Beltex Champions

Category	Breed	Breeder Name
Male Champion	1st Prize Shearling Ram	AE Story
Reserve Male	1st Prize Aged Ram	Procters Farm
Female Champion	1st Prize Shearling Ewe	AE Story
Reserve Female	1st Aged Ewe	A Jackson & J Little
Supreme Champion	Shearling Ewe	AE Story
Reserve Supreme	Aged Ewe	A Jackson & J Little

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After many years of nearly theres, Anne Story secured her first Supreme championship title at the Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday, 12 July, having also claimed the Male and Female Champion tickets to boot.

It’s been a fantastic year for Anne, from near Longtown, who sold the top price ram at the Carlisle Premier in 2021, the 30,000gns BorderEsk Finders keepers. Her winner at Harrogate was the home-bred shearling ewe, BorderEsk Genevieve, a daughter of the home-bred BorderEsk Eagle Eyes bred from the Ardstewart Cheeky Charlie-sired BorderEsk Elegant.

“I was looking for overall correctness, hard muscle, good skins and a nice head,” said the judge, Sara Gibbons, of the Whatmore Flock from near Brecon. “The Champion had all of that but also real smooth, smooth loins and was superbly put together with hard muscle and was terribly correct throughout.”

Following Genevieve through from the Female Championship to stand Reserve Supreme was the aged ewe winner, Hackney Cancan ET, from Ali Jackson and James Little, a ewe which stood Inter-breed Champion here back in 2018 and was subsequently purchased at the Hackney and Wilodge sale earlier in the year. Sired by Kingledores Braveheart, her dam is the Scooby Doo daughter, Hackney What A Girl.

“The Reserve was a similar stamp with an incredible loin,” added Mrs Gibbons.

Adding to Anne Story’s celebrations was the Male Champion, a shearling ram named Clary Granite ET which was purchased from Jock McMillan at Skipton last year and in fact features some of Anne’s own breeding, being by BorderEsk Leap Frog. Brought out by daughter, Rachael, Granite is bred from the 2019 Highland Show Champion, Clary Delight, herself by Hackney Braveheart.

The Procters Farm team – Jeff and Jen Aiken together with Katie and Robbie – took the Reserve Male ticket with Faughhill Francisco, a two-shear ram bought at Carlisle last year from Grant Maxwell for 7000gns. His pedigree features the 10,000gns Ryder DIY on to the Eildon Boris daughter, Faughhill Daenerys Stormborn.

A son of Francisco, Procters His Nibs ET, added to the Procters haul by winning the ram lamb class. His dam is the Myna Actor daughter, Procters Demi.

Leading the ewe lamb class was Nikay Holy Moly ET from Nick Gill and Kayley Kennedy. Bred from the 5000gns Clary Friendly, a Smart Ass Dark Horse daughter shared between three flocks, Holy Moly’s sire is Gyffin Dexter.

The Storys also won the Group of Three class while Procters led the Pairs.

It was a good outing to the Butchers Lambs and Cross-bred Commercial Female sections for J Warren and V Haimsworth who won the former with their heavyweight trio and the latter with a pair of shearling ewes.