First-time exhibitors hit the high notes in Carlisle

The British Limousin Cattle Society hosted its premier spring sale in Carlisle last weekend, recording one of its best sales to date.

A total of 99 bulls, representing an 84% clearance rate, sold on Saturday to average a whopping £8,303 (€9,646). This was helped by 19 bulls that sold for five-figure sums, with five of these selling for over 20,000gns.

What made the day even more special was that the top price of 50,000gns was achieved by first-time vendors at the sale Jonathan and Tom Waring, York.

Their bull, Everpark Partylight, was awarded the intermediate championship under judge Archie MacGregor of the Allanfauld herd the previous day.

You reap what you sow and this was certainly the case with Partylight, as he is the first son of Millington Highlight, who the York breeders bought in a partnership for 50,000gns back in 2016.

Sire of the sale-topper is the 38,000gns Ampertaine Foreman. Securing him was the Esmors and Tomlinson herds.

The next best on the day was a call of 40,000gns for Tillside Predator. This lot again came from a first exhibitor at the sale in breeder DJ Summers from Lincolnshire.

Born in December 2019, this stylish bull was secured by the noted Wilodge herd of Christine Williams, who will be most recently remembered for selling Wilodge Poshspice for 250,000gns in January at the herd’s production sale.

Predator is a son of Mereside Godolphin, with the dam Homebryes Nigella, who was purchased at the Red Ladies sale in 2018.

Best of the Northern Irish bulls on offer was Millgate Rob, which sold for 30,000gns. Bred by the Loughran family from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, this January 2020-born bull is a son of Norman Ely and Millim Neve.

Carrying myostatin copies NT821 and Q204X, he was knocked down to Welsh show calf producers PJ & TA Jones & Sons.

Taking the junior and overall championship in the pre-sale show was Grahams Rooney. Bred by Scottish breeder Robert Graham, the February 2020-born bull is steeped in top bloodlines.

Sired by the same bull as sale topper Ampertaine Foreman, his dam is Grahams Melody, which secured breed and reserve interbreed championships at the Royal Welsh and Royal Yorkshire shows in 2018.

Melody is a full sister to the previously mentioned 250,000gns Wilodge Poshspice and daughter of three-time Balmoral interbreed champion and Irish-bred cow Milbrook Ginger Spice.

After a frenzy of bids, Rooney was eventually knocked down at 28,000gns to the Garrowby Limousin herd.

Standing reserve junior and reserve overall champion was Whinfellpark President from Messrs Jenkinson.

This December 2019-born bull is a son of stock bull Gunnerfleet Lion and the 17,000gns Ironstone Lavender, which was purchased by the herd in 2017.

Carrying one copy of the NT821 gene and one copy of the Q204X gene, he was secured for 24,000gns by the Cloughhead herd.

The Jenkinson outfit also sold Whinfellpark Poldark at 18,000gns.

This was another December 2019-born son of Gunnerfleet Lion. The dam this time was the homebred Whinfellpark Flair.

Securing Poldark was the Maescoedmore herd, which also forked out 19,000gns for Nanthir Rocky.

This young bull was brought out by Welsh breeder R Rodgers-Davies and is sired by Mereside Lorenzo, with the dam an Elite Forever Brill daughter.

Females

The sale also saw a strong catalogue of females, with 71 of the 81 forward selling to average just shy of £2,900.

This was led by a 12,000gns call for Huntershall Retha from Steven Nixon.

This January 2020-born heifer is a daughter of Gunnerfleet Hicks and Allanfauld Jolene and was the pick of the newly established Bullandcave herd.