texel double-header

Of the Blues, noted Scottish breeders David and Jennifer Alexander, who runs the Millside flock on the 200-acre Millside Farm at Galston in Ayrshire, far eclipsed their 2,100gns top price for the female champion and reserve supreme at last year’s inaugural sale when topping the 2022 renewal at 5,000gns with their fifth prize shearling ewe.

The very correct and stylish February, 2021, twin by a home-bred ram whose own sire was Beili Blues Dylan, out of a home-bred ewe by an imported Dutch-bred tup, sold for what was the highest ever sale price for an Alexander Blue Texel when claimed by N&L Blenkhorn, of Bewholme, Driffield.

The Alexanders, who established their Blue Texel flock in 1998 – it now consists to some 50 breeding females - were also responsible for the fourth prize shearling ewe, another March-born fully home-bred, sold for 1,200gns to Joanne Lyth, of Stacksteads, Bacup. The consignment of six gimmer shearlings from the Alexanders averaged £1,575.

Trade for females was notably strong, with the same show class also responsible for the day’s second top call of 4,800gns, this also coming from Scotland and falling to the first prize winner, female champion and overall supreme champion shearling ewe from Stasa Moyes and partner Stuart Wood, of the Saltire Blue flock near Skene in Aberdeenshire.

Their Saltire Blue Tooty Fruity is a January, 2021, daughter of Caryl’s Blue Captain, acquired some four years ago for 2,500gns, who has bred ram lambs to 10,000gns, out of the home-bred Saltire A Beauty, who has herself bred daughters to 6,000gns. Her full sister stood overall Blue Texel champion at this year’s Royal Highland and Royal Welsh Shows, the Skipton victor returning to Aberdeenshire with Alford’s Mark Wattie.

Making 1,900gns from the same home was a full sister to the title winner, Saltire Blue For The Moment, which found a new home in Lancashire with Leyland’s SR Taylor, while another shearling ewe, Saltire Blue Frisky Lady, a March-born single by the same sire, out of Saltire Blue Betty, a maternal sister to A Beauty, also finished runner-up in its show class, selling for 1,600gns and again returning to Aberdeenshire with Gordon Troup, of Sauchen.

A Frisky Lady full sister, Saltire Blue First Timer, also hit four figures at 1,300gns when again claimed by SR Taylor, another with similar breeding making 1,000gns, while the title-winning duo also chipped in with the third prize shearling ram, Saltire Blue Flash Harry 11, a February, 2021 twin by Pistyll Elite, which made 800gns. The Saltire consignment of ten averaged £1,699.

Top price of 2,000gns among the males fell to the first prize ram lamb, male champion and overall reserve champion from Welsh breeders Martin and Gemma Sivill’s Glanrafon Blue flock in Tremeirchion St Asaph, Denbighshire.

Their Glanraton Blues Gunner Maverick, a February-born single by Cleenagh Fandabadosey, acquired last year and the first to be sold by the son of Cleenagh Exteremist, out of a home-bred dam by Dulas Va Va Voom, returned to Wales with Carmarthenshire’s DL&BWH Jones.

The Sivills also stood reserve female champion with their red rosette-winning ewe lamb, Glanraton Blues Gifted Mair, a January-born single by Beili Blues Enzo, which sold north of the border for 1,000gns to R&I Donaldson in Lockerbie.

Also catching the eye with a 1,600gns sale of his second prize ewe lamb was another Scottish exhibitor, Angus Brisbane, who runs the Auchmantle flock in Castle Kennedy, Stranraer. His Auchmantle Gogglebox, a February-born twin by Pistyll Elite, out of Hackney Delia, became a second purchase by Joanne Lyth. The same vendor was responsible for the fifth prize ewe lamb, a February-born Matts Escobar daughter which also hit four figures when making 1,000gns,

Local honours fell to the first prize shearling ram and reserve male champion from North Craven’s Becki Dakin, who runs the Rathbone flock at Ravenshaw Farm, Eldroth, and who was making only her second foray into the Blue Texel show and sale area after standing supreme champion at Skipton on her debut last year.

