Texel shearlings dominate Kelso Ram Sales with £45,000 top

Such was the demand for big, stretchy tups that prices peaked at £45,000 and £35,000 from the Allanfauld and Teiglum flocks respectively while unregistered Texel shearlings sold to £11,000 from Bob Rennie, Attonburn.

Andrew Clark's Teiglum shearling made £35,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Texel ram lambs were also in vogue selling to £7500 – the third highest lamb price on the day – from Davie Preacher, Holylee.

Retired auctioneer, Brian Ross of Lawrie and Symington was in his element selling in Ring 9, which saw no fewer than 222 registered shearlings average £2800.

“It was a fantastic trade but then the sheep trade is on a high and many producers are looking to the Texel not only as a terminal sire but also to breed commercial breeding females,” he told The SF.

Tops from Gordon and David Gray, Ettrick at £24,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

“Producers were looking for sheep with a strength, power, a good top line, a bit of a neck and a top line. Commercial producers were having to pay up to £2000 to get the sheep they were looking for.”

Leading the trade at £45,000 and producing a personal best here was Archie and John MacGregor’s Allanfauld Iceberg, a son of the £35,000 Ettrick Gruffalo bought here in 2024 from Gordon and David Gray. He is bred from a ewe by Mossknowe Focus and sold in a four-way split to Tom Cockburn, Kingside, Leadburn and three Lanarkshire breeders – Meikle Jackson, Wolfclyde, Lanark; the Gibbs at, Toftcombs and James Orr, Wester Walston.

Jim and Nicki Hartwright took £24,000 for their Whitehart shearling (Image: Isla Campbell)

With another two sales at £15,000 and £10,000, the 50-strong Allanfauld flock also produced the lead flock average of £10,900 for seven. Dearest of those two was a full brother to the 30,000gns lamb sold at Carlisle the previous week and the 32,000gns Allanfuald Impeccable sold last year. Allanfauld Irnbru which stood second in his class at the Royal Highland in June, is a son of Brackenridge Fly Half and bred from an Allanfauld Flaming Star-sired Brackenridge ewe. He was knocked down to David MacTaggart, Douganhill, Castle Douglas.

Salers breeders, Bryn Robinson and his father Fred, Preenbank, Shropshire, went to £10,000 for the third Allanfauld shearling which is sired by the Carlisle purchase Vallum Horsepower. The dam is a Knap Godzilla daughter.

Best from Ewan MacTaggart, Rascarrel sold at £22,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Later in the day, Andrew Clark’s Teiglum flock from Carluke produced another three five-figure sales at £35,000, £12,000 and £10,000. Tops here was Teiglum Iconic, a son of the £40,000 joint private purchase Duncryne Houdini, bred from a Carlinside ewe by Mossknowe Entity. He was knocked down to Paul and Claire Slater, Whiteley Hey, Cheshire.

Brackenridge Fly Half, a tup bought privately from Andrew Neilson, was the sire of the £12,000 and £10,000 shearlings. Full ET brothers bred from a ewe by Tullnasoo Funtime, the former, Teiglum Incredible Hulk was bought by E Morgan, Blaencar, Sennybridge, Brecon, while Teiglum Ironman made £10,000 to Oliver Dean, Kirkhouse, Brampton, Carlisle.

Alan Campbell, Strawfrank sold his shearling for £20,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Shearlings from Gordon and David Gray’s Ettrick flock from Selkirk, again proved popular averaging £8750 for six with a high of £24,000 paid for the first prize performance recorded ram, Ettrick Inzaggi. Male champion at the Scottish National and inter-breed sheep champion at the Border Union, Inzaggi is a natural born tup by the 5500gns Overburns Hulk and bred from a Sadler Frank The Tank-sired ewe. He sold jointly to Graeme and Andrew Knox, Mid Haddo, Turriff; David McKerrow and sons James and David, Uppermill, Ellon and Robin Orr and his daughter Caroline, Halbeath, Dunfermline.

Steven Renwick's Craig Douglas shearling made £18,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Hulk was also the sire of an £11,000 ram that sold three ways to WS Robson, Yatesfield, Bellingham; Quickening Cote Farm, Harbottle, and C and C Storrow, Flotterton Cottage, Thropton. The dam, a ewe by Claybury Dunkirk, stood second in her class at the Great Yorkshire as a ewe lamb.

First time consignors, Nicki Hartwright and her father Jim’s Hartwright 250-strong ewe flock from Cheshire, also had due cause for celebration selling Whitehart I-Catcher for £24,000 to the Ingram family, Logie Durno, Inverurie. For their money they get a son of the £10,000 Harehead Governor bought her in 2024 with the Millend flock out of a ewe by Brijon Dealbreaker.

Donald and Jimmy MacGregor's Campsie shearling sold for £17,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Earlier in the day, Ewan MacTaggart’s Rascarrel flock from Castle Douglas, received £22,000 for a son of the 11,000gns Uppermill Hotshot lamb bought at Lanark in 2024 bred from a ewe by Sportsmans Double Diamond. Mr MacTaggart who was selling for the first time here in his own right, sold the tup to Paul and Claire Slater.

Ettrick Gruffalo – the sire of the £45,000 leader – also produced a £20,000 shearling for Allan Campbell’s Strawfrank flock from Carstairs, purchased by Steven Renwick, Craig Douglas, Peebles and Iain Minto, Townhead, Dolphinton who was buying some of his own genetics with the dam being a daughter of Townhead Firth.

