Craig Wilson - Ayr Ram Sale 2021

AYR (Newton Stewart)

Auctioneers:- Craig Wilson Ltd

Averages: 206 shearling rams, £1358.93 (-£229.97 for 15 more sold); 33 ram lambs, £2291.21 (-£571.83 for 10 more).

Despite a significantly larger ringside of buyers, increased entries from new consignors hit the overall averages at the first of the Blackface ram sales at Ayr, on Saturday 2nd October, where ram lambs sold to £13,000 and shearlings to £10,000 – twice.

In saying that, it was always going to be difficult to match the 2020 event which moved from the traditional site at Newton Stewart to the bigger market premises at Ayr, to get round some of the Covid restrictions, where prices peaked at £34,000 for a tup lamb and a further eight five-figure priced shearling rams and a high of £17,000.

Instead, a much more modest affair, saw a ‘Headbanger’ from Andrew Kay and sons Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton, command the lead price when selling to Glen, Gatehouse, managed by Robert and Debbie MacTaggart; Willie and Billy Graham, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar and Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff.

The lamb christened after it jumped up and hit father Andrew in the face, is a son of the £14,000 Craigdarroch shearling bought at Lanark in 2020, and bred from a ewe by a Gass son of a £24,000 Glenrath.

A good strong demand for the top end of shearlings saw two sell at £10,000 and three at £9000.

First to hit the magical five-figure price tag was the pen leader from Willie Lockart’s Culdoach pen from Kirkcudbright, purchased by the Ramsays from Milnmark, Dalry, Castle Douglas. Producing a personal best shearling trade for this 800-ewe flock which is better known for breeding the best of Scotch Mule ewe lambs at Castle Douglas, was a son of a £4000 Dalblair. The dam, by a £6500 Dyke, is one of only 75 bred pure at Culdoach.

Colin McClymont’s 400-ewe Cuil hirsel from Newton Stewart, enjoyed a cracking trade with sales at £10,000, £9000, £8000 and £6000 to average in excess of £3000 for 13.

Dearest was the pen’s No 5, a son of Cuil Bentley, a tup retained for breeding by the £42,000 Drannandow Belter. He is out of a daughter of a £1400 Balmurrie, and also sold to Milnmark with Craigdarroch taking a half share.

Cuil Bentley was also behind Cuil’s No 3 shearling which made £6000 selling to Robert McTurk, Barlaes, Dalry. His dam is a daughter of Cuil Batman, a son of the £14,000 Allanfauld.

Minutes earlier, Barlaes bought Cuil’s No 2 which made £9000. His pedigree features a £7000 Dalhabboch bought here two years ago, onto a ewe by a £6500 Dryhope.

Stewart McIntosh, Borthwickshiels, Roberton, Hawick, bought the pen leader from Cuil at £8000. This was a direct son of the £42,000 Belter, and again out of a ewe by Cuil Batman.

Home-bred genetics were also behind John and Iain Finlay’s top priced shearling from Blackcraig, Corsock, which made £9000. A son of Brocken Horn, a Blackcraig-bred son of a £22,000 Elmscleugh retained for breeding, he is out of a ewe by a £12,000 Nunnerie. He was knocked down in a three-way split to the Kays at Gass; David Morrison, Dalwyne and the Patons at Craig, all Straiton.

The Finlay’s pen leader, by a Midlock tup used on loan by a £24,000 Connachan shearling, made £5000 to Peebleshire breeders, Ian Campbell, Glenrath, and Tommy Renwick, Williamhope, Clovenfords. His dam is by the £25,000 Elmscleugh.

On the debit side, Blackcraig went to £9000 in partnership with Milnmark and Jimmy and Kirsten Wallace, Fingland, Dalry, for the best from Drannandow, Newton Stewart, managed by David Ferguson. The breeding behind this transaction includes a £3200 Hartside Lamington onto an £18,000 Dyke-sired ewe.

Shearling rams from the father and daughter duo at Fingland, were in demand too peaking at £8000 with two at £4500. Dearest was the pen’s No 2, a son of a £2600 Drannandow out of a £7000 Cuil-sired dam. Buying back some of his own genetics, he sold to Drannandow and Markdhu, both of which are managed by Mr Ferguson.

The pen leader, by a £13,000 Glenrath and out of a £6500 Dyke dam, made £4500, selling to Tom and Mairi Paterson and son Robert, Dunruchan, Muthill, Crieff.

Matching that price, a son of the 2020 £17,000 Fingland, which sold here to Glen, Gatehouse, was purchased by James Murdoch, Knockdon, Straiton. The dam is by a £20,000 Crossflatt.

