Castle Douglas provided a fitting celebration of the UK Salers Cattle Society’s 40th anniversary, as breeders and buyers gathered from across the land for two days of exceptional cattle and sizzling hot trading. Wallets Marts offered the perfect backdrop for the sale of 13 pedigree bulls, two haltered females, 20 pedigree production females and 242 commercial Salers females.

A new record price of 18,000gns (€21,560) for a Salers bull was achieved, while no fewer than four bulls broke the five-figure mark. In total 12 Salers bulls averaged £9,773 (€11,148) resulting in a 92% clearance rate, while 22 in-calf heifers averaged £4,796 (€5,471) with 100% clearance.

McClymont family

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Setting the new record price of 18,000gns (€21,560) was the senior and reserve overall champion Cuil Tank from the McClymont family.

It was an exceptional day in every respect for the McClymonts of Cuil, Palnure, whose outstanding team of homebred bulls dominated both the show and sale rings.

As well as topping the trade with Cuil Tank, a November 2024-born son of Cumbrian Pele, Cuil Union, a March 2024-born son of Corrichie Ninja lifted the intermediate championship before going on to sell for the second-highest price of 17,000gns (€20,362).

It was pedigree breeders G and M Pye, Rednock Estate, Stirling, that dug deep to secure Cuil Tank as their new stock bull for 18,000gns, while local breeders Messrs R A Austin, Gatehouse of Fleet, were chased to 17,000gns to ensure Cuil Union joined their Girthon herd.

The success continued for the McClymonts, as their reserve senior champion, Cuil Teletubbie, was knocked down to pedigree breeders A and K Gowthorpe, Approach Farm, York, for 12,000gns (€14,373).

Supreme champion

The standard in the male section was described as outstanding, and it was Cleuchhead Um-Bongo that reigned supreme in the pre-sale show.

The Thor-sired youngster, the first son offered for sale out of a two-year-old heifer carrying Fourtet and Trin bloodlines claimed the junior and overall titles under judge Rebecca Jordan who described him as “a young bull full of promise, tremendous growth, width and character”.

The sale hammer fell at 7,000gns (€8,384), with Um Bongo heading away with A Young from Girvan.

The pedigree female trade met with equal enthusiasm as two high-quality production drafts from Drumaglea and Cleuchhead set the tone.

Drumaglea Treat, a granddaughter of Rigel Mirthril and in-calf to Marechal topped the female section at 7,000gns (€8,384), selling to H James, Llangefni, Anglesey, who also paid 5,600gns (€6,707) for Drumaglea Ultimo, in-calf to Cantal and sired by Lorenzo.