Renowned pedigree Texel breeder, Flor Ryan, Co Kildare, headed up judging proceeding for Texel sheep classes at the famed Royal Highland Show across the waters in Scotland last week.
As previously featured on www.thatsfarming.com in this news article, Ryan has over thirty-five years’ of sheep breeding experience and runs three flocks – Graigues, Rotsee and Lawn.
On the day, he tapped out a shearling ram, Hexel Four Square from Procters’ Farm, Procters, as the male champion and overall champion.
Four Square, a son of 2022 first season sire of the year, Rhaeadr Entrepreneur, is out of a dam by the noted breeder Procters Chumba Wumba and was purchased at Lanark last year for 32,000gns on a day when sons of his sire sold to a top of 130,000gns.
Following him through to take the reserve male and reserve overall championships was the winner of the open ram lamb class, IJS2307787, from the Innes family, Strathbogie.
Sired by the 28,000gns Auldhouseburn Fancy Pants, he is out of a dam by the 4600gns Milnbank Dance Monkey.
Other classes
Fetching the day’s female championship and winning the gimmer class for the second year in a row were Alan Clark and family, Garngour.
Their leader was CJN2208631, a daughter of the 34,000gns Lanark purchase Claybury Dunkirk out of a homebred dam by Procters Chumba Wumba.
Securing the reserve female championship was Sheena Woodrow, with her aged ewe, XMM2121426 from the Newmains Islay flock.
Snapped up for 7500gns last December as an in-lamb gimmer, she is another by Dunkirk and is out of a Knock Yardsman-sired dam. She had previously stood fifth at the Royal Highland as a gimmer last year.
The day’s opening class, the aged rams, was won by Robert Cockburn, Knap, with Dundas Evolution.
He is by Mitchelhill Actionman and out of a dam by Midlock Yohann and was acquired for £10,000 at Kelso last September as a shearling.
Then in the texelplus ram lambs, the winner came from Gordon Gray, Ettrick, with GGH2315108, a lamb by Sadlerhead Fury and out of a ram by Claybury Dunkirk.
And the ewe lamb class saw the Strathbogie flock claim another red ticket, this time with IJS2307808.
This one is a full ET sister to the first prize tup lamb and reserve overall champion, being by the 28,000gns Auldhouseburn Fancy Pants and out of the same Milnbank Dance Monkey-sired dam.
Class Results
Aged rams
- 1 – Robert Cockburn’s Dundas Evolution
- 2 – Robert Laird’s Cowal Escobar
Shearling rams
- 1 – Procters Farms’ Hexel Four Square
- 2 – Robert Laird’s Deveronvale Fastrac
- 3 – Procters Farm’s THF2205507
- 4 – Sandy Hunter’s HEW2208156
- 5 – A J E Calder’s WXK2206876
Ram lambs
- 1 – James Innes’ IJS2307787
- 2 – David McKerrow and Sons’ DMN2300357
- 3 – William Knox’s KWJ2302625
- 4 – Douganhill Farms’ GCK2317060
- 5 – Robert Cockburn’s CKP2307488
texelplus ram lambs
- 1 – Gordon Gray’s GGH2315108
- 2 – David McKerrow and Sons’ DMN2300375
- 3 – Messrs Campbell’s KOB2315258
- 4 – William Knox’s KWJ2302662
- 5 – Procters Farm’s PFD2306063
Aged ewes
- 1 – Sheena Woodrow’s XMM2121426
- 2 – Procters Farm’s PFD2104616
- 3 – Gordon Gray’s GGH21011142
- 4 – William Knox’s KWJ1901849
- 5 – K, A and R Campbell’s CKC2012163
Shearling ewes
- 1 – J and H Clark’s CJN2208631
- 2 – Andrew Clark’s CFT2200687
- 3 – Robert Cockburn’s CKP2206632
- 4 – Robert Cockburn’s CKP2206657
- 5 – William Knox’s KWJ2202411
Ewe lambs
- 1 – James Innes, IJS2307808
- 2 – Robert Cockburn, CKP2307530
- 3 – William Knox, KWJ2302657
- 4 – J & H Clark, CJN2308800
- 5 – Gordon Gray, GGH2315046
Championship:
- Overall champion – Procters Farm’s shearling ram Hexel Four Square
- Reserve overall champion – James Innes’ ram lambIJS2307787
- Male champion – Procters Farm’s shearling ram Hexel Four Square
- Reserve male champion – James Innes’ ram lamb IJS2307787
- Female champion – J and H Clark’s shearling ewe CJN2208631
- Reserve female champion – Sheena Woodrow’s aged ewe XMM2121426
Judge’s remarks
Speaking following the event, Flor said:
“Many congratulations to all Texel exhibitors at the 2023 Highland Show. A huge thanks to the Highland Show and British Texel Society for the invite and your tremendous hospitality.”
“Congrats to Proctors Farm & Aiken family who had champion with their shearling ram, Hexel Four Square, and the Innes Family on their reserve champion ram lamb, IJS2307787.”
“A special mention has to go to the younger exhibitors on the day who showed with tremendous skill and stockmanship. The future of the breed is in great hands,” he concluded.