Another from Allanfauld sold for £15,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

More than financing that half purchase, Mr Renwick achieved a personal best with shearling sales at £18,000 and £10,000 for sons of the 7000gns Wedderburn Humdinger bought at Lanark in 2024. The former and pen leader is bred from a show ewe by Ettrick Eastern Promise, and headed home with Jim Innes of the Strathbogie flock from Dunscroft, Huntly.

The second Craig Douglas shearling sold four-ways to Andrew Renwick and his father Billy, Blackhouse, Yarrow; Ian Hunter, Dalchirla Farms, Crieff; Allan and Karen Wight, Midlock, Crawford and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot. His dam is by Knock Bantastic.

Robert Laird, Cambwell sold two at £11,000 with the first selling to Glenrock with a share retained (Image: Isla Campbell)

Just behind, on £17,000, Donald MacGregor and his father Jimmy, Dyke, Milton of Campsie, sold their pen leader to Stuart Robson, Buckholm, Galashiels and Bob and Becca Rennie, Attonburn, Kelso. Campsie Icarus is an AI son of Ettrick Eastern Promise and bred from a Teiglum ewe by Knock Eastwood bought at the Select Seven sale several years ago.

Having topped last year’s sale at £32,000, Robert Laird’s Cambwell flock was back in the money with two at £11,000 and another at £9000. The pen leader, Cambwell Infinity which is a son of last year’s £32,000 that was used as a lamb, is out of a Cambwell Dynamite daughter and sold to Thomas Illingworth, Glenrock, Lockerbie, with Cambwell retaining an equal share.

Robert Laird's second £11,000 shearling from Cambwell (Image: Isla Campbell)

Jim Logan, Romanvale, Denholm, bought the second £11,000 shearling, a son of Deveronvale Fastrac, out of a ewe by Cowal Escobar.

The second prize recorded shearling ram at the pre-sale show, sold to the judge Rodney Blackhall, Banchory, for £9000. This was a son of the 8000gns Eden Valley Hit the Diff, out of a ewe by Langford Adder Again.

Ettrick's third shearling sold for £11,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Also hitting the £11,000 bracket early in the sale was the pen leader from John Green’s Greenall flock from Hawick. Another producing a personal best here, his tup is by the Knock Yardsman son, Greenall Fistycuffs and out of a ewe by Greenarch Dark Knight. The buyers were Murray and Nia Rainnie, Cobbleheugh Farms, Alford, Aberdeenshire.

The last of the five-figure registered Texel sales at £10,000 came from Henry James’ Duhonw flock now based at Stockholm, Beattock. The tup which is a son of the former Highland Show champion, Garngour Highlander II and bred from a ewe by Whiteheart Alister, was knocked down to Neil Harvey buying for the Blackadder flock from Duns.

John Green also took £11,000 for a Greenall shearling (Image: Isla Campbell)

Unregistered Texels also met a flying trade peaking at £11,000 and £10,000 with averages rising £219 and for more sold.

Leading the section was Bob and Becca Rennie’s second shearling from Attonburn, Yetholm, Kelso. A son of a £10,000 Strathbogie tup bought here in 2024, out of a ewe by a Campsie tup, he was knocked down to Will Case, Plumpton Cottage Farm, Ulverston. The couple enjoyed a flying trade selling 40 unregistered Texels to average £2550.

Robert Rennie, Attonburn topped the unregistered Texels selling at £11,000 (Image: Isla Campbell)

Just behind on £10,000, Graham Cakebread, Commonside, Hawick, sold his champion unregistered Texel from Ring 18 to Roderick Runciman, Allanshaws, Galashiels. The tup is sired by Midlock Fireball and out of a home-bred ewe. Commonside sold 12 at £2583.33.

Surpassing those big averages, Steven Robson, Buckholm, Galashiels sold 19 unregistered Texels to a high of £7500 to average £2911.

Back amongst the registered rams and Philip Weaver’s Empire flock from Newark, reached £9500 for a son of Whitehart Game Changer, purchased by J Douglas, Cambeck Hill, Cumbria. The dam is by Empire Easy Tiger.

Shearling rams of all breeds and crosses from the Ingram family, Logie Durno, Inverurie again proved popular with 141 cashing in at £2103. Their lead Texel at £9000, a son of a 40,000gns Douganhill, sold to Richard Priestley, Cracrop, Brampton, Carlisle.

Top priced lamb at £7500 from Davie Preacher, Holylee (Image: Isla Campbell)

Matching that £9000 was a shearling from Jonathan Wales’ Thackwood flock, Dalston purchased by James Whiteford, Tercrosset, Brampton. The pedigree behind this lad includes the £8000 Prime Star Gunshot while the dam is by Burnhead Eztebeth.

Davie Preacher, Holylee, Innerleithen, topped the lambs at £7500 selling Holylee Juggernaut to Tom Wade, Snitter; Robert McKay, Quickencote, and Dan Lynn, Ascot. He is by Allanfauld Here Goes and out of a Overburns Gladiator dam.

Averages: 613 registered shearling rams, £2437.81 (+£345.48 for 20 more sold); 33 ram lambs, £1581.82 (+£505.10 for 25 fewer); 609 unregistered shearlings, £1452.13 (+£219.01 for 61 more sold).