Young Aberdeenshire breeder Finn Christie landed the top price of 16,000gn at the Suffolk national championship and sale in Shrewsbury.
Finn, who runs the Maidenstone flock at Newton Of Balquhain, Inverurie, secured the top price with a January-born ram lamb.
An embryo transfer (ET) son of Crewelands Kingpin, and out of a Birness dam by the 9,500gn Limestone Legacy, he sold jointly to Worcestershire-based breeder Chris Holmes for his Rookery flock and Shropshire breeder Holly Bowdler for her Tombridge flock.
Next best at 12,000gn was a January-born ram lamb from Huntly breeder Jim Innes’ Strathbogie flock, based at Dunscroft.
By the 26,000gn Forkins McCoy, and out of a dam by Strathbogie A Kind of Magic, he sold jointly to Northern Ireland breeders Dennis Taylor and Leslie Liggett for their Ballynacannon and Carony flocks.
In all, the Dunscroft pen averaged £3,914 for seven ram lambs.
Other leading prices included 6,000gn for a ram lamb from the Stuart family’s Birness flock, based at Milltown of Birness, Ellon.
A January-born son of Forkins Firecracker, he sold to the Cornish family for their Devon-based Mardle flock and was one of six Birness ram lambs sold to average £3,220.
The champion from the pre-sale show, as judged by Lanarkshire breeder William Fleming, was one of five lots to make 5,000gn.
This was a Strathbogie Rock On Tommy sired ram lamb from Welsh breeder Dafydd Jones’ Frongoy flock. He sold to fellow Welsh breeder William Medforth for his Penrhyn flock.
The reserve champion also made 5,000gn selling jointly to the Stuarts for their Birness flock and Fife breeder Stewart Lathangie for his Pyeston flock at Pyeston Farm, Glenrothes.
This was a ram lamb, by Mullaghboy Goliath, from Tom and Aimee Mogord’s Mogford flock based near Tiverton, Devon.
The best average price for more than three ram lambs sold was achieved by Worcestershire breeder Jed Sharp who was selling stock from his Hawshill flock at the national sale for the first time.
Mr Sharp achieved an average of £4,410 for a trio by Frongoy Firenze, with one selling for 5,000gn to Fife breeder Stewart Craft for his Lakeview flock based near Glenrothes.
The top priced female was a shearling ewe, by Frongoy Firenze, from the Delves family’s Bridgeview flock based in Powys, Wales. She sold to Jed Sharp.
Suffolk Sheep Society chief executive officer, Robin McIlrath, hailed a successful sale with more than 40% of the ram lambs on offer selling to commercial farmers.
“It’s also great to see our younger breeders beginning to come to the fore; a big congratulations to Finn Christie for topping the sale, and also to Dafydd for winning the championship,” added Mr McIlrath.
“The society has invested heavily in attracting and developing Suffolk youth with reduced fees and our very successful youth championships. The future certainly looks very good for Suffolks.”
Sale averages: ram lambs, 133, £1,260; shearling ewes, 13, £1,138; ewe lambs, seven, £1,050; shearling rams, three, £945.
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