The Stirling bull sales took place last week, which saw over 700 bulls across a number of breeds going through the ring. Leading the way on the bull side was the Simmental high-seller Manor Park Hansome 16, who was knocked down for 22,000gns.
Successful bidder of the last bull into the ring was Irish breeder Garret Behan, who runs the well-known Clonagh herd in Ballyfin, Co Laois. The powerful 15-month-old was sired by the October 2014 Stirling Simmental champion Slievenagh Extra Special 13, while his dam is Manor Park Daydream, a Blackford Worzel 2 daughter.
Performance to match power
Speaking after the purchase, Mr Behan said: “Hansome is a powerful bull with performance to match weighing a massive 950kg at 15 months. It is likely that semen will be collected off Hansome in the future, but with such an investment the main priority at the moment is locking the genetics into my own herd first.”
This topped off a highly successful day for the breeder of the high seller, Mr D C Houldey, who also bred the breed’s overall champion and second top-priced bull Manor Park Hayden. This 18-month-old bull is a direct son of Blackford Worzel 2 and claimed the intermediate championship before going on to claim the overall breed championship. Selling at 18,000gns he was knocked down to A Wright, West Lundie, Doune.
Charolais average breaks £6,000 mark
While averages for the breed jumped by £350 to level at £5,720, just 61 Simmental bulls sold through the ring, representing a 52% clearance. However, a further 14 bulls were sold outside the ring to boost clearance to nearer 65%.
While the Simmental bulls took the top price across all breeds, the females did themselves justice too. The renowned Sterling herd also dispersed at the sale and with it came the breaking of the female record price – not once but twice.
Smashing the female breed record was Sterling Bacardi’s Hawaii, an Annick Exocet daughter who sold for a staggering 28,000gns to Messrs Barker and Borlase of Sacombe Hill Farm, Watton-on-Stone.
The Sterling herd also broke the previous breed record with Sterling Celia’s Fifi and her heifer calf. This one sold at 22,000gns to Harte Peat Ltd, Clones, Co Monaghan.
This three-year-old Sterling Cotswold 11 daughter was unbeaten in 2016 and secured the champion cow and calf at this year’s Royal Highland Show.
Overall, the Sterling dispersal saw 13 cows and calves average at £5,605, 25 in-calf heifers average at £2,375, 14 in-calf heifers averaged at £3,135, 17 maiden heifers average at £4,101 and the 14 young bulls averaged at £1,560.
Charolais
The Charolais breed saw a surge in demand on the year, with both average and clearance increasing significantly.
Overall averages rose by over £400 to settle at £6,079 for 85 sold. This represented an 82% clearance rate, up 19% on the year. Prices peaked at 12,000gns twice and seven were sold for 10,000gns and above, with a further 14 making over 8,000gns.
Similar to the Simmental breed it was the youngest bull into the ring which achieved the joint-top price of the sale at 12,000gn.
Sportsman’s Monarch, who was tapped out first in his class at the previous day’s show, is a son of the 70,000gns former Royal Welsh supreme champion Barnsford Ferny and Sportsman’s Honeydew, who in turn is sired by 45,000gns Stirling junior champion Maerdy Express.
The 15-month-old Monarch was bred and exhibited by Boden and Davies Ltd, Mellor, Cheshire, and heads over the water to work for John McGrath in Dromore, Co Tyrone.
Earlier in the day, an entry from Esmor Evans, Mold, Flintshire, had also secured a 12,000gns price tag. The 17-month-old Maerdy Magestic is sired by the 20,000gns Royal Welsh supreme champion Maerdy Grenadier and goes back on the homebred dam’s side to the French-bred Victorieux.
His new owners are Colin and Fiona Wight of Biggar, Lanarkshire.
Next in at 11,500gns was the second-prizewinner Glenericht Majestic from WK and P Drysdale, Blairgowrie, Perthshire. The May 2016-born bull was sired by the 12,000gns Caylers Gladiator and out of the Royal Highland Show class winner Glenericht Gem.
Commanding a 10,500gns bid from Hamish Goldie, Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, was the Blelack Blackberet-sired and April 2016-born Tweeddale Matador. Matador is out of homebred Tweeddale Icemaiden ET, who herself also goes back to Blelack breeding.
Three bulls then came under the hammer for 10,000gns, with the first being offered by James Jeffrey, Kelso, Roxburghshire. Kersknowe Matador, an 18-month-old son of the 20,000gns Stirling supreme champion Inverlochy Fencer, was purchased by Ellis Mutch, Forglen, Banff.
Matching the 10,000gns price tag and selling to J Irvine and Son, Tomintoul, Banffshire, was the 17-month-old first-prizewinner Balthayock Maestro from David and Nick Walter, Perth, Perthshire.
Maestro is by the aforementioned Maerdy Grenadier, while the dam is Balthayock Glory ET.
The May 2016-born Mornity Mushroom from Jack Nicoll was the last to make the 10,000gns mark. This one was sired by the 12,000gns Elrick Frenchman and was snapped up by James Anderson and Son, Lauder, Berwickshire.
Limousin
After a very strong premier sale in Carlisle the week previous, the Limousin breed again flourished, seeing 41 of the bulls present selling to average over £5,000. This represented an 84% clearance rate, one of the highest on show.
Topping trade and selling for 11,000gns was the Dick family with the April 2016-born Ronick McKinley. Sired by the herd’s stock bull Wilodge Granville, who was purchased in Carlisle for 7,000gns, McKinley is out of homebred Ronick Grace.
He was knocked down to noted commercial producers D Walker and Sons, Camregan Farm, Girvan, Ayrshire.
The Dick family also claimed the overall male Limousin championship at the show the previous day with Ronick Moose. This is again an April 2016-born son of Wilodge Granville, but out of Ronick Fallise. He was knocked down to GT and S Coghill, Birsay, for 6,200gns
Selling at 9,000gns, the second-leading price was the pre-sale junior champion and overall reserve champion Whinfellpark Madora from Messrs Jenkinson, Clifton Moor, Cumbria. The May 2016-born bull is by Lowerffrydd Empire, the October 2010 supreme champion at Carlisle, and out of Whinfellpark Genevieve. He was knocked down to W Nelson and Co, West Brackly, Kinross.
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