DEMAND for Limousin bulls gained momentum following two top native breed sales, where despite a 3.30pm kick off, a strong show saw no fewer than 30 bulls attract prices at or above the 5000gns bracket.

In contrast to previous years, when the Limousins have been sold on the Tuesday, this year the event was staged on the Monday following the Aberdeen Angus and Beef Shorthorns, which proved a huge success with averages up on the year and for more sold.

With 68 Limousin bulls forward for sale and only six unsold, averages improved by £501 to level at £5102 for 62, representing a 91% clearance with six more sold on the year.

It was a double celebration for Bruce Goldie, from Townfoot, Mouswald, too, when his Goldies Lordoftherings picked up the overall championship, and then the lead price of 12,000gns.

“The champion is a terrific bull all round, with a lot of presence and style and carries himself well”, commented Jonathan Watson, who judged the pre-show sale.

“He’s very clean, has a great top, with plenty width in the plates and is full of meat coming right down into the hock. Having all the attributes of a breeder’s bull, he could very much do both jobs, pedigree and commercial, with the muscle, style and length that he has”, added Mr Watson, who runs the Tweeddale herd, at Bowsden Moor, Berwick Upon Tweed.

Notably, Lordoftherings is the third consecutive lead priced bull sold here by Mr Goldie and boasts some top class breeding behind him, being an AI son of Goldies Fantastic, a bull which sired one of the joint top priced bulls at Stirling, last May, at 9000gns.

Out of Goldies Dove, an Ampertaine Bravo daughter, which has bred sons to 9000gns and 8500gns, this 20-month-old sold to pedigree breeders, Jimmy and Donald MacGregor from the Dyke, Milton of Campsie.

Commenting on their purchase Donald said, “This was just the stand out bull on the day. He has power, width, plenty of volume and backs this up with a great pedigree and strong performance figures.”

Mary Fotheringham and daughter Hazel McNee, along with her husband Robert, who run the 80-strong herd in partnership at Over Finlarg, Tealing, were in the money too with three black bulls at 11,000gns, 8000gns and 6800gns.

Dearest was their reserve senior champion, Westhall Black Landman, one of the first sons by Newhouse Hartley, a 12,000gns purchase from the Adam family at Stirling, in 2014. Born in April 2015, and out of Westhall Hlame, by Westhall Fothers, he sold to Wester Kinloch Farms, Blairgowrie.

Ian Patullo from Sandyford at Kirriemuir, then went to 8000gns for Westhall Black Lance, a similar aged bull which stood second in his class to the senior champion. Another by the home-bred bull, Westhall Fothers, he is out of Westhall Fame.

Another son of Hartley, Westhall Black Lordofthedance, which is out of Westhall Gogogirl, was knocked down for 6800gns to Balcaskie Farms, Lochty Farm, Anstruther.

The first bull through the ring reached 8000gns, for Allan Campbell, who runs the 28-strong herd at Carstairs Junction, Lanark. His Strawfrank Leroy, an AI son of Vagabond, which stood senior champion at the pre-sale show, is out of the Carlisle purchase, Gunnerfleet Fassuna.

Junior and male champion at the Scottish Limousin Grand Prix and beef champion at Lesmahagow, with stockman Cameron Jackson at the helm, Leroy was snapped up by Aberdeenshire commercial breeders, J Walker and Sons, Sauchenbush, Echt.

Three bulls came under the hammer at 7200gns, with the first being Homebyres Landmark from Kelso breeder John Logan, Humebyres. Selling in a two-way split to Low Middleton, Belford, and J MacGregor, East Loanhead, Berwick on Tweed, Landmark is by the AI sire, Swarland Eddie, and is a heifer’s calf out of Homebyres Hallmark which is a full sister to the 10,500gns Homebyres Dixon.

Mr Logan also sold Homebyres Lawman, a Homebyres Vanhee son, for 6800gns to Neil McLellan from Kilchiaran, Islay.

Local breeder Andrew Burnett of Upper Spittalton, Blairdrummond, matched the 7200gns price tag with his third prize Spittalton Lancer. This son of Dinmore Hitman – which has bred bulls to 9000gns – sold across the Border with GH Walton and Sons, Greyside Farm, Hexham.

Also hitting 7200gns was Matt and Craig Ridley’s Haltcliffe Limoges from Hatcliffe, Hesket-New-Market, Wigton. This polled bull, whose mother – Holy – was bred in the Rochard herd in France, is by the German-bred sire, Tigris, and was purchased by R Simpson and Son, Mains of Creuchies, Alyth.

The MacGregors from Dyke again came up with the goods too, taking 6500gns for Dyke Laird. A son of Netherhall Gilbert which was purchased at Carlisle for 8500gns, he is out of Dyke Amazon, which has bred sons to 8500gns. Laird was one of the six purchases made that day by the Scottish Government Bull Stud at Knocknagael, Inverness.

The Bull Stud also went to 6500gns for the best of Ian Nimmo’s bulls from the Maraiscote herd at Bogside, Wishaw. This was Maraiscote Lionel, a son of Macschoice Chris which Mr Nimmo purchased from Dovea genetics in Southern Ireland.

Two British Blue bulls out of the four forward for sale found new homes, selling to 4800gns and 4000gns for local breeders Robert and Maimie Paterson, and son also Robert, from Auchenlay, Dunblane.

Selling at 4800gns to P McMillan, Eorrabus, Islay, was Auchenlay King and Auchenlay Jensen, sold to R Simpson, Mains of Creuchies.