IT may have had the largest offering of 117 bulls, but the Simmental breed met one of its most selective trades in years when 61 sold through the ring recorded a clearance rate of just 52%. 
This set an average of £5720, compared to £5383 for 82 last year, but a further 12 bulls sold out in the back to set a more acceptable clearance rate. 
“Commercial guys are paying particular attention to feet, legs and locomotion, as well as coat type, and those not matching up struggled to sell,” said Neil Shand, chief executive of the British Simmental Cattle Society. 
“There’s currently no locomotion inspection by the society, but the commercial buyers were doing their own and selecting bulls that were good on their legs.” 
It was always going to be a good day for Clive Houldey after he secured his first ever supreme championship with Manor Park Hayden, but it was one of his later bulls and, indeed, the last in the catalogue, that attracted the day’s top bid of 22,000gns. 
That was Manor Park Hansome, a July, 2016-born dark roan bull that was on his show debut when brought out by stockman, James Musgrave, with assistance from the Harvey family. 
He certainly lived up to his sire’s name as Slievenagh Extra Special was bought at Stirling three years ago for 9000gns to add some sparkle to the Manor Park herd at Kirtleton House, near Lockerbie, but was only used for a season before he damaged himself. 
Bred out of the Blackford Worzel daughter, Manor Park Daydream, Hansome attracted a flurry of bids from pedigree breeders but it was Garrett Behan, of Cloneygowan, Ballyfin, Ireland, that secured him for 22,000gns. 
“I like the sheer power and width he has for his age, and he’s got great breed character and a stylish wee head on him too – if he breeds bulls just like he is, then I could sell them all day long,” said Garrett, who runs around 70 breeding females in his Clonagh herd. 
Blackford Worzel, a 20,000gns purchase when he stood intermediate champion at the February sale in 2010, was the bull behind Mr Houldey’s supreme champion, Manor Park Hayden, which at first tripled the herd’s previous best of 6000gns when knocked down for 18,000gns. Hansome is out of the Ashland Perfect daughter, Manor Park Bronte, one of 250 breeding females in the herd, and sold to Allan Wright. With the rest of his family, he runs a closed herd of 60 females producing for the store and fat trade, as well as breeding females, at West Lundie, Argaty. 
Following on at 15,000gns was a much-fancied bull from the North-east in the shape of Islavale Hogan, from the Stronach family from Berryleys, Keith. This son of the 10,000gns Wolfstar Elusive had already made his mark on the show circuit, winning the reserve honours at the Scottish National Show, at Perth, where he also stood junior inter-breed champion before going on to lift the inter-breed title at Keith Show a couple days later. 
Hogan’s dam, the Clonagh A Super Star-sired Islavale Danielle, is a consistent breeder, and he sold to the north with Keith Eunson, of Braebuster, Deerness, Orkney. 
Also in the money for Islavale at 8000gns was Islavale Herbie 2, a son of the imported Clonguish Emperor, bred out of another Clonagh A Super Star daughter in the form of Islavale Damsel. Herbie heads to work at Nether Tillygarmond, Finzean, Banchory, for A Anderson and Son. 
Gary and Angela Christie had plenty to celebrate when, having previously sold three bulls at the February sale, they made their first trip to the October sale a success and sold Rockytop Hurricane for 13,000gns. 
Selling to WJ Hollingsworth, Midhope Hall, Sheffield, Hurricane is by the 10,000gns Corskie Cannon bought in 2013, while the dam, Burghbridge Vicky 3, a Brinkton Major daughter, was bought at Carlisle and has been a very good breeder in the 40-strong herd at Birchfield, Glass, Huntly. 
One of the first bulls to sell was Garry Patterson’s Aultmore Hamlet, from the herd of only six females at Upper Forgie, Keith, which sold back to the North-east with Jim Innes for commercial use at Dunscroft, Huntly, for 11,000gns. This second prize winner, by Banwy Bonzo, is a full ET brother to the 16,000gns Aultmore Goliath sold in February and a maternal brother to the 7800gns Aultmore Franco sold last May, being out of the Whitemire King Kong-sired Hazelden Jingle 8 that was bought at the Hazelden dispersal for 3000gns. 
