Records were smashed at the two-day sale of Blackface rams at Lanark Mart, with prices soaring to £100,000 eclipsing the breed’s previous top of £90,000.
It was day two that saw the majority of the fireworks, with 200 ram lambs selling to average £4,339, an increase of £242 for 15 more sold on the year.
A delighted breed president John Hamilton, of Aitkengall, Dunbar, was particularly impressed with the enthusiasm of the many young, keen breeders, creating a “great atmosphere within the market”.
“The Blackface ewe really is the queen of the hill breeds, and that’s been proved here over the past two days, with such a successful sale,” he added.
Star of the sale at £100,000, was the pen number one from Alastair MacArthur’s Nunnerie consignment, a son of the £50,000 Dalwyne tup bought last year.
He is out of the ewe which stood reserve female at this year’s Highland Show, a daughter of a £20,000 Midlock ram.
Beating the 1,600-strong flock’s previous top of £60,000, this one sold to Willie Dunlop, Elmscleuch, Innerwick, Dunbar, who said this “big tup, with different bloodlines,” was “just what he was looking for”.
The Nunnerie team, including Alastair’s son David, and shepherd Craig Thornborrow, also received £25,000 for a full ET brother to the sale topper. He went in a three-way split to Northern Ireland based breeders John and Charlie Harkin, Loughash, Damien McSwiggan and Brian Devine.
Creating a stir later in the day, Billy Renwick and sons Andrew and Steven sold the best from their Yarrow-based Blackhouse flock at £90,000 to John Murray, Crossflatt, Muirkirk; Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, with Nunnerie taking a third share.
He is by a £28,000 Dalchirla, out of a ewe by an £8,000 Crossflatt sire.
Third top of the day went to the Harkins’ Loughash flock, which sold to £34,000 for a son of the £40,000 Loughash sold last year.
Out of a ewe by the Buffalo, he sold to John Finlay, Blackcraig, Corsock; Andrew Kay, Gass, Straiton; and Nunnerie.
Another from Loughash, a son of a £24,000 Elmscleugh, reached £15,000, selling to Northern Ireland’s Brian Devine and Damien McSwiggan.
Jimmy and Donald MacGregor’s Dyke pen, from Milton of Campsie, proved popular, with the seven lambs averaging out at £10,192.
Top there was £28,000 for the son of a £24,000 Elmscleugh sire, out of a ewe by a home-bred son of Travis.
He was knocked down to four breeders: Ian Bond, Glen, Gatehouse; David Ferguson, Drannandow, Newton Stewart; Ewen McMillan, Traquir Hill, Innerleithen; and Ian Hair, Drumbreddan, Stranraer.
Also from Dyke, at £20,000, was a son of Starbuck (a home-bred son of the £24,000 Elmscleugh), out of a ewe by Elmscleugh Private Eye.
Buyers were Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Biggar; John Hamilton, Aitkengall, Dunbar; Andrew Provan, Parkhall, Douglas; and Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth.
Archie and John MacGregor had a successful day themselves, selling to £20,000, from their Kilsyth-based Allanfauld flock.
This one, a son of the £60,000 Dalchirla, out of a ewe by the £36,000 Drumgrange, ‘Mad Max’, sold to the Marshalls’ Gosland flock, at Broughton, and Willie Graham, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar.
Another from Allanfauld by the same sire, out of a different ewe by Mad Max, sold at 17,000gns to Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, and Alan Smith, Crosswoodburn, West Calder.
Selling at £18,000 was a son of a £5,200 Allanfauld, from David Jackson, Pole, Lochgoilhead. Out of a ewe by a £10,000 Nunnerie tup, he sold to the Campbells’ Glenrath flock at Peebles and the MacGregors’ Dyke flock, with Pole retaining a third share.
Not far behind, the Campbell family sold one from their Peebles-based Easter Happrew flock a son of the £50,000 Crossflatt at £16,000, to Auldhouseburn.
A further 10 lambs broke the four-figure barrier, including three at £15,000.
Two of those came from the Wights’ Midlock pen, both by the £68,000 Elmscleugh, out of ewes by the home-bred tup Strongbow.
The first sold to Blackhouse, Dyke and Angus Kennedy, Mitchellhill, Broughton; the other sold to Ewan Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry.
Also hitting £15,000 was the Auldhouseburn pen number one from Hugh and Alan Blackwood. A son of Bolt, out of a ewe by a £20,000 Auldhouseburn sire, he sold to the Blackwoods at Dalblair, Cumnock, with Auldhouseburn retaining a share.
Shearlings met a strong trade the previous day, with averages in Ring 1 up by £183 for 328 (42 more than last year).
Leading the way at £30,000, was one from the Elmscleugh team of Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William.
Their son of an £11,000 Aitkenhead sire, out of a ewe by a £26,000 Glen, sold to Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Muthill, Crieff, and the Campbell family’s Glenrath flock at Peebles.
Next up, Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, sold their Royal Highland Show breed champion, Hulk, for £24,000 to Billy Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow, and his brother Tommy Renwick, Williamhope, Selkirk.
He is a son of the £60,000 Dalchirla, out of a ewe by the home-bred tup Macallan.
Allan Wight and son Allan enjoyed a flyer of a trade with shearlings from their Midlock consignment, from Crawford, with 12 selling to average £6,708.
They sold two at £20,000 apiece, both sons of a £14,000 Dalchirla sire.
The first, out of a ewe by the £60,000 Nunnerie, sold to Nunnerie and Dalchirla.
The other at the same money, out of the £90,000 Dalchirla-sired ewe which stood champion at Abington Show this year, went to Malcolm Coubrough’s Hartside flock at Biggar and John and Richard Wood, Kingledores, Peebles.
The Wights also received £13,000, for a shearling son of the £28,000 Loughash tup, which sold to the Kay family’s Gass flock at Straiton.
John and Charlie Harkin had a worthwhile journey from Co Tyrone in Northern Ireland, selling their best at £17,000 to Willie Graham, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar, and Buccleuch Estates, Selkirk. He is another by the £60,000 Dalchirla, out of a dam by a £6,500 Midlock.
Recouping their earlier spend, the Renwick family sold to £13,000 from their Blackhouse pen.
Best there was a son of a £13,000 Midlock, out of a ewe by the £65,000 Auldhouseburn tup. He sold to the Marshalls’ Golsland flock at Broughton.
Early in the day, Jimmy and Donald MacGregor received £12,000 for one from their Dyke flock. A son of a £24,000 Elmscleugh sire, out of a ewe by the home-bred Travis, he sold to Malcolm Coubrough, Whelphill, Crawford, and Allanfauld.
Also reaching five figures was one from John and Ian Campbell’s Glenrath flock at Peebles. A son of a £20,000 Midlock, out of a dam by a £34,000 Midlock, he sold at £11,000 to Tom Paterson, Dunruchan, Comrie, Crieff.
Averages: 200 ram lambs, £4,339; 328 shearling rams in Ring 1, £1,901.49; 236 shearling rams in Ring 2, £476.65.
Auctioneers: Lawrie & Symington.