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Shearling ram tops sale of Hampshire Downs at 2,550gns

At the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association premier sale at Shrewsbury it was the shearling ram section which attracted some of the highest prices and the biggest jump in averages

Angela Calvert
Head of Livestock, Shows and Sales
clock • 2 min read
Top price shearling ram
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Top price shearling ram

The top price of 2,550gns went to Sophie Manners and Joe Dilibero's Seawell flock, Towcester, with a shearling ram in the top 1% of breed for TSI and an exceptionally high gigot score after CT scanning at 4.14. By Normanby Wellington and out of a Yarcombe ewe, it sold to Charles Rathmell's commercial flock, Yorkshire.Ìý

Another shearling ram from the same pen with similar breeding sold to pedigree breeders Aled and Lisa Evans, Llwyncelyn flock, Beulah, at 2,000gns.

Top price ram lamb at 2,400gns from Graylen flock

Top priced ram lamb at 2,400gns was a Graylen-bred lamb from Graham and Judith Galbraith, Cumbria. Having been second in the recorded ram lamb class, it is in the top 1% for TSI and top 5% of the breed for scan weight, carcase weight and days to slaughter EBV. It was by Graylen Quartermaster which was male champion at the 2023 National Show.

The buyer was the Derryman family, Devon, who then sold a shearling ram from their Yarcombe flock for 2,150gns. By Treworthal Marshall and out of a Yarcombe Hero bred dam, it was knocked down to John Craig, Yorkshire, for the Lumb flock.

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Shearling ram from Yarcombe flock which sold for 2,150gns

The male champion was a Highcliffe ram lamb by Parkstock Warrior, out of a daughter of the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show champion, from Stephen Short, Halifax. It sold for 1,600gns to Lucy Heywood for her Thornfalcon flock, Somerset.

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Male champion from Stephen Short which sold for 1,600gns

Ewe lambs topped the female section at 1,500gns twice. Firstly, for a Treworthal Marshell daughter from Messrs Derryman which sold for to Harry Elsden, Hertfordshire.
The other ewe lamb to make 1,500gns was the second prize winner by Bridgehaugh Braveheart from Louis and Becky Stainthorpe's Whitby flock, North Yorkshire, whose pen of ewe lambs averaged 1,200gns. The buyer was Charlie Bougourd for the Loxhill flock, Somerset.

Averages: 22 ram lambs, £833.80 (-£276.42 on 2024); 5 shearling rams, £1,680 (+804.30); 18 shearling ewes, Ìý£604.92 (-£41.33); 19 ewe lambs, £848.63 (+£20.13).

Auctioneers: Halls.

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