Top price for Danny Hair’s Drumbreddan flock from Stranraer, was £7000 paid by the Patons, Craig, for a shearling son of a £10,000 Allanfauld bought at Lanark as a lamb in 2019. He is bred from one of the best female lines at Drumbreddan, by a £24,000 Elmscleugh got by AI.

Another two shearlings sold for £6000, with the first, from Craigdarroch, selling to Gavin Campbell and his daughter Susan Archibald, for their Larg flock at Creetown. Again, home-bred genetics are behind this big lad with the sire being a Craigdarroch son of an £11,000 Auldhouseburn, onto a ewe by a home-bred son of a £10,000 Dalchirla.

The Ramsays from Milnmark, also took £6000 for a son of a £16,000 Dyke bred from a ewe by an £18,000 Culdoach, from Jen Craig, Normanton, Abington.

Milnmark also received £3800 for a shearling by a £9000 Grimmet from Norman Hurcombe, Barnvannoch.

First time consignors, Davie and Jock Jackson, all the way from Pole, Lochgoilhead, came up with the goods too, selling a monster of a tup for £5000 to four Borders-based breeders – Billy Renwick, Blackhouse; cousins Alan and Sam McClymont of Kirkstead and Tinnis, respectively and George Irving, Mountbenger, all Yarrow. He is by The Guiser, a lamb bought privately from Auldhouseburn by a £160,000 Elmscleugh and out of a ewe by a £5000 Crossflatt.

Katrina Duncan, shepherdess at Larg, Creetown, alongside her husband, Robin, were also in the money, taking £4000 for a son of an £8000 Drannandow. He is out of a ewe by an £8000 Merkins – one of only six ewes owned by Mrs Duncan, and sold to Drannandow.

Back amongst the lambs, and the breeder of the 2020 £34,000 top priced lot, John Murray, Crossflatt, Muirkirk, sold the second equal highest priced lamb this year at £7000. He is by a home-bred son of a £150,000 Auldhouseburn, and out of a ewe by Tornado, a home-bred son of a £160,000 Dalchirla, retained for breeding. He sold in a three-way split to the Jacksons at Pole, Alasdair and Andrew Fletcher, Laigh Hatton, Bishopton; and Outerwards, Brisbane Glen, Estate owned by Oz Wardrop,

Another Crossflatt lamb by a different home-bred son of the £150,000 Auldhouseburn, made £3500, selling to Andrew Walker, Crammie, Glenprosen and David Murray, Lurgan, Aberfeldy.

The Mitchells from Cairnerzean, New Luce, matched that £7000 sale, selling a AI son of the £160,000 Dalchirla, bred from a ewe by the old £24,000 Elmscleugh, also got by semen. Buying back some of their own genetics, he sold to Willie Dunlop and sons, Quintin and William, Elmscleugh, Dunbar.

Cairnerzean also sold another at £5500 to George Watson, Knockbreck and Fingland. The pedigree behind this AI lamb includes the same £24,000 Elmscleugh onto a ewe by a £13,000 Midlock.

Muirkirk breeders, Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, sold their best at £6500 to Ian and George Davidson, Northern Ireland. A son of the £70,000 Harestone lamb bought in 2020, he is bred from a daughter of the £58,000 Auldhouseburn.

Another by the £70,000 Harestone lamb made £3000 selling to Messrs Brown, Bridgend.

It was a big day for Muirkirk breeders, with Andy Woodburn, Netherwood, then taking £4200 for a lamb by a Crossflatt lamb used on loan by Spectre, out of a ewe by a £6500 Midlock, from Ian McKnight, Dalhabboch, New Luce.

Just behind, on £3800, Archie MacGregor, son John and shepherd Davie Kinloch, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, sold a son of the 30,000gns McCurdy lamb bought in 2020 at Ballymena, out of a ewe by a £24,000 Lurg. The buyer was Keith Brooke, Carscreugh, Glenluce.

Gerard McGinn, Chirmorrie, Barr, went to £3000 for the David Morrison’s best from Dalwyne, Barr. He is by a home-bred son of a £160,000 Dalchirla, and was brought out with assistance of shepherd Andrew McMillan

OTHERLEADING prices

Shearling rams – £3500 – Craig, to Finland; Markdhu, to Barnvannoch. £3000 – Fingland, to R Dunlop, Pinvalley; Craigdarroch, to Pinvalley; Milnmark, to G Statham, Laghead. £2800 – Glen, Gatehouse, to Balure Farmers, Balure, Stranraer; Allanfauld, to A McClymont and Sons, Kirkstead, Yarrow.

FLOCK average

SHEARLINGS

RAM LAMBS