Castle Douglas is arguably the Scotch Mule capital of Scotland, so it was no surprise to find a cracking trade for tups at the annual Bluefaced Leicester sale, with a strong trade throughout the catalogue for tups with power, conformation and good skins.

Leading the day's trade and setting a new centre record was one of the last lots into the ring when Messrs Wight from Midlock recouped the majority of their investment when they sold C12 Midlock, their first son offered for sale by the £12,000 Tan House tup bought at Hawes last year. He sold in a two way split for £9000, selling to Alistair Clark, Newmills and Jim Hunter, Penn-Gar. This smart lamb was out of a ewe bought at the Ewanston dispersal flock a couple of years ago by a Boatrig tup, which was out of a Shafthill bred ewe. Midlock also received a £3400 bid for another Tan House lamb, this time out of a daughter of the £4200 Z1 Midlock, selling over the water into Northern Ireland as Graham and Julie Loughery reinvested some of the cash they had made at Ballymena the previous week.

It was the end of an era as one of the stalwarts of the breed in south west Scotland, John Kerr, Craigskean, sold his last lot of tups at the sale. He will be selling his ewes off in lamb at Castle Douglas early next year. He certainly went out with a bang, selling the top priced shearling on the day with a £4500 sale to Crow Hall Farms, Bardon Mill. He is the son of Z1 Firth, which has done well for Craigskean over the last few years after John bought him privately from Douglas Hall, after spotting him over the fence whilst officially looking around the garden! Craigskean also sold their top lamb for £2200, a son of the £10,000 Quarry House bought last year at Kelso, selling to A Hamilton, The Marr.

Alec Brown from the Macqueston had a great day at the office, selling both shearlings and lambs with great aplomb, following on from his flying trade with the Mule lambs earlier in the month where he averaged £118 for 207 lambs sold. His top was a £3800 sale to J Warnock & Sons, Dreva, by a B3 Agglethorpe tup bought at Hawes last year and out of an X5 Riddings sired ewe. A shearling from the same flock, by the homebred Z8 Macqueston, which had sired five lambs in the top pen of Mules sold at Castle Douglas sold in a £3400 deal to Robert Loughridge from the Orravale flock in Northern Ireland, who also bought B18 Macqueston for £3000 too, turning last weeks cracking sale from Northern Ireland into some quality tups. Another Z8 Macqueston lamb sold for £2600 to R Mackie and AV Hamilton.

The Champion, picked out by Judge Merv Roberts, came from a cracking pen of lambs forward by Stewart Park and Eunice Mills from the SP Dalpeddar flock. He was very similar bred to last year's champion, by the noted Glenane Magners and out of a ewe by Y1 Shafthill. He sold for £2200 into Northern Ireland to Michelle Wright and her Mullaghwee flock. She also bought another Magners son, out of a T1 Breck House ewe for £2700. The highlight from the Dalpeddar pen wasn't the champion however, as a son of Z31 Old Hemley sold for £3500 to Messrs McArthur.

Carrying the flag for the traditional type of Blues was a strong, powerful lamb from Martin Archer's Carry House flock which sold for £3000 to J Dykes. He is by X4 Heddon Valley , which has proved a great tup for Carry House, and five full brothers to this tup have averaged £1800, including the champion at last years Hexham sale, which sold for £3400 last year. There will be more of the X4 Heddon Valley bloodlines available early next year as Carry House look to reduce their numbers at the Carlisle in lamb sale.

Whilst the trade reflected the strong demand for quality tups, the auctioneers especially happy with trade, they were quick to point out that the real demand was for tups with depth of carcase and conformation, which has been a growing factor in the recent history of the breed.

Averages; 172 shearlings £787.97, 124 ram lambs £762.54.

Macqueston C6 - £2600

Grennan B9 - £2400 - Reserve Champion

Craigskean C1 - £2200

SP Dalpeddar C1 - £2200 - Champion

Marr B1 - £2100

Cottage C5 - £1800