Ben MacDhui
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MacDhui is descended from a long and impressive line of greys and blacks. His sire, Request the Best, is one of the most spectacular grey herdsires in the country, a multiple blue ribbon winner who placed first at the AOBA Nationals for three successive years. From his black dam, MacDhui has inherited perfect conformation and a grey and black pedigree going back four generations, including SA Silverado and The Silversmith. MacDhui’s most recent fiber analysis is AFD 22.3; SD 5.2; CV 23.3; % > 30 microns = 8.6%. He is an extremely calm and good-natured herdsire, who rules the pasture with his presence, not untoward aggression. MacDhui has incredibly dense, medium silver grey fiber and AOBA winning genetics to go with his gentle disposition and his first offspring hit the ground in 2003.

Awards: MacDhui has won numerous ribbons, including a first at the 2001 MaPaca Jubilee in full fleece yearling halter, judged by Julio Sumar and Susan Tellez (over 900 alpacas), a second at the 2001 Triple Crown in Dayton Ohio, (over 250 alpacas), and a third at the 2000 Keystone Klassic in the Juvenile Grey class. In 2002 he came home with four ribbons from two shows. Anthony Stachowski awarded him Reserve Champion and a blue ribbon at the Virginia Classic. MacDhui went on to win a second place in adult male halter at the 2002 MaPaca Jubilee, judged by Mike Safley (over 1100 entries), and Nard Mullen awarded his fleece a second place ribbon at the same show. This boy is definitely improving with age! His first son, the light rose grey Kinross, won a blue ribbon at his first show in September 2004.

ARI# 817456 Color: Medium Silver Grey DOB: September 5, 1999 Proven

Sire, Request the Best
MacDhui's ARI certificate reads like a veritable "Who's Who" of the nation's top grey alpacas! His sire, Request the Best, is one of the finest grey herdsires to be found anywhere. He won three successive first place ribbons at the prestigious AOBA Nationals between 1997 and 1999, amongst numerous other awards. Dhui's grandsire on his father's side is the great medium rose grey, Cisco Kid, who is also sire to the famous General Schwarzkopf.

Viktorias Secret, MacDhui's dam, is a magnificent black female with an outstanding grey and black pedigree of her own. Her sire is Wily Coyote, the highly rated light silver grey from New Zealand, who died after siring fewer than 40 offspring.


Dam, Viktorias Secret

MacDhui, Virginia Classic 2002
Her grandsire is the well respected grey SA Silverado, and her great-grandsire is The Silversmith. MacDhui's grey/black heritage goes back four generations on his dam's side, and three generations on his sire's, so he has excellent potential to throw grey offspring.

Quite apart from his star-studded pedigree, Ben MacDhui is well known on the show circuit as a top quality grey herdsire in his own right. His numerous awards include Reserve Champion and 1st Place at the 2002 Virginia Classic, 2nd Place adult halter and 2nd Place fleece at MaPaca 2002 (the largest show in the country), 1st Place yearling halter at MaPaca 2001 and 2nd Place yearling halter at the 2001 Ohio Triple Crown.


MacDhui shorn, April 2003

MacDhui
At MaPaca 2002, Mike Safley pronounced Dhui "the densest alpaca in the class" and at the 2002 Virginia Classic Dr. Anthony Stachowski remarked on his "exquisite head" and "exemplary density". Other judges comments include "wonderful fleece", "very typey conformation" and "stylish". MacDhui is a real head-turner, with a wonderful temperament, excellent coverage, conformation and fiber.

Dhui's first son, the light rose grey Kinross, sold as a future herdsire at only 4 months of age. His first daughter, Shannon sold within a week of being offered for sale and his second daughter, Eilwen, sold  before she was weaned and without ever being listed for sale. His medium silver grey son, Skye, also sold quickly as a herdsire prospect and went on to win a blue ribbon in yearling halter at the Level V Buckeye show in 2006.

MacDhui, is a consistent producer of quality, colored progeny - his offspring that have been shown have won first, second or third place ribbons at Level III AOBA-certified shows or above. He sired three beautiful cria in the Spring of 2007 - a dark silver grey girl and two silver grey boys, out of brown, fawn and indefinite dark dams. We like what he is producing for us so much that he was bred straight back to the same girls for their 2008 crias!


MacDhui, MaPaca 2001
 MacDhui Offspring :

Thistledown's Shannon of Cairngorm
, MSG daughter of maroon dam.
Sold!

Thistledown's Kinross of Cairngorm, LRG son of beige dam. Sold!

Thistledown's Skye of Cairngorm
, MSG son of beige dam.
Sold!

Thistledown's Eilwen of Cairngorm
, black daughter of dark brown dam.
Sold!

Thistledown's Elin of Cairngorm, dark brown daughter of beige dam. Sold!

Marcel, dark rose grey son of dark brown dam, owned by Wildwood Alpacas, VA

Sierra Rose, rose grey daughter of black dam, owned by Alpaca Pastures of Virginia

Thistledown's Cameron Rush, MSG son of bay black dam. Sold!

Thistledown's McGregor, DSG son of dark brown dam. Sold!

Thistledown's Nerys Cairngorm, black daughter of beige dam. Sold!

Thistledown's Meliora Cairngorm, black daughter of dark brown dam. NFS!

Shaemus, dark brown son of silver grey dam, owned by Cornerstone Alpacas, VA

Misty, black daughter of full Peruvian beige dam, owned by Alpaca Pastures of Virginia

Bonnie, black daughter of dark brown dam, owned by Little Catawba Creek Farm

Thistledown's Kelvin Cairngorm, black son of dark brown dam.
Sold!

Thistledown Cari Cairngorm, white daughter of beige dam, with her new best friend.
Sold!

Thistledown Denzell Cairngorm, true black son of black dam. Sold!

Dark silver grey daughter of beige dam

Medium silver grey daughter of tuxedo brown dam

Black daughter of black dam

Black tuxedo son of beige dam

Dark fawn / modern rose grey son of white dam