ALL breeds sold well at the Rising Stars sale of 131 pedigree sheep through Harrison and Hetherington’s timed online platform, which saw the Beltex breed top the trade at £8300 for a gimmer from Stuart Wood’s Woodies flock.

In all, six breeds were represented with trade remaining buoyant throughout all sections.

Sale leader was Woodies Exquisitor, from Aberdeenshire breeder, Stuart Wood, Woolhillock Croft, Skene, Westhill. This Kingledores Demonstrator daughter attained £8300 and sold to fellow Aberdeenshire breeder, Alan Miller buying for his Lurg flock from Inverurie. Exquisitor is bred from Smart Ass Welshie, a Woodies Rice Crispie daughter, that goes back to Kingledores Betty Boo, the 2017 breed champion at the Royal Highland Show.

The same home also received £4000 for the gimmer, Woodies Extravagant, which went to Lanarkshire breeders, Andrew and Euan Lawrie, Grangehall, Pettinain, Lanark. The breeding behind this transaction includes Carrigans Bob Lee Swagger, which bred Woodies City Girl, a previous inter-breed champion at the Royal Highland Show, onto Woodies Wild Wind, a Crocodile daughter that has bred rams to 8000gns and 6000gns, and gimmers to 7500gns and 4000gns.

Best Beltex from Paul and Christine Tippett’s Hackney and Wilodge flocks, from Shifnal, Shropshire, was £3500 paid for Hackney Esmie. Andrew Morton, Lochend, Denny, was the final bidder on this entry by the 65,000gns record priced Airyolland Castro. Esmie is out of Hackney Beyonce, which is full sister to the 7000gns Hackney Braveheart and sire of last year’s champion at the Highland Show.

Top priced Texel was £5050 paid for a Milnbank gimmer from Robbie Wilson, North Dorlaithers, Turriff. An Auldhouseburn Billy The Kid daughter, out of a ewe by Strathbogie Untouchable, and an ET sister to the 7000gns Milnbank Cobra, she sold to Peter Vaughan, buying for his Kingsland flock, from Leominster, Hereford.

Welsh breeder, Robert Bennett’s Plasucha flock, Upper Hall, Powys, sold his best Texel gimmer across to Northern Ireland with Messrs Cubitt, Ballymena, Co Antrim, for £3250. She is a daughter of Donrho Aristocrat, while her dam is by Plasucha All Star.

Stuart Wood and Stasa Moyse, Woolhillock, were back in the money amongst the Blue Texels, when her Saltire Blue Diana Ross, topped the section at £4650. This gimmer is by Carlys Blue Captain, a tup which has sold sons to 5000gns, while the dam is Saltire Blue Betty which goes back to H.Your Joking. Diana Ross, sold across the Irish Sea, having been purchased by Messrs McFarland, Omagh, Co Tyrone.

The same buyers also went to £3600 for the ewe lamb, Saltire Blue Ewe Star, a January-born entry by Saltire Blue Crown Jewel and bred from Stasa’s award winning show ewe, Saltire Blue A Beauty, by H.X Factor.

Her maternal sister, Saltire Blue Disco Diva, a gimmer by Carly’s Blues Captain, also sold to Northern Ireland at £3750, to Messrs Shortt, Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Adding to the celebrations, the couple headed up the Badgerface Texel prices too at £1500, with Woodies Madonna, an aged ewe bought by Messrs Hogan, Bennekerry, Co Carlow, Eire.

Meanwhile, back in the Blue Texels, ewe lambs sold to £3950 for the February-born Derg Esmerelda, from Northern Ireland breeders, S Allen and A Shortt, Fyfin Road, Strabane. The first lamb to be offered for sale from last year’s Balmoral Show champion, Derg Coco Chanel, she is by Saltire Blue Derek, a tup that has bred lambs to 3800gns and headed home with Messrs Phillips, Mapledurham, Reading, Berkshire.

Local Dutch Spotted breeder, Ali Jackson, Maulscastle Farmhouse, Cummertrees, Annan, again topped the section at £3550, this time with the ram lamb, Tiptop Denver. This February-born entry is a son of Tiptop Charlie and out of the imported ewe, Hannah. He headed down to North Yorkshire, with Messrs Lofthouse, Markington, Harrogate.

Not far behind on £2800 was the best from E Allen, Derryloughan Road, Loughgall, Northern Ireland, a March-born ewe lamb. Diamond Daffy is a daughter of Challoch Bearskin, out of the imported ewe, Bella II and sold to Messrs Middleton, Carnforth, Lancs.

Heading up the Bluefaced Leicesters at £1600 was a gimmer from Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth. She sold to Messrs Procter, Kirkby Stephen, and is by the K1 Carry House, out of a home-bred ewe by J1 Kirkby Redgate.

averages:

10 Dutch Spotted, £2230.00; 22 Texels, £1661.36; six Bluefaced Leicesters, £1063.33; 19 Beltex, £1675.26; seven Badgerface Texels, £960.00; 28 Blue Texels, £1932.14.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.