Dalmally Ram Lamb Sale 2021

DALMALLY LAMBS

Averages:

170 ram lambs, £2054.45 (-£1412.67 for 17 more sold).

Another blistering trade for Blackface ram lambs saw no fewer than 12 five-figure prices and an average of £2054.35 – up £768.71 on the last sale at Dalmally in 2019, but down £1412.67 on the 2020 event staged at Stirling which saw a £200,000 record from Dalchirla.

However, while averages were understandably well down, numbers sold improved. The craic was also significantly better than the 2020 event – held under strict Covid-19 restrictions – with both bars fully operational and flockmasters able to enjoy their usual Dalmally ‘tipples’ well after the sale concluded.

A cracking show of tups also saw breeders keen to invest in the future with a top price of £30,000 paid for the pen leader from Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk.

A son of the £15,000 High Staward lamb bought in 2020, bred from a ewe by the £160,000 Dalchirla, he sold in a three-way split to Billy and Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow; John Carruthers, Silloans, Rochester; and his brother, Richard Carruthers, who farms at Merkland, Penpont, Thornhill, Dumfries.

Sons of the £70,000 Harestone lamb bought in 2020 at Lanark, also proved popular for Auldhouseburn, with sales at £18,000 and £5000.

The former, bred from an £85,000 Elmscleugh daughter sold to four breeders, including Karl O’Mullan and his brother, Damien, who run two separate flocks; the McEldowneys, and the McGuagams, from Swatragh.

The £5000 Auldhouseburn lamb was knocked down to Glenmore Estate.

Second top price was £28,000 paid for the pen leader from Allan Wight, son Allan and his son Ben, Midlock, Crawford. He is by the £200,000 Dalchirla lamb, bred from a £6000 Auldhouseburn daughter and also sold to Glenmore, owned by Karol McElhinney, who bought most of the top priced lots for the expanding flock.

Including in this list was the No 1 entry from Ian Hunter’s Dalchirla flock, from Muthill, Crieff, which enjoyed the trade of the day selling seven lambs to average £13,642.86.

Pen leader here and selling for £24,000 was another son of the 2020 £200,000 lamb bred from a ewe by Boris – a home-bred son of £10,000 Nunnerie retained for breeding.

Mr Hunter and his brother, Alan, also sold another at £24,000 to Willie Dunlop and sons, Quintin and William, Elmscleugh, Dunbar, and Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Milton of Campsie. His pedigree features a home-bred son of a £160,000 Dalchirla, retained for breeding, onto a ewe by a £24,000 Connachan.

Another by a different home-bred son of the £160,000 Dalchirla, but out of a ewe by a £10,000 Nunnerie made £16,000 to Eoin McKenna and Charlie Phillips.

Sons of a £20,000 Crossflatt bought at Lanark in 2020, were also in demand, with sales at £11,000, £9000 and £8000 for Dalchirla.

The dearest, out of a ewe by a £24,000 Connachan, sold to Charlie and Cathal Harkin, The Rock and Brian Devine.

Billy Grant, Kilcoo, bought the £9000 Dalchirla lamb, bred from a ewe by Boris, and the £8000 entry from the Hunters, which also boasted a £24,000 Connachan dam, was knocked down to Aberuchill Estate, herded by Craig Paterson, Comrie, and Jimmy Wallace, Fingland, Dalry, Castle Douglas.

The breeder of that £20,000 Crossflatt, John Murray, Muirkirk, kicked the lamb trade off well with sales at £22,000 and £5000 within the first five minutes.

His pen leader, by the 30,000gns McCurdy lamb bought at Ballymena in 2020 and the sire of Crossflatt’s £14,000 and £7500 lambs at Stirling and Ayr, respectively, is bred from a ewe by Crossflatt Tornado – a son of the £160,000 Dalchirla retained for breeding. He headed home with Billy McFarlane and sons, Joe and Alfie, Drumgrange, Patna, with James McCurdy, taking a half share.

Crossflatt’s £5000 lamb, purchased by Andy Woodburn and son Andy, Netherwood, Muirkirk, is by a £150,000 Auldhouseburn and out of a ewe by a £32,000 Dalchirla.

Davie Morrison’s Dalwyne flock, from Barr, ‘herded by Andrew McMillan, enjoyed it’s best Dalmally trade when the pen leader made £20,000 when selling to Midlock. His lamb, by The Musketeer, an 18,000gns lamb bought at Ballymena in 2020 from Colm McAteer, is out of a £22,000 Dalchirla daughter.

Glenmore was back in action, buying the No 1 lamb from Andrew Kay and sons, Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton, at £16,000. Star attraction here was a son of a £7000 Elmscleugh, out of an £18,000 Auldhouseburn-sired dam.

Karol McElhinney also went to £8000 for a Dalblair lamb from Eoin Blackwood and his sister, Kirstyn, Muirkirk. He is a son of the £20,000 Orchilmore lamb bought at Lanark in 2020 and out of a ewe by a £28,000 Auldhouseburn.

Superseding that price for Dalblair, was a £14,000 sale to Willie Stevenson, Balrazzie, Ballantrae, with the Blackwoods retaining an equal share. The breeding behind this transaction includes the 2020 £13,000 Glenrath lamb onto a ewe by a £52,000 Crossflatt.

Elmscleugh lambs as always were again in demand too with sales at £10,000 and £9000 for sons of the £80,000 Allanfauld lamb bought at Lanark. The pen leader, bred from a ewe by a £45,000 Midlock, sold to Brian Devine and John and Patrick Harkin.

The Dunlop’s £9000 lamb, which boasts a dam by a home-bred son of a £12,000 Gass, was knocked down to Colin McClymont, Cuil, and David Ferguson, Drannandow, both Newton Stewart.

Matching that £9000 sale, Davie and Jock Jackson, Pole, Lochgoilhead, sold a son of a £10,000 Loughash, bred from a £5000 Crossflatt-sired dam. The buyer was Archie McKinnon buying for the Lynemore flock from Amulree.

Top price for Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot was £6500 for a son of a £60,000 Loughash, purchased by Hazel Brown, Birthwood, Coulter, Biggar.

OTHER LEADING prices

Ram lambs – £4500 – Allanfauld, by a £200,000 Dalchirla, to Messrs Douglas; Allanfauld, by a £20,000 Allanfauld, to G McGinn, Chirmorrie, Barrhill, Girvan.

Auctioneers: UA.

FLOCK averages