IT was a good day's trading for the Limousin breed when is secured the best average of £5814 for 62 sold - a rise of £712 on the year for the same number - and the best clearance rate of 81%. 

It was the intermediate champion, Dyke MacBeth from Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, that proved the star attraction when he sold for the top price of 13,000gns to the Dunlops at Pinvalley, Barr, Girvan. Setting the father and son duo's best price to date for their 50-cow herd near Milton of Campsie, Glasgow, MacBeth is by the 8500gns Netherhall Gilbert that also sired last May’s breed champion that went on to sell for 6500gns. Breed champion at Campsie Show on his only other outing, he is out of the show heifer Dyke Florette, herself by Cappaduff Aaron.

Two sold for 10,000gns apiece, with the first of these being Bruce Goldie’s supreme champion, Goldies Black Manhattan, which marked the second championship in two years for the herd from Townfoot, Mouswald, Dumfries. Selling to John Elliot jnr for use at Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, this senior lad is by the herd’s noted home-bred sire, the Wilodge Vantastic-bred Goldies Fortress, that has bred bulls to 20,000gns and heifers to 12,000gns. His dam, the Goldies Terence daughter, Goldies Dalmation, has also bred well with the same cross producing the 7800gns Goldies Black Jonah that stood reserve junior back in 2016.

The other to hit 10,000gns was the second bull ever sold from Ewen MacGillivray’s four-cow Creran herd from Barcaldine Oban. Brought out with help from Ewen's dad, also Ewen, this red ticket holder is an AI son of Powerful Irish, the Anside stock bull that Ewen has since used again at home, and out of Lodge Iccolo, a Feroce heifer bought as a 10-month-old. He sold to D Fisher Contracting, Groan Farm, Logiealmond.

The Dick family’s Ronick Material, a son of Steph’s own easy calving sire, Stephick Hero, sold for 9500gns and, notably, to the same buyer as an 8500gns bulls last year - Carr Farms, Northamptonshire. His dam is the consistant breeder, Ronick Fatella, which goes back to Sarkley Cromwell, in the herd at Mains of Throsk, Stirling.

Matching that when knocked down to T Lang, Parduvine, Rosewell, was Hollyberry Marius from the Brown family at Station Road, Foggathorpe, Selby. Bred from the reserve junior champion at Lincolnshire Show, the Wilodge Cerberus-sired Whinfellpark Gazeful, Marius is an AI son of Ronick Hawk.

It seemed pairs of prices ruled the day as two sold for 9000gns each. The first of these, Walkers Mandit, set a best price to date for Gordon Walker and daughter Elspeth, while the rest of the family took care of the calving cows at home at Easterside, Dunnottar, Stonehaven. Sired by the 8500gns Allanfauld Gazza, Mandit is out of Walkers Hereclissa, a Drummin Bandit daughter that goes back to the herd’s French-bred foundation female. He sold to Huntlyhill Farms, Lanark.

Also hitting 9000gns was the dearest of the entries from the Graham family – Doug and Lynda together with sons John and James – in the shape of their first prize bull, Burnbank McCoy, from Mains of Burnbank, Blairdrummond. His breeding includes Cloughhead Umpire on to the Redstone United-sired Burnbank Clover. The buyers of Burnbank McCoy were A and E Grant, Glendamph, Glenisla.