- 84 bulls sold, up by 9 on the year, to average £5570
- 11 bulls sell at 10,000gns or more
- 33 bulls in all sell at 5000gns or more
- 61% clearance rate of bulls forward
Loosebeare Iain, the pre-sale show Supreme Champion from Messrs EW Quick& Son, sold for 27,000gns and led a solid trade at the British Limousin Cattle Society’s Autumn Sale of Bulls, held on Saturday 18th October 2014 at Borderway Market, Carlisle.
January 2013 born, Loosebeare Iain is the first animal offered at sale by the homebred sire Loosebeare Fantastic, a Wilodge Vantastic son, and is out of Loosebeare Elite a Haltcliffe Anzac daughter. A heifer’s calf, this bull arrived at Carlisle with a strong summer show record having stood as breed and Interbreed Champion at the Royal Cornwall, Mid Devon, and Okehampton Shows respectively. At the pre-sale show the judge Joan Gilliland, of the Ballyrobin Herd, Antrim, Northern Ireland placed Loosebeare Iain as first in the high quality third class and Champion in the Senior section before tapping him out as the Overall Supreme. Commenting the judge said: “This Loosebeare bull was just a stand-out Champion. He has everything you would look for in a modern Limousin being well grown, packed with muscle, having length and width, and being a great walker. He’s a real bull but is very showy. This is an outstanding breeder’s bull that could do a great jobfor any market.”
Combining visual appeal, top performance figures, and depth of pedigree, the Supreme Champion was purchased by Tony Booth for his pedigree Sevengun herd at Hardwick Hall Farm, Aston, Sheffield.
The 27,000gns paid represented the top price that Messrs Quick have had to date at sale from their 90 cow herd with Mark Quick saying that Loosebeare Iain represented the ‘best bull that they had brought to sale to date.’ The Quicks team of five bulls at the sale grossed an impressive 49,000gns with two further Fantastic sired bulls making 6000gns, and 3500gns, and three Aghadolgan Emperor sons making 7000, 6000, and 5,500gns respectively.
At the close of the sale 84 bulls in all had been sold, an increase of 9 on the year, to average a solid £5570. The clearance rate for the sale was a respectable 61% of the bulls forward. The senior section led the way with 25 bulls averaging £5838. 11 bulls made 10,000gns or more with 33 in all selling for 5,000gns and more. Commenting on the sale British Limousin Cattle Society Chief Executive Iain Kerr said: “There was a really good show of bulls forward full of quality and consistency, very commercially relevant, and offering a depth of choice in type and for every market. Selling 84 bulls, up by nine on the year, and to a good average of over £5500 represents a very solid sale and is entirely realistic for the number of bulls needed in the back end and in the economic climate of the industry.”
Four bulls made 13,000gns. The first of these was the impressive Rahoney Isaac a March 2013 born embryo calf from Howard MacFarland, Rahoney, Trillick, Co. Tyrone. Taking the red ticket in the opening class of the Intermediate section this March 2013 born bull is by Haltcliffe Dancer and is out of the seven-year-old Tanat Mostyn sired cow Rahoney Velma. Purchasing the bull was Harry Emslie at Kinknockie, Mintlaw, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire who noted that Rahoney Isaac was ‘clean bred and a complete outcross to the Emslies herd.’ The 18 cow Rahoney herd also produced the day’s Reserve Intermediate Champion, Rahoney Isiah, the first prize bull in the second intermediate class. Another embryo calf by Haltcliffe Dancer and out of Rahoney Velma, this bull who was in the top 1% for muscle depth also went north when selling for 10,000gns to WJ Jack & Sons, Woodend, Muir of Ord, Ross-shire.
Another herd to achieve their to price at sale to date was Messrs Jenkinson, Clifton Moor, Clifton, Penrith, when selling Whinfellpark Iago for 13,000gns. The March 2013 born Iago, who placed third in the opening class of Intermediate bulls, is by the herd’s 30,000gns stock bull Lowerffrydd Empire and is out of the Wilodge Cerberus sired Whinfellpark Flair. Purchasing this bull, with a Beef Value of LM+46, was the pedigree Norman herd of ES&E Norman, Little Orton Farm, Little Orton, Carlisle.
An impressive line-up of six bulls grossed 51,200gns for James McKay, Upperlands, Maghera, Co. Derry. Leading the way at 13,000gns was the May 2013 born Ampertaine Interest. This calf is by the Glenrock Ventura sired Ampertaine Elgin and is out of Ampertaine Finesse, an Ampertaine Abracadabra daughter. This third prize bull was purchased by EH Pennie & Son for their Sarkley pedigree herd at Gwern Yr Ychain, Llandyssil, Montgomery, Powys. Another Ampertaine Elgin son, Ampertaine Impact, also made 13,000gns when selling to the Turville herd of HB&LJ Lear, Creslow Manor, Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Impact, a maternal brother to the 20,000gns Ampertaine Commander, is out of the Sympa cow Ampertaine Annabella. June 2013 born Ampertaine Impact stood second in the second last class of Juniors in the pre-sale show.
