The first show outing of the season for the Chaileybrook and Littlebrook teams got the summer of to a flying start at Royal Bath and West last week, with every animal in the team in the tickets.

Topping the bill for the Southdown team was our shearling ewe Chaileybrook 18/00308, an outstanding daughter of Percheron out of Chaileybrook 15/0010, herself reserve interbreed champion at the same show in 2016.

 

This gimmer stood first in her class, before being tapped out as breed champion by Steve Smith who described her as a sheep to drive the breed forward. She then went on to be reserve champion in the native shortwool section of the interbreed championship from 17 breeds forward in the section.

In doing so she emulated the success of her father, Percheron, last year and continued a rich vein of form at the show for the flock which has seen it scoop breed champion three years in the last four and be either champion or reserve champion in the native shortwool championship on each of those occasions too.

Sticking with the Southdowns, our shearling ram, Chaileybrook 18/00297, a full brother to the gimmer, was second in his class behind the eventual reserve breed champion, with our aged ewe, Chaileybrook 14/0044, a Frog daughter out of the great 05/0002, won her class ahead of her team mate Chaileybrook 15/0010.

Then both lambs won their classes too, with the first being ram lamb Chaileybrook 19/00560, a son of Chaileybrook 12/0011 out of the first prize winning aged ewe. Winning the ewe lamb class was Chaileybrook 19/00573, another by Chaileybrook 12/0011 and this time out of a ewe imported from the Thomas family’s flock in France.

Sophie’s Littlebrook flock was also among the tickets in the Southdowns, taking fourth place with her gimmer Chaileybrook 18/00280, a Percheron daughter out of a homebred Sarkozy daughter.

In the Blue Texels Sophie enjoyed great success, with homebred ewe lamb Littlebrook Doodle leading the way, taking first in her class and being a strong contender in the breed championship under judge Sue Andrews. This lamb is by Nantyderri 15/0052 and out of Littlebrook Xena, a Beili Blues 12/00577 daughter.

Taking a second prize rosette was stock tup Brucie Bonus, bred in Holland by Wim Schriver, this ram is shared in partnership with the Sacombe flock and was also part of the first prize winning group of three when he teamed up with both the gimmers in the team.

Also taking second was aged ewe Sams 16/05004, a daughter of Sams 14/04739 out of a dam by a Millside sire.

Then in the gimmer class homebred Littlebrook Cherrybubble stood third in a strong class, while Beili 18/05542 (Cwtch) stood sixth in the same class. Cherrybubble is a daughter of Brucie Bonus and is also out of Littlebrook Xena. Cherrybubble and Brucie then took third place in the pairs class.

The final day of the show saw Sophie compete in the young handlers classes, picking up first in the 8-10 year old class among strong competition and then being named reserve junior champion handler of the show.