Beltex Champions

Category	Breed	Breeder Name
Male Champion	1st Place Shearling Ram	Sean Daly
Reserve Male Champion	2nd Place Shearling Ram	E & S Nicholson
Female Champion	1st Place Shearling Ewe	Gary Beacom
Reserve Female Champion	2nd Place Shearling Ewe	F & J Harbinson
Overall Champion	1st Place Shearling Ram	Sean Daly
Reserve Champion	1st Place Shearling Ewe	Gary Beacom

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Sean Daly’s Glenview Flock was victorious at the Irish Beltex Sheep Breeders Club’s Dungannon Show and Export Sale, taking the Champion spot with Glenview Jaguar. The annual event, held on Monday 26 August at Dungannon Farmers’ Mart, saw Lot 29 winning a strong class of shearling rams and being chosen as Male Champion, before being tapped out as Overall Champion by Scottish judge Daniel Hodge. The shearling ram is a triplet sired by Ardstewart Galileo and out of home-bred Glenview Emma. The dam has been an excellent breeding ewe for the Gortin flock, with one of Jaguar’s full sisters being retained, carrying on the excellent bloodlines of Sheephavan Casonova and Ballinakill Fagan. Following on from Daly’s success in the show ring, Glenview Jaguar went on to take one of the top prices in the sale, reaching an impressive 3,000 guineas, heading to Kenny Preston, Omagh. Glenview Flock cleared their consignment of five shearling rams, with the standout half-brother to the Champion, Lot 31 Glenview Jeff, selling to Elizabeth McAllister, Gary Beacom and Russell Smyton for 2,800 guineas.

Overall Reserve Champion went to Gary Beacom’s shearling ewe, Lakeview Jet Off. Lot 64 impressed the judge, winning her class and taking Female Champion. From a great breeding family, she is sired by Lurg Grand Slam, who was a 45,000 guineas purchase for Lakeview Flock in 2022 and her dam is Woodies Flamboyant. Some of her full sisters have been retained in the flock this year and her full brother is one of the flock’s pen leaders for the Kelso Tup Sales on 13 September. Jet Off impressed not only the judge but the buyers, as she shot up to 3,500 guineas, topping the Dungannon Beltex sale as she heads to Douglas Nisbet in Loughbrickland. Her half-sister, Lot 65 Lakeview Jameela, also found a new home selling to Eddie and Hugh O’Neill, Lagyveagh Flock, for 1,000 guineas.

Also featuring in the Championship placings was John Harbinson, with his shearling ewe, Lot 52 Glenkeen FHG.J004, taking Reserve Female Champion and going on to sell for 2,000 guineas to Douglas Nisbet. Followed by Edward and Shirlee Nicholson’s shearling ram, Lot 10 Derryogue Jasper the Jester, winning Reserve Male Champion and selling for 1,200 to R & K Patrick Farms, Enniskillen. Another notable sale for the Nicholsons was its half-brother, Lot 9 Derryogue Juicy Fruit, who sold to Elizabeth McAllister, Kells, for 1,800 guineas.

Speaking on judging, Daniel Hodge was impressed by “a brilliant show of Beltex sheep, especially at the top end. The Champion was outstanding, he had plenty of length, muscle and breed character. Both the Female Champion and Reserve Female were brilliant sheep, with not much in them. They were feminine while having the impressive Beltex width and shape.”

With sharp trade and a great sell-through rate, Hodge added, “It was also brilliant seeing the judging reflected in the sales prices with all of the top picks featuring in the top prices. I would like to thank the Irish Beltex Sheep Breeders Club for the invitation and great hospitality shown.”