Blackie lamb record equalled at £160,000

CENTRE records were smashed in more ways than one at Lawrie and Symington's two-day sale of Blackface rams at Lanark, with the lamb day witnessing a new £160,000 high for the No 1 from the Dunlops at Elmscleugh, to bolster the average to a breed best of £5561.

Add to that no fewer than 17 five-figure transactions, numerous personal highs and the sale was an out and out flyer from start to finish.

"It was a great sale," said head sheep auctioneer Archie Hamilton.

"There is a definite upturn in the kind of sheep breeders are looking to produce, with a lot more bigger, stronger sheep with size, power and good skins behind them. The tups in general were also a lot stronger with commercial men quite happy to fork out £1200-£1500 for good big commercial shearlings," added Mr Hamilton.

With the cash rolling over with each big price, it was the end of the lamb sale that witnessed the £160,000 cracker from Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William's 1900-ewe flock from Elmscleugh, Innerwick, Dunbar. The sale, which equals Ian Hunter's £160,000 record priced Dalchirla ram lamb sold at Dalmally in 2015, not only bolstered the overall sale average by more than £1000 per head, but also the flock average to £27,057 for seven.

No stranger to the big money, this is the second six-figure priced lamb sold by the family which follows on from their £100,000 lamb cashed at Dalmally in 2016.

There are some big bucks behind this cracker too, with the sire being a £45,000 Midlock lamb bought here last year, while the dam is a daughter of the £100,000 Nunnerie Centurion lamb, purchased in 2014. He sold in a two-way split to Sir John and Iain Campbell, Glenrath, Peebles, and Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, who between the two of them sold four of the next five top priced lambs.

Minutes later, Elmscleugh took £10,000 for their No 3, a son of last year's £58,000 Auldhouseburn lamb which was shared with Glenrath, with the Blackwoods retaining a third share. Bred from a ewe by an £8000 Dyke, he sold across the Irish Sea with Grant Bros, Craigdhu and John and Brian Harkin respectively at Loughash and Moneygran.

Sons of the £75,000 Dalchirla lamb bought last year at Dalmally by Glenrath and Auldhouseburn, proved extremely popular for both flocks with sons selling to £80,000, £75,000 and £70,000.

The dearest, which was producing a personal best for the Blackwood's Auldhouseburn flock, also boasts Dalchirla genetics on the dam's side, being a daughter of the £160,000 Dalchirla. Later christened The Boss, he was knocked down to the Kays at Gass, Straiton – Andrew and sons Robert and Andrew – and Ewen Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry.

Auldhouseburn also received £28,000 for their No 3 lamb, a son of their £58,000 lamb sold last year, bred from a £90,000 Blackhouse daughter that was also the dam of the £28,000 Auldhouseburn sold here in 2016. It took a team of four to come up with the readies for this entry to include the Dunlops from Upper Wellwood – James, Matthew, Hannah and Andrew – Muirkirk; Jim and Eoin Blackwood, Dalblair, also Muirkirk; Rory Kerr, The Glen, Drymen and Andrew and Ian Cullens, Dollarbank, Dollar.

While Elmscleugh topped the sale, it was Glenrath's team of six lambs ably brought out by flock manager Steven Renwick, that produced the lead average at just shy of £30,000.

Notably, all bar one were sons of the £75,000 Dalchirla lamb to include the pen leader which made £70,000 selling to Elmscleugh; Archie MacGregor and son John, Allanfauld, Kilsyth and Jimmy MacGregor and son Donald, Dyke, Milton of Campsie. Bred from one of the best ewes in the flock, she is by a £6500 High Staward – a tup that bred shearlings at £42,000 and £11,000 last year.

Going £5000 better than that, the fourth Glenrath boasting the exact same genetics, made £75,000 selling to brothers Tommy Renwick and son Tam and Billy Renwick and son Andrew, who farm at Williamhope, Clovenfords and Blackhouse, Yarrow, respectively, along with Burncastle Farming Co, managed by Alan Rogerson, Lauder. His dam is a daughter of the the flock's popular show ewe that stood reserve champion at the National breed show at Stirling and champion at Peebles, last year.

The second Glenrath lamb, again by the £75,000 Dalchirla with a £90,000 Dalchirla-sired dam, made £18,000 selling to Robert Flett who runs just 40 ewes in his Crakaig flock, and Peter Junor, Daviot, Inverness-shire.

John Renwick and son Iain, Corsebank, Sanquhar, also got in on the action, forking out £10,000 for the Campbell's No 3 which is by the same Dalchirla sire with a dam by a £20,000 Midlock.

Northern Ireland breeders, John and Charlie Harkin, Loughash, Co Tyrone, came up with the goods too, with lambs at £30,000 and £13,000. Both were sons of the £45,000 Loughash lamb – a £14,000 High Staward-sired lamb sold here last year of which a share was retained. The first, which was bred from a ewe by a £24,000 Elmscleugh, sold back across the Irish Sea with Veronica Fullerton; Damien McSwiggan and Brian Devine, while the later, bred from a ewe by a £7000 Nunnerie, was knocked down to Elmscleugh.

Home-bred genetics were behind Sandy and Tommy Patterson's top priced lamb from their small Auchloy flock from Crieff, when their pen leader made £26,000 selling to Northern Ireland breeders, Charlie Phillips, Finglen, Draperstown and Eoin McKenna, Tullykeeran, with the Pattersons retaining an equal share. The lamb, is by an £8000 Auchloy sold here last year – a Crossflatt son of £160,000 Dalchirla – while the dam is a direct daughter of the £38,000 Auchloy.

