The shearling ewe, Knnockmult Juicey from Russell Millen & Seamus Killen, Coleraine, won the Balmoral breed championship ahead of a Derg ewe lamb from the Castlederg based flock of Samantha Allen and Allen Shortt in reserve place. The judge was well known sheep dressing expert and owner of several breeds himself, Aled Groucott from Hafodrynys in the Welsh Valleys.
The ET-bred Knockmult shearling is out of a home-bred ewe Knockmult Hope, one of the 60 or so in the flock, and is by Beili Blues Hulk. It was the first outing for the champion which was a March born embryo and will herself be flushed this year. Her dam was actually the champion at Balmoral last year and was subsequently flushed as a lamb.
Furthering the success of this female line, the grandam of Juicey was the mother of this year’s second and fourth placed ewe lambs.
The show’s reserve female champion and overall reserve from Messrs Allen and Shortt, at the time un-registered, is out of the highly successful Derg Enigma which has bred progeny selling to 11,000gns while the lamb’s full sister sold in the April sale for 3,800gns.
The ewe class at Balmoral was also won by Allen and Shortt with Derg Gracie ET.
In the male section Gary Piggott, Newtownards, was the winner of the ram lamb class and ultimately male champion. The reserve male title went to Alastair Shortt with the second placed ram lamb.
