PEDIGREE Suffolk females met a buoyant demand at the Three Nations draft sale at Carlisle, where entries from no fewer than nine homes sold to a top of 6800gns for the best from Jim Innes' Strathbogie flock Huntly.

Mr Innes also produced the lead flock average, selling five gimmers at £4410, with his dearest at 6800gns selling to Northern Ireland breeder and fellow consignor, Mark Priestley who owns the Limestone flock from Downpatrick, Co Down.

This was the pen's No 2, a daughter of the 4200gns Lakeview No Limits bred from a ewe by Muirton One Direction. She changed hands carrying a single lamb to the 20,000gns Forkins Dizzee Rascal.

All five Strathbogie gimmers were in lamb to the same Forkins tup to include the pen leader and flock's second top seller at 4200gns purchased by Messrs Martindale, Bolton, Lancaster. Bred much the same way, her dam, also by One Direction, is a full sister to the 16,000gns Strathbogie Sirus and to full brothers that made 5400gns and 4200gns.

The same buyer also went to 4000gns for a second Strathbogie gimmer. Full sister to the Highland Show champion, she is by Strathbogie A Kind of Magic and out of a Deveronside ewe by Strathbeg Stan the Man.

Irish breeders, Messrs Greene, Culdaff, Co Donegal, also went to 4000gns for a gimmer out of the dam of Strathbogie A Kind of Magic. She is by Strathisla Speed.

Northern Ireland breeder, Dennis Taylor, was in fine form too following a cracking trade for females from his Ballynacannon flock from Macosquin, Coleraine, which sold to 5400gns and 5000gns.

Dearest was a ewe lamb that is a full sister to a ram lamb of which a half share was sold privately to the Tolgus flock and is a maternal sister to several previous high priced lambs to include Ballynacannon Booty Hunter and Ballynacannon Phantom. Sired by the 8000gns Lakeview Innuendo and out of a ewe by Limestone To-tal, she was knocked down to Messrs Owen, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Gwynedd.

Stephen Cobbald, Acton, Suffolk, bought the 5000gns entry, a gimmer by Solwaybank Master Debater that lambed triplets in May and sold carrying a pair to the €3000gns Malinhead Maverick. She is bred from a show gimmer by Ballynacannon Big Den, and goes back to a Strathisla ewe.

Irish flocks produced most of the remaining top priced females with William Tait's Burnview flock from Lislap, Co Tyrone, selling his best at 4500gns to Paul Delves, Churstoke, Powys. This was an ET sister to the flock's top priced gimmer sold at the Borderway Beauties sale here in July. A daughter of Ballynacannon Attitude bred from a ewe by Forkins Ferrari, her grand-dam is a sister to 6000gns and 3200gns ram lambs and from the same female line as the flock's 10,000gns lamb sold at Stirling.

Matching that 4500gns price tag was a gimmer from Mark Priestley's Limestone flock from Seaforde, Downpatrick, purchased by Messrs Turkington, Newtownards, Northern Ireland. Bred from a Strathbogie ewe by Ballynacannon Commander that has bred sons to 7000gns, 6500gns and 5000gns, and sired by Castleisle Knockout, she sold due with a single to Limestone Aston Martin.

Another well-bred gimmer from Limestone made 4000gns selling down to Wales with Messrs Owen, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. This was a Strathbogie A Kind of Magic daughter bred from a Forkins ewe by Birness Bacardi, that is an ET sister to the 9500gns Limestone Legacy. The service sire was Forkins Dizzie Rascal.

Just behind, on 3800gns, a Limestone gimmer by Castleisle Knockout due with twins to Aston Martin, sold to Messrs McMenamin, Lifford, Co Donegal. An ET sister to the 10,000gns ewe lambs sold here in 2016, she is bred from a home-bred ewe by Limestone To-tal.

Adding to the Irish celebrations, Stephen Sufferin's Crewelands flock from Maghera, Co Londonderry, hit 4200gns and 4000gns, for daughters of Ballynacannon Taylor Made, a 20,000gns purchase at Stirling in 2016. The former, out of a ewe by Birness Bravado, is a maternal sister to the flock's 2018 show gimmer and sold carrying a pair to the 30,000gns Birness Playboy, to Dennis Taylor, Ballynacannon.

Stephen Cobbald, Acton, bought the 4000gns similarly bred entry whose grand-dam was a Forkins ewe bought for 5000gns at the Ardlea dispersal. She also sold due with a pair to Playboy.

Averages – Ballynacannon flock – Six gimmers, £1872.50; six ewes, £1172.50; five ewe lambs, £2331.00. Burnview – Seven gimmers, £1657.50; three ewes, £1470.00. Crewelands – Six gimmers, £2642.50. Limestone – Four gimmers, £3596.25; four ewe lambs, £905.63. Pyeston – Four gimmers, £1378.13. Rhaeadr – 17 gimmers, £744.26; eight ewe lambs, £1391.25. Solwaybank – Four gimmers, £1509.38. Strathbogie – Five gimmers, £4410.00.

OTHERLEADING prices

Ewes – 2800gns – I and J Barbour, Solwaybank, by Bdigeview Tuffin and due to Stockton Shpock, to Suffolk Do Pinheiro, Portugal. 2600gns – Crewlands, by Birness Bravado and due to Birness Playboy, to Messrs Jones, Llanon, Dyfed.

Gimmers – 2500gns – S Lathangie, Pyeson, by Solwaybank Titan and due to Burnview Bombay Sapphire, to Messrs Turner, Hatton, Derby; Strathbogie, by Solwaybank Titan, and due to Burnview Bombay Sapphire, to Messrs Turner, Derby.

Ewe lambs – 2800gns – Ballynacannon, by Fermoyle Fantasy, to Messrs Watson, Ballymena, Co Antrim.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.