This year’s Southdown Premier Sale saw all Chaileybrook and Littlebrook entries meet a flying trade, with our five shearling rams averaging £1029 and topping at 1250gns.
Leading the way was shearling ram Chaileybrook 20/00669 which had been champion in the pre-sale show. This one is a son of the homebred Chaileybrook 18/00278 and is out of a Sarkozy-sired dam which was breed champion at Royal Three Counties Show in 2017. He goes back the noted Percheron on his sire’s side and was subject to a strong bidding war before being knocked down at a new centre record for a Southdown male at 1250gns when bought by Tom Chester, Staffordshire, for his Chapel House flock.
Sale topping Chaileybrook 20/00669 sold for 1250gns.
Second best of the day was a brace of 1000gns calls. First at this money was Chaileybrook 20/00672. This son of French import Dartagnan is out of a Percheron daughter from the same family as the 2500gns breed female record holder. He found a new home in Scotland with James W Brown & Others, Isle of Arran.
Chaileybrook 20/00672 heads to Scotland at 1000gns.
The other at 1000gns was one from Sophie’s Littlebrook flock in the form of Littlebrook 20/00657. Sired by French import Breton, this triplet-born shearling is out of an Ibanez daughter and heads to North Yorkshire with Brian and Anthony Glaves for the Brompton flock.
Littlebrook 20/00657 also made 1000gns.
Following him came three at 850gns, with the first being another Chaileybrook shearling, Chaileybrook 20/00696. A Dartagnan son, he is out of a Tadpole daughter, going back to the historic French sire the Frog. This was another to find a new home with James Brown & Others, Isle of Arran.
Chaileybrook 20/00696 sold for 850gns.
Second at this money was Chaileybrook 21/01022 an ET-bred ram lamb by Percheron and out of a Sarkozy daughter. This one had been first in his class and reserve overall champion in the pre-sale show and was taken by Ray Edwards, Chumleigh, Devon.
Reserve champion Chaileybrook 21/01022 sold for 850gns to Ray Edwards.
And the final 850gns call came for his full ET brother, Chaileybrook 21/01023. This one had stood second in the pre-sale show and was the pick of A & J James, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Chaileybrook 21/01023 matched his brother when making 850gns.
Sophie’s then wrapped our male trade when taking 800gns for her third prize winning shearling from the pre-sale show, Littlebrook 20/00653. Sired by Breton this one is out of a former show gimmer by Percheron and was bought by Freddy Bethley, Newtown, Suffolk, for his High Green flock.
Littlebrook 20/00653 sold for 800gns to Freddy Bethley.
Having stood first in her class in the pre-sale show our shearling ewe Chaileybrook 20/00685 went on to sell at 750gns. Sired by the homebred Zidane, himself a former Premier Sale topper, she is out of an imported French dam and sold to Emily Yates for her growing Fulfen flock, Staffordshire.
Topping female trade was Chaileybrook 20/00685 at 750gns.
And not to be outdone, our ewe lamb, Chaileybrook 21/01027 completed a clean sweep of red tickets in the pre-sale show and sold for the day’s second best female price of 480gns. This Breton daughter is out of a dam by Ibanez and from the same family as the 2500gns breed female record holder. Buying her was David Cranston, Aberdeenshire.
Ewe lamb Chaileybrook 21/01027 made 480gns.