The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Jubilee Queen is a Blackface National first
Blackface sheep breeders made a triumphant return to Stirling for their long-awaited national show. Overall champion was a South-type one-crop ewe from the Ramsays, who farm at Milnmark, Dalry.
Breed championship winner at the Royal Highland Show, Jubilee Queen is sired by £9,000 Grimmet and out of a ewe by £6,000 Milnmark.
Reserve overall was a gimmer, a daughter of £14,000 Craigdarroch from Andrew Kay and sons, Andrew and Robert, Gass, Straiton. She is out of a ewe by £20,000 Auldhouseburn.
Male championship went to Tom, Mairi and Robert Paterson from Dunruchan, Muthill, for their aged ram, a £5,000 Dalblair, bought at Dalmally last year as a shearling. Sired by Dalblair Bodyguard and out of a daughter of £52,000 Crossflatt, this one stood second in class at the Highland.
Reserve male champion was the shearling ram winner shown by Angus Kennedy, Mitchellhill, jointly owned by Malcolm Coubrough. Sired by a Crossflatt loan, he was bought for £9,000 from South Cobbinshaw last year and was breed champion at Biggar this summer.
North type females were to the fore in their section too, with a ewe from the Hamilton family’s Woolfords flock at West Calder, going all the way to take the overall champion ticket.
This three-crop ewe – shown by shepherd Gregor McPherson – is sired by a £2,000 Conway ram, bought at Ballymena, while the dam is a home-bred ewe, one of 1,200 in the flock.
The second placed ewe finished up reserve female and reserve overall for Stephen Duncan and son, Stephen at Achdregnie, Glenlivet. Their one-crop ewe is by a home-bred son of an £18,000 Calla, out of a ewe by a 4,400gn Tom Adams-bred ram.
Best male was a shearling ram from Cadogan Estates, Auchnacloich, Amulree, brought out by the MacKinnon team. Planned for sale at Stirling in October, this one is by a £10,000 Woolfords, out of a ewe by an £1,800 Hillhead of Morinsh.