Badger Face Texel Show & Sale, Skipton Auction Mart, Saturday 5th September 2026
The Badger Face Texel Show & Sale at Skipton provided another successful outing for the breed, with 25 pedigree MV-accredited rams and females catalogued, a busy ringside and a small show that was not short of quality. Females were very much the order of the day, with a competitive trade throughout the sale.
Champion and top price from the Baz’s flock
Judge Andrew Bailey, Leyburn, gave the championship to Lot 306, Baz’s Grayson (BAZ/25/00202), a shearling ram from Andrew Barrett’s Baz’s flock at Moleend, Red House Lane, Long Drax, Selby, North Yorkshire, praising him for his power and skin.
A March 2025-born twin, Grayson is by Irt Vale Freak of Nature, a son of the imported Sunnybank sire line out of Sunnybank Black Beauty, and is bred from Ivanhoe Evie, herself a daughter of Tordown Bob The Builder. Catalogued as a long, well-muscled ram, he had already stood second in his class and reserve breed male champion at the Great Yorkshire Show earlier in the season.
After winning his class and going on to take the overall championship, he realised the top price of the day at 750gns, selling locally to fellow exhibitors Tom and Abbie Smith of the Padside flock, Otters Barn, Padside, Harrogate.
Andrew Barrett, who consigned five head and also stood second in the shearling ram class with Baz’s Goliath, shared in the leading prices when Lot 303, Baz’s Galactic Power, made 400gns. A January 2025 twin, he is another son of Irt Vale Freak of Nature, this time out of Baz’s Ebony Rose, a daughter of Cleenagh (Import) Hugo Boss.
Reserve championship to Fredbelles
Standing reserve champion, and first in the ewe lamb class, was Lot 325, Fredbelles Harper (FBB/26/00221), from Ben Hoyle’s Fredbelles flock at Spa Green Farm, Ripponden, West Yorkshire.
A February 2026-born single described in the catalogue as very smart, correct all round and with the flash factor, Harper is by Cleenagh Fireball ET — himself a Brougher Cruiser son out of Cleenagh Ballerina — and out of Sunnybank Abracadabra ET. Having stood well on the summer show circuit, she sold at 400gns to Amy Mountain and Nick Parker, New York Farms, Silsden, who were also buyers in the Blue Texel section the same day.
The Fredbelles flock matched that price with its second-prize ewe lamb, Lot 324, Fredbelles Harlow, a February 2026 twin and another Cleenagh Fireball ET daughter, this one out of Fredbelles Eclipse ET. Bred from what the vendor describes as the best ewe in the flock, she had been second at the Royal Lancashire Show and champion lamb at Halifax Show, and she too realised 400gns.
Padside lead the females
Tom and Abbie Smith’s Padside flock, Harrogate, brought forward the largest consignment at 11 head and took the red ticket in three of the five classes. Their first-prize shearling gimmer, Lot 318 (PDS/25/00510), a Brown & Mason Extreme ET daughter out of Cleenagh Devilish, led that section at 380gns.
The same home also won the ram lamb class with Lot 309, Padside Harvey, a January 2026 single by Brown & Mason Extreme ET out of Padside Faithful, and the aged ewe class with Lot 316, Padside Emme, an AI-bred 2023 twin out of Whatmore Blackberry whose daughters are retained in the flock.
Ben Hoyle’s Fredbelles Hunter, a Cleenagh Fireball ET son and second at the Royal Lancashire Show, stood second in the ram lamb class, with Elsa McKechnie’s Silverbirch Hunter, by Bolies Grafter ET, third. Elsa McKechnie’s Silverbirch flock, Long Gill, Wigglesworth, also brought forward the Craigdoo Extra Special ET son Bolies Grafter ET, while Helen and Seth Jackson & Healey’s Ferry Farm flock, Acaster Selby, York, presented the Strathview Frankie-sired ram lamb Ferry Farm Hugo.
Prize list
Judge: Andrew Bailey, Leyburn
Overall champion: Lot 306, Baz’s Grayson, Andrew Barrett, Baz’s flock
Reserve champion: Lot 325, Fredbelles Harper, Ben Hoyle, Fredbelles flock
Top prices and averages
A huge congratulations to Andrew Barrett on taking the championship and top price of the day, and to Ben Hoyle on securing the reserve championship. A big well done also to everyone who brought stock forward for the show and sale — your continued support and commitment to the Badger Face Texel breed is greatly appreciated. Finally, a sincere thank you to all bidders and underbidders for supporting the sale and helping to create a strong and competitive trade.
Photographs by Adrian Legge Photography.