He sire of the Champion, Loosebeare Fantastic, was again to the fore as the AI sire of the 8000gns Ampertaine Invader. This June 2013 bull, out of the Fieldson Alfy sired Ampertaine Duchess, is a maternal brother to the 6500gns Ampertaine Goldcard. Winner of the second last class of bulls, Ampertaine Invader went on to place as Reserve Junior Champion. Purchaser of this bull was noted commercial producer DR Owen & Son, Sandilands Farm, Tywyn, Gwynedd. Further Ampertaine bulls sold for 6000, 3800, and 2400gns respectively.
Rounding off a successful couple of days the Ampertaine herd also won the Carlisle Three Award for the best three homebred bulls that are performance recorded. These three bulls grossed 27,000gns.
DR Owen & Son was also the purchaser of the 10,000gns Parkwall Impossible from James McParland, Beleeks, Newry, Northern Ireland. Another bull from the strong Class Three, Parkwall Impossible also arrived at the sale with a strong show record behind him featuring breed and interbreed awards at Lurgan, Newry, Castlewellan, Clogher, and Armagh Shows respectively. This January 2013 bull is an embryo calf by the noted Carmorn Copilot and is out of the 12,500gns Wilodge Navette a Broadmeadows Cannon daughter.
The second prize bull from the same class, and the Reserve Senior Champion, was Culnagechan Ibrox from Derek Hume, Randalstown, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. Another calf by Carmorn Copilot, the herd’s stock sire, Culnagechan Ibrox had stood as the Reserve Supreme Champion at this year’s N.I. Limousin Championships at Antrim Show where he also won the Interbreed Beef Stakes Championship. Out of the Ampertaine Abracadabra daughter Culnagechan Espana, the January 2013 born Culnagechan Ibrox sold to Gaich Farms, Lower Gaich Farm, Dulnain Bridge, Grantown-On-Spey, Morayshire for 10,000gns. Later in the sale, the second prize Culnagechan Istanbull, an Ampertaine Commander son, sold for 6000gns to J Leslie, Odinstone, Shapinsay, Orkney.
Emphasising the strength of Class Three in the senior section, the first five bulls in this class grossed a collective 60,800gns. The third prize bull in the class Allanfauld Ibrox from A MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, Glasgow, contributed to this when selling for 10,000gns to the newly established commercial beef herd of A Bunting & Son, Midtown Farm, New Abbey, Dumfries. This bull who had stood Reserve Male Champion at the Stars of the Future Show in 2013, is by the prolific Wilodge Tonka and is out of the seven-year-old Allanfauld Cortina.
ES&E Norman, Little Orton Farm, Little Orton, Carlisle, grossed 22,500gns for a pen of three bulls by their stock bull, the 24,000gns Claragh Franco. Their top price was the 10,000gns paid for the second prize junior bull, the May 2013 born Norman Ivan. Sired by Franco, this bull is out of Norman Delight a daughter of the herd’s noted Heathmount Trojan. Buyers of Norman Ivan was BG&DE Marrs who run the Elvaplain herd at Elva Plain Farm, Setmurthy, Cockermouth, Cumbria. The first prize winning bull Norman Irish, out of the Rombalds rebel daughter Norman Violet, was purchased for 7,500gns by Michael Cursiter for his Lagas pedigree herd at Laga Farms Ltd, Arwick, Evie, Orkney. Early in the sale, Norman Igor, out of the Trojan daughter Norman Eternity, was sold for 5,000gns to PJ Dale, Mirey Leys Farm, Loscoe-Denby Lane, Ripley, Derbyshire.
Ian Nimmo, Bogside Farm, Newmains, Wishaw, Lanarkshire made 10,000gns when selling Mariscote Imperial for 10,000gns to W&T Nelson, High Kilphin Farm, Ballantrae, Girvan. Imperial, a first prize winner in Class 15, is another calf by the herd’s prolific 23,000gns Goldies Comet, a Wilodge Vantastic son. June 2013 born, Mariscote Imperial is out of the Normande Urquhart daughter Maraiscote Cookie. In June this year, Maraiscote Imperial was a first prize winner at the Royal Highland Show.
Full report and pictures to follow.
Averages:
25 Senior Bulls £5838.44
29 Intermediate Bulls £5368.10
30 Junior Bulls £5551.00
