Texels remained the most numerous breed sold at Kelso Ram Sales, achieving most of the top prices and a shearling ram average of £1486 for 621, an increase of £74 per head on the year.
Topping the trade at £52,000 was Midlock Express, a son of the 34,000gns Claybury Dunkirk, from the Wight family, Midlock, Crawford. This one’s dam, a Mullan Amigo daughter, has previously bred sons to 13,000gns. A second prize winner at the Royal Highland Show, he sold to the Dunlops at Elmscleugh, Dunbar, and Steven Renwick’s Craig Douglas flock at Peebles.
From the same pen, Midlock shepherd Brian Gilchrist sold a shearling from his own Dundas flock, a son of Mitchellhill Actionman, out of a ewe by Midlock Yohann, at £10,000, to Robert Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Perthshire.
Second top at the sale, at £40,000, was the reserve male champion from the Royal Highland Show, Douganhill Extra Special, brought out by Brian and David MacTaggart. Sired by Claybury Dazzler – a full brother of Claybury Dunkirk – and out of a ewe by Glenside King II, he was knocked down to the Ingram family at Logie Durno, Pitcaple, Inverurie.
The Ingrams had a successful day themselves, selling pedigree Texels for the first time at Kelso, with their consignment peaking at £32,000. That was for a son of the homebred Logie Durno Braveheart, which they had used at home, before selling at Builth Wells for £6000. Out of a ewe by Granite Untouchable, this one went to Alex and Russell Gray, Langside, Lanark, buying along with Robin and Caroline Orr, for their Halbeath flock at Dunfermline.
Others from Logie Durno, by the same sire, sold at £6500, to Norman and David Douglas, Catslackburn, Yarrow, and £5500, to R Thornton and Sons, Cornhills, Kirk Whelpington.
Gordon and David Gray were last in Ring nine, but it was worth the wait, with shearlings from their Ettrick consignment selling up to £17,000. Male champion at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, their pen leader is a son of the 10,000gns Douganhill Desperado, out of a ewe by Usk Vale Albatross. He sold in a four-way split to Angus Kennedy, Mitchellhill, Biggar; Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow; Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff, and the McKerrows at Uppermill, Tarves.
Second best from Ettrick, at £10,000, was one by Claybury Dunkirk, which the Grays bought along with Midlock and Allanfauld, two years ago. Out of a daughter of Foyle View Superstar, this second prize winner from Biggar Show, sold to N C and C G Hedges, Cinderbank, Staplecross.
Following him, Ettrick’s first prize winner from Biggar Show, also by the Claybury sire, and out of a gimmer sold at the Select Seven sale for 8000gns, made £9000, to Neil Harvey, Blackadder; Meikle Jackson, Wolfclyde, and Tom Cockburn, Kingside.
Achieving his best price to-date, Dougie Fleming, Burnhead, Coulter, sold a shearling son of Tatham Hall Class Act, out of a ewe by Campsie Van Gough, at £14,000, to James Whiteford, Tercrosset, Brampton.
The other five-figure seller was one from the Quick family’s Loosebeare flock, Devon. This was a Teiglum Cosmic son, out of a ewe by Loosebeare Saviour, which sold at £10,000 to Russell and Gill Watkins, Upper Cwm, Hereford.
Peter and Lynne Gray enjoyed a steady trade for their Scrogtonhead pen of shearlings, topping at £8000 for one by Scrogtonhead Class Act, out of a Clinterty Yuga Khan daughter. He sold to the McArthurs at Nunnerie, Biggar.
Two from John Green’s Greenall flock, Melrose, hit the £6500 mark. First up was a son of Garngour Awesome, out of a ewe by Strathbogie Wildboy, which sold to Gary and Meinir Howells, Shadog, Llandysul.
The other, a Knap Dark Destroyer son, out of a Pant Wolf daughter, sold to crossbred ram producer Paul Slater, Dandy Farm, Macclesfield.
Best for Iain Minto’s Townhead consignment, from Dolphinton, was a £6000 bid for a shearling son of Blackadder Albertz, which sold to Thomas Illingworth, Howgillside, Eaglesfield. From the same pen, another by Albertz, sold at £5500, to the McMasters at Springfield, Arran.
Selling at £5000 earlier in the sale, was a Douganhill Desperado son from Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Lamington, which went to J Kerr, Denty, Castle Douglas.
Topping the lamb trade at £3800, was one from the Knox family’s Haddo flock at Turriff. A Harestone Eldorado son, out of a ewe by Tophill Wallstreet, he sold to W T Davies, Canllefaes, Penparc.
Second best in the lambs, at £3200, was a Seaforde Egyptian Warrior son from Andrew Clark’s Teiglum flock, at Blackhill, Crossford. That one sold to Lewis Forster, West Nubbock, Hexham.
Averages: 621 registered Texel shearling rams, £1486.78; 101 registered Texel ram lambs, £740.
Leading flock averages:
Shearlings
Midlock (12 sh) £6662
Logie Durno (9 sh) £6567
Douganhill (8 sh) £6350
Ettrick (14 sh) £4350
Greenall (10 sh) £2990
Loosebeare (9 sh) £2833
Burnhead (7 sh) £2764
Townhead (13 sh) £2185
Kingledores (3 sh) £1900
Scrogtonhead (28 sh) £1825
Knap (6 sh) £1500