There were celebrations in all camps too when Obie Sharp and her daughter Jacqui Campbell, sold the dearest off Longcroft at £20,000. The 1400-ewe flock from just outside Lauder is farmed in a contract agreement with Burncastle Farming Co, managed by Alan Rogerson, and 'herded by Peter Lothian, and saw their best sell to Glenrath who parted with two-thirds of the value, with the remaining third selling to Ewan McMillan, Traquair Hill, Innerleithen. A son of the £42,000 Glenrath shearling sold here last here, he is bred from a show gimmer by a Burncastle son of a £21,000 Glenrath.

Sam McClymont and sons William and Scot, Tinnis, Yarrow, also enjoyed their best ever trade taking £16,000 and £11,000 for sons of the £17,000 Easter Happrew lamb bought last year. The former, bred from a ewe by a £7500 Hartside, headed home with Tom and Mairi Paterson and son Robert, Dunruchan, Muthill, Crieff.

The latter, which is out of the second prize ewe at the Highland by a £2800 Tollishill, stood first in his class at Yarrow, and goes out to work at Outer Huntly, Yarrow, farmed by Stewart McIntosh.

Prices held up right to the end, with one of the last lots making £15,000 to David Murray, Lurgan, Aberfeldy, with Neil and Stuart Barclay, Harestone, Insch, later taking a third. This was dearest from John Murray, Crossflatt, Muirkirk, who sold his No 2, by a home-bred son of Tornado – a son of the £160,000 Dalchirla retained for breeding – out of a ewe by a £15,000 Nunnerie.

On the debit side, Crossflatt and Gass joined forces to buy Davie Morrison's pen leader from Dalwyne, Barr at £12,000. A son of the £22,000 Dalchirla lamb bought last year at Dalmally brought out with assistance from shepherd Andrew McMillan, he is out of a ewe by a £13,000 Elmscleugh.

Muirkirk breeders, Jim and Eoin Blackwood, Dalblair, also came up with the goods taking £14,000 for their pen leader by an Auldhouseburn-bred son of the £85,000 Elmscleugh sold the previous day, to Sanny Blackwood, Greenside and Andy Woodburn and son Andy, Netherwood, both Muirkirk and Billy Grant, Craigdhu, Northern Ireland. Reserve champion at Muirkirk Show, he is bred from a ewe by a £15,000 Auldhouseburn.

Not to be outdone, a son of the £32,000 Dalchirla lamb sold last year at Dalmally, made £10,000 for Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, when they sold their No 3, to John Marshall, Gosland. His dam is by a £37,000 Dyke lamb.

OTHERLEADING prices

Ram lambs – £8000 – Loughash, by a £7000 Nunnerie, to Nunnerie; Midlock, by Hawkeye – a home-bred son of £35,000 Dalchirla – to K O Mullan, Northern Ireland.

£7000 – N and S Barclay, Harestone, by a £32,000 Dalchirla, to D Ferguson, Drannandow and Markdhu, Newton Stewart; Elmscleugh, by a £7000 Crossflatt, to J Carruthers, Silloans, Rochester; Dyke, by Tornado, to S Fegan, Northern Ireland.

£6500 – J Campbell and Sons, Easter Happrew, by a £58,000 Auldhouseburn to Tinnis and A McClymont and Sons, Kirkstead, Yarrow

£6000 – Midlock, by a £10,000 Upper Wellwood to B McFarlane, Drumgrange, Patna

£5500 – Auldhouseburn, by a £58,000 Auldhouseburn, to Silloans; Glenrath, by a £75,000 Dalchirla, to R Colley, Mitchellslacks, Thornhill; M Hamilton, South Cobbinshaw, by a £13,000 Elmscleugh, to R Loughrey, Northern Ireland;Dyke, by a £3000 Elmscleugh to Elmscleugh

£5000 – Elmscleugh, by a £45,000 Midlock, to Nunnerie and Loughash; Allanfauld, by a £32,000 Dalchirla, to Elmscleugh.

FLOCK averages

Ram lambs

Troloss (3) 500 433.33 –

Harestone (3) 7000 3033.33 –

Loughash (8) 30,000 8375.00 9100

Traquair Hill (3) 3200 1866.66 –

High Staward (3) 700 700.00 2225

Pole (3) 3800 2266.66 –

Williamhope (3) 1400 1100.00 –

Auldhouseburn (5) 80,000 23,980 16,520

Dalwyne (3) 12,000 4383.33 3620

Dalblair (3) 14,000 4462.50 1933

Glenrath (6) 75,000 29,900 9633

Gass (4) 3000 1500.00 1483

Gosland (3) 1100 716.66 1033

Upper Wellwood (4) 2200 1062.50 3050

Nunnerie (5) 3200 1760.00 10,220

Midlock (6) 8000 3700.00 13,244

Milnmark (3) 3800 1666.66 1067

Tinnis (3) 16,000 9166.66 –

Blackcraig (4) 2000 950.00 2888

Dyke (6) 5500 2683.33 1770

Elmscleugh (7) 160,000 27,057.14 2914

South Cobbinshaw (4) 5500 2262.50 –

Allanfauld (6) 10,000 3616.66 4500

Auchloy (3) 26,000 9866.66 3117

Crossflatt (5) 15,000 5400.00 7250