Matching that 11,000gns was the dearest to sell from Adrian Ivory’s Strathisla herd, from near Meigle, Blairgowrie, with all of Adrian’s top sellers among the first on offer by Islavale Donald, a 14,000gns purchase that sired nine heifers that will be on offer in February to mark the herd’s 40th anniversary. 
The top lad from Strathisla was Strathisla Hagrid, which is bred from the strong Twiggy line, being out of the Omorga Samson daughter, Strathisla Bramble’s Twiggy. Forking out the cash was John Jeffrey and so Hagrid heads to Kelso to join his Kersknowe herd. 
Also selling well from the Strathisla herd at 8500gns was Strathisla Harvest, another by Donald and bred from the Twiggy line but this time out of Strathisla Echo’s Twiggy, a daughter of Dellfield Brigadier. Brought out by stockmen, Colin Fordyce and Alistair Borthwick, Harvest also heads to Aberdeenshire, this time with M Cruikshank, Parkfield, Old Meldrum. 
Earlier on in the day another by Donald, Strathisla Havana, was chapped down to Graham Allan, of Glenturk, Newton Stewart, for 7500gns. He offers a different cow line, being out of the Celtic Starbuck-sired Strathisla Beatrice’s Mira.
The Bruntons at Crudie Acres, Arbroath, then paid 6500gns Strathisla Hornblower which is bred out of Strathisla Cupid’s Mira, a Dressogue Victorious daughter, and is also by Islavale Donald. 
The last of the five-figure sales was Innerwick Hotshot from Dorothy Moffat and daughter Louise, who run 65 cows near Innerwick, Dunbar. Selling to north to Orkney with JI and W Stout, Whitehall, Stronsay, this lad is by Louise’s own Braidwood Everest and out of Innerwick Virginia, a Strathisla Kaiser daughter. 
Two attracted final bids of 9000gns, with the first of these coming from the Robson family, Cogry Road, Doagh, Ballyclare. That was Kilbride Farm Holestone, a polled son of the Danish import, Sneumgaard Imperator, an easy calving bull whose semen is selling all over Europe. A heifer’s calf out of the Seaview Prince Charming-sired Kilbride Farm Iris, Holestone caught the eye of the Craig family and heads to work at Craigton, near Castle Douglas. 
Also making 9000gns was the dearest on offer from the Green family near Garmouth, Fochabers, in the shape of Corskie Harbro which sold to the judge, Brian Sutherland, who runs 400 cows, including a number of pedigree females in the Glenlossie herd at Connachie, Elgin. 
First in his class at the Highland and the winner of several male titles on the North-east circuit, Harbro is by the 22,000gns former Highland Show champion, Dirnanean Bradley, and out of Corskie Babsie, an Islavale Sabre daughter. 
Selling for 8000gns to Neil Anderson, buying for Sim-Luing production at Professor Penny’s Harehead, Cranshaws, Duns, was Auchorachan Hermon from father and son team, Leslie and Michael Durno, from near Glenlivet, Ballindalloch. 
He is by a home-bred Innerwick Boris son, Auchorachan Elgin, which was used at home for a season before selling to Orkney, while his dam is the 9000gns Celtic Camilia, a Lykke Atlantis daughter bought at the Celtic dispersal in Ireland. 
Leading the female trade at 4500gns when sold to Nick and Nadia Hwynne to join their Chestermann herd near Whithorn, Newton Stewart, was the dearest from Lachlan Quarm’s draft offering from near Irvine. That was Annick Easter’s Ginny, a Sterling Nelson-sired in-calf heifer bred out of the SkerringtonVisa daughter, Annick Cassy’s Easter.