A maiden heifer scooped the top price of 12,500gns at the recent Ampertaine, Goldies and Haltcliffe Limousin production sale in Carlisle.

Born October 2013, Ampertaine Isadora, exhibited by WJ and James McKay, Maghera, Co Derry, is a maiden daughter of the 32,000gns Ampertaine Elgin. Her dam, Ampertaine Anantasis is a full sister to the 29,000gns Ampertaine Abracadabra and, after attracting lots of interest around the ring, Isodora eventually sold for the top price of 12,500gns to the Mulholland Bros, Craigavon, Co Armagh, to join their Deerpark herd.

The McKays also took home 6,000gns for the September 2013-born Ampertaine Ikea. By the Wilodge Cerberus son Ampertaine Foreman, she found a new home with John O’Kane and Declan O’Kane, Co Derry.

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Another Ampertaine Elgin daughter sold for 5,500gns, while a May 2013 Loosebeare Fantastic daughter made 4,800gns. Overall, 21 heifers from the Ampertaine herd sold for an average of £4,195.

Goldies heifers

Two Goldies heifers, property of Bruce T Goldie, Dumfries, topped 8,000gns. First up was Goldies Heaven, a daughter of the 22,000gns Hartlaw Excaliber out of Goldies Vitality (the dam of the famous Goldies Comet) sold in-calf to Haltcliffe Doctor to the Shrubbery Farm, Aldridge. Also at 8,000gns was the stock bull Kaprico Germander, a Sympa son out of the dam Kaprico Erica.

At 4,400gns was Goldies Halo, another Hartlaw Excaliber daughter, while Goldies Ice by Haltcliffe Doctor, sold for 4,200gns.

Twelve served heifers from the Goldies herd sold to average £3,990 while five maiden heifers averaged £2,793.

Top price for the Haltcliffe herd at 4,500gns was the April 2013-born heifer Haltcliffe Inlet. By Cloughead Umpire, she is out of the dam Halcliffe Amazon and is a full sister to the 10,000gns Haltcliffe Fyne.

Another heifer, Haltcliffe Impulse, made 3,200gns. By Ampertaine Elgin, she is out of Sympa-sired dam and her grand dam is a full sister to the famous 100,000gns Halcliffe Vermount. Overall, eight served heifers from the Haltcliffe herd sold to average £3,320 while five maiden heifers averaged £3,003.

Reserve Simmental champion makes 4,800gns

Thirteen bulls sold for an average price of £3,110 at the recent NI Simmental club show and sale in Ballymena. A solid trade produced an 82% clearance with a top price of 4,800gns given for a Cairnview Snazzy son.

In the female ring, three pedigree heifers sold to average £2,765 while 17 commercial maiden heifers averaged £910.

Top price at 4,800gns went to reserve supreme champion Kilbride Farm Enty, bred by Billy Robson and sons Michael and Norman, Doagh, Ballyclare. Sired by the 15,000gns Cairnview Snazzy, the 17-month-old reserve champion is out of the Kilbride Farm Vaten, daughter Kilbride Farm Eunice 114B and was bought by pedigree breeder Mike Frazer who runs the Edenvale Herd, Kells, Co Antrim.

Not stopping there, the Robsons also took 3,500gns for Kilbride Farm Feystown, a March 2014-born son of Kilbride Farm Connor, and 3,300gns for the Cairnview Snazzy son Kilbride Farm Finvoy.

To add to this, they also secured the female and reserve female championship with two April 2013-born Cairnview Snazzy daughters. The female champion, Kilbride Farm Eunice 159E, sold to Mike Frazer’s Edenvale herd at 3,500gns, while the reserve champion, Kilbride Farm Fanni 34E, was bought by William Ferguson, Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, for 2,900gns. Both heifers are due at the end of July, and are in-calf to the herd’s Danish-bred homozygous polled stock bull Sneumgaard Imperator.

Claiming his first supreme championship at a Simmental club show and sale was Armagh breeder Chris Traynor, who secured 4,400gns for the January 2014-born Kilmore Finlay. Sired by the herd’s 12,000gns stock bull Kilbride Farm Bantry, he was bred from the Seabank Flint daughter, Ranfurly Lady Diana 13th (purchased for 5,100gns at the club’s 40th anniversary sale). The buyer was Stuart Taylor from Ligoneil, Belfast.

First prize winner, Breaghey Fernando, changed hands at 3,100gns for Andrew Clarke from Tynan, Co Armagh. This 13-month-old bull was sired by the 6,600gns Omorga Baldwin (supreme champion at Dungannon in 2011) and is out of a Kilbride Farm Newry daughter. The buyer was Norman Thompson from Killaloo, Co Londonderry.