Her single April, 2021, son of Beili Blues, himself by Dragon Buster, out of an imported Dutch-bred Jan Rodenburg Turbo Blue dam, topped its class at 1,400gns when joining Jones & Co in Powys. Becki also finished third in the ram lamb show class, her March-born Turbo Benefactor son making 480gns.

There were other four-figure sales among the prize winners. From North Yorkshire, I&S Clough, of the Heads flock in Pickering, achieved 1,450gns with their first prize aged ram, also by Turbo Benefactor, going to SJ Timms in Brandon, Coventry, while hitting 1,100gns was the fifth prize ram lamb from Ron Darlington’s Great Blues flock in Beresford Dale, near Buxton in Derbyshire. The February-born single by Hackney Chief was bought by Ayr’s I Lammie. Claiming 1,000gns was the sixth prize shearling ewe from WJ&MO Abram’s Beetley flock near Dereham in Norfolk – they also stood third in the same show class with a 700gns sale, both by Glan-Y-Mor Colt.

Outside the prizes, Aubrey and Sue Andrews, of the Miserden flock, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, made 1,300gns with a shearling ram, Miserden Fairway, a February, 2021, twin by Beaconsview Beneli, going to Buxton with AC Henshaw,

Chief prices and averages: Aged Rams to 1450gns (av £1023), Shearling Rams to 1400gns (av £517), Ram Lambs to 2000gns (av £576), Shearling Ewes to 5000gns (av £942), Ewe Lambs to 1600gns (av £419).

Badger Face Texels sell to 1,600gns

Blue Texel show judge Dylan Jones, of Llanllwni in Carmarthernshire, had earlier also judged the Badger Face Texels, when his chosen reserve champion, the first prize ewe lamb from Derbyshire father and son, Dean and Jayden Clamp’s Riverside flock in Ashbourne, went on to secure top price in sale of 1,600gns.

Their Riverside Dorris, a January-born single by renowned Dutch breeder Jan Rodenburg’s Turbo Das Notorious, is the first daughter out of a Turbo dam acquired in-lamb last year. She has now been shown four times this year, standing third in all her appearances, including to another Clamp ewe lamb that won its show class at the Great Yorkshire. The overall reserve found a new home in Calderdale with G&R Booth, of Huddersfield.

The Clamps, who arrived with lambs from leading bloodlines and half sisters to their unbeaten 2022 Great Yorkshire ewe lamb, made a clean sweep of the prizes in the ewe lambs show class, the runner-up making 700gns, the third prize winner 550gns.

Making 800gns was the first prize ram lamb and overall show champion from Andrew Bailey’s Baileys flock in Chipping, near Preston. His Baileys Dancing Brave is a February-born twin by Llwyn Derw Conan, acquired as a lamb from her Welshpool breeder.

The sire has already performed with credit in the show arena, standing champion and reserve interbreed at Cheshire, breed champion at Shropshire and male and reserve breed champion at the Great Yorkshire, also one of the first prize pairs. Out of another imported Turbo ewe, the victor joined fellow exhibitor Sam Duggan’s Cornhill flock at Boughrood, near Brecon, a second shearling ram from the same home making 500gns.

Aberdeenshire’s Stuart Wood was also represented with his own Woodies flock, claiming two solid selling prices of 800gns and 750gns for a brace of March, 2021, shearling ewes, both Dutch imports, both selling locally to Anthony Thompson in Foulridge.

Powys’s Sam Duggan was himself among the prizes when consigning the first prize shearling ram, a February, 2021, twin by Sunnybank Boxer, which made 550gns, with 450gns going to the third prize winner from Darren and Siam Hayward’s Garnview flock from St Andrew’s Major, near Dinas in Powys, this a January, 2021, twin by an imported Cleenagh ram, whose Northern Ireland breeder Clive Richardson, from Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh, himself consigned the third prize ram lamb, a home-bred February-born twin sold for 500gns.

North Craven’s Becki Dakin finished runner-up in the shearling ram class with a March, 2021, twin by Turbo Das Notorious, sold for 350gns. Chief prices and averages: Aged Rams to 900gns (av £945), Shearling Rams to 500gns (av £406), Ram Lambs to 800gns (av £399, Shearling Ewe to 800gns (av £813), Ewe Lambs to 1600gns (av £700).