Millerston Kasper leads at 20,000gns

Jack and Grace Ramsay have had a tough time of it in recent weeks, but the sun was certainly shining on them on Monday, when they sold the top priced Beef Shorthorn bull at 20,000gns.
While Grace was unable to attend due to ill health – a situation which is fast improving, Jack had a field day with their 22-month-old roan bull, Millerston Kasper, which attracted the lead bid from Moffat-based breeder, Mrs L Townsend, Coxhill.
Producing a personal best for the couple’s 30-cow herd from Millerston, Mauchline, was a son of Meonhill Charlie Chaplin – the stock bull that bred two top bulls here last year, Millerston Jukebox and Millerston Jasper, which made 10,000gns and 6000gns, respectively. 
Bred from two generations of Excellent-classified cows, Kasper, which stood second at the pre-sale show, is out of the Podehole Beefeater daughter, Millerston Irania Flame which has bred sons to 6000gns.
A top show bull, he stood junior male champion at the Stars of the Future and was also a member of the winning inter-breed pairs in 2016. Last year, he lifted the junior and reserve breed championship at the Great Yorkshire Show.
Outwith that cracking sale, a further four attracted five-figure prices with the overall average levelling at £5803 for 59 bulls. This is down £111 on the year and for six fewer sold, but then the 2017 event was a record breaker, with the February sale producing a new record of 26,000gns and a best ever average at £5914.
Not surprisingly, breed society president, Sally Horrell, was in an upbeat mood.
“We’re very happy with the sale, which met a solid trade throughout. Bull averages are down, but down on a record-breaking year and, they are still well up on the 2016 trade,” she said.
“Demand continues to be fuelled by the commercial producer looking to breed functional, low maintenance heifer replacements. The Morrisons’ premium is also an attraction at up to 25p per deadweight kg, with Shorthorn store cattle also well sought after in the market place as a result,” she said.
It wasn’t just the males that were in demand either. The first part of the Coldrochie dispersal, also witnessed a stock bull sell at 20,000gns and attracted some cracking prices and averages.
Back amongst the collective bulls and there were more celebrations to come when Michael and Sally Nairn, who are better known for their Highland cattle at Balnabroich Farms, Ballintuim, Blairgowrie, received 15,000gns for Balnabroich Kermit. 
The couple, along with stockman Alex Smith, run just nine Beef Shorthorn cows, and with assistance of veteran stockman, Bob McWalter, also took a blue ticket at the pre-sale show with this red and white, May, 2016-born lad. 
Previously unshown, this cracker is by Glenisla Centurian, which bred last year’s Balnabroich Jupiter, and out of the Glenisla Zinzan daughter, Glengloy Lovely Cecilia, bought at the Glengloy dispersal in 2013. Kermit goes out to work in Donald Biggar’s Chapelton herd at Castle Douglas.
Lois and Alice Haigh and their father, Alan, also had a cracking sale, selling five bulls from their 20-cow herd from Ashgrove, Market Rasen, to average £6700. 
Included in this were two at five figures – Willingham Katabatic, which stood senior champion at the pre-sale show and Willingham Kensington, the intermediate and overall champion.
Katabatic, an AI roan son of Fearn Wyvis, is out of the Uppermill Morse-sired cow, Dunsyre Honeysuckle, which was bought here four years ago. He made 11,000gns selling to Welsh breeder, I Evans, Llwyn Hywel, Llanilan.
David and Thomas Bradley Farmer and Frank Moffat, from Drayton Farm, East Meon, Peterfields, Hampshire, then went to 10,000gns for Willingham Kensington, a 22-month-old roan bull and the first son sold by the Glenisla Zetor son, Willingham Haigh. His dam is the the Belmore Fuel Injected-sired heifer, Glenisla Eva Broadhooks, which was bought at a previous sale here.
Douglas McMillan, who earlier in the day enjoyed a flying trade for the dispersal of the autumn calving portion of his Coldrochie herd from Luncarty, sold the last of the five-figure bulls at 11,000gns to LEP Farms, Little West End, Hambledon, Waterlooville, Hamps. 
Reserve junior at the pre-sale show, this 18-month-old dark roan is by Fearn Godfather – the bull that earlier made 20,000gns at the Coldrochie dispersal – and bred from Colnvalley Augusta Blossom. He was brought out by Charlie Reed and his daughter, Charley Louise Reed.
Mr McMillan also got 8500gns from I Tennant, Oldhill, Carluke, for Coldrochie Keillan, a 22-month-old roan son of Godfather out of a home-bred cow by Chapelton Winsome.
A string of bulls made 9000gns, including two from Gerald Turton’s Upsall herd, from Yorkshire, brought out by George and Maureen McCulloch. First was the senior bull, Khyber of Upsall, a 23-month-old and first bull sold by Firefox of Upsall – the only working son of the Australian sire, Mandalong Super Elephant. He is out of the Sutherland Bundaberg-sired Secret of Upsall, an Excellent 90 classified cow, and sold to Balnabroich Farms.
Klondyke of Upsall, a similarly aged red and white by Dingo of Upsall, a son of Broughton Park Thunder retained for breeding, also made 9000gns. He is out of Jilt of Upsall VG86, by Dunsyre Bonaparte. 
Charles and Sally Horrell, who own the Podehole herd, at Peterborough, were the final bidders on this red and white which stood champion at Stokesley Show and is a full brother to 5000gns heifer sold at Skipton last year. A good day for Mr Turton, saw the herd sell four bulls to average £7087.50.
Donald Biggar also sold two bulls at 9000gns from Chapelton, with stockman, Robert Grierson, at the helm. Both were by the retained home-bred bull, Chapelton Emperor – a son of the renowned Chapelton Typhoon which has bred several champion winners here and at the Highland, along with bulls to £16,000
First was Chapelton Kaiser, a 23-month-old roan, out of Chapelton Heathermaid, herself a GP81-classified daughter of Chapelton Yeoman. Second in his class at the pre-sale show, Kaiser was knocked down to Martin Birse, who manages Pitgaveny Farm, Elgin, Morayshire.
The second, Chapelton Krypton, a 22-month-old roan bred from the Cavans Yankee-sired Chapelton Waterloo Ex92, collected a red ticket prior to the sale and sold to Jimmy and Iain Green, Corskie, Fochabers, Garmouth. This cracker was also junior male champion and reserve overall male at the Highland Show, last year. Chapelton sold three bulls for a £8680 level.
The reserve intermediate champion and reserve overall, Cairnsmore Kestrel, a 22-month-old roan from Bill and Jane Landers, Bargaly, Newton Stewart, was another to make 9000gns selling across the Irish Sea to Eamonn McCorman, Ardikellan, Co Roscommon. 
Bred from one of the best families in the 54-cow herd, Kestrel is out of the Uppermill Michael daughter, Cairnsmore Dena Princess which stood champion at Dumfries and Stranraer as a heifer. He is also one of the last sons to be sold off the 15,000gns Chapelton Dauphin, which bred the female champion here in October.