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Quality cattle on offer at this year’s red ladies sale in Carlisle helped to boost a strong average by over £1,000, to £5,364. Prices were up across the board, with 37 animals finding new homes on the day – up 12 from last year’s clearance. Topping the sale and setting the 2016 maiden heifer record was Grahams Lily, who sold for 32,000gns.
Earlier in the day Grahams Lily was awarded supreme champion by judge Miss Hariet Wilson, who runs the noted Haughton herd. She attracted a flurry of bids before the hammer finally fell to W Richardson & Son for their burgeoning Mystyle herd.
Born May 2015, Lily is an embryo-bred daughter of Claragh Franco out of a homebred Grahams Coffee who is a Millington Vascular daughter. This cross has worked extremely well for the family, with Lily’s full brother Grahams Lorenzo selling for 40,000gns, this year’s top price, and her full sister Grahams Lizzie selling for 16,500gns at the sale of champions following the National show.
This marked a terrific day for the fifty-cow Grahams’ herd who sold seven animals in all, for a massive £75,600. Other top prices attained included Grahams Lobelia at 10,000gns, the weaned calf Grahams Murphy at 9,000gns, and Grahams Lisette at 7,000gns.
Taking the second highest price of 12,000gns was the first prize winner Dinmore Lunar from Paul Dawes, Dinmore Manor, Herefordshire. This October 2015-born heifer is the first calf from the homebred sire Dinmore Immense, who was Male Champion at the Royal Welsh Show in 2015. Her dam Dinmore Eclipse, by Haltcliffe Vermount, is a maternal sister to the well- known sire Wilodge Cerberus.
Northern Ireland breeders K&C Knox secured the reserve overall championship in the pre-sale show with Beachmount Lady.
Meeting her reserve at 9,100gns the February 2015-born Lady is sired by Lowerffrydd Empire and out of a Wilodge Vantastic-sired homebred dam. She was purchased by Aileen Ritchie, who also purchased the champion and reserve at last year’s Red Ladies for 24,000gns and 8,000gns respectively.
Longford breeder Martin Davis secured the youngest animal in the red ladies catalogue, Lomond Lexie from Andrew Orr, Kinross at 6,500gns. Born December 2015 she is sired by Ampertaine Elgin and out of Attila-bred daughter Lodge Femme.
Following the red ladies sale, the British Limousin cattle society held a sale of weaned calves born in 2016. The strong trade in the Red Ladies continued into the calves with a record top price and averages and numbers sold well up on 2015.
Setting that new record at 10,500gns was WP Hughes & Son with Pabo Mr Muscle.
Sired by Lodge Hamlet and out of Jockey-sired dam Derosa Visa, Mr Muscle was judged Best Homebred Bull Calf born 2016 in the North West Midlands and North Wales herd competition this year. The Hughes’, who run the Pabo herd were also the purchaser’s of this year’s Roscrea champion Derrygullinane King Bull who sold for €11,300 in October.
In all, 59 weaned calves, both bulls and heifers, sold at the sale which was nineteen more than in 2015. Bull calves averaged £3,990, up £1,139 on last year, whilst the forty five heifer calves averaged £2,330, up by £104.
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