Soaring demand for pedigree Limousins ensured two spectacular sales at Carlisle, where no fewer than 14 bulls achieved five-figure prices with the star of the sale hitting the big one – 100,000gns.
The two-day event, which only 24hours earlier witnessed a cracking trade for females, peaking at 42,000gns, 35,000gns and 19,000gns, also saw increased clearance rates in both sections, with bulls at 88% and females at 87%. Such was the success of the two sales, that just short of £1.6m changed hands.
It was nevertheless the bull sale that attracted most of the big bucks, to include the 100,000gns bid for James McKay’s Ampertaine Mozart, from the 120-cow herd from Northern Ireland. 

The Scottish Farmer:

Ampertaine Mozart

Strangely, this 16-month-old cracker, which becomes the fourth Limousin bull to breach the six-figure sum, is by the Cloughhead Lord son, Kype Orkney, a bull that made 14,000gns, way back in 1999. It was nevertheless for this reason, that Mozart sold so well.
“Kype Orkney was one of the best bulls ever sold and one that I tried to buy,” said Procters Farm manager, Gary Swindlehurst, who as a result was keen to purchase Mozart. 
“Mozart is just full of class and along with his depth of pedigree also has very good calving figures,” added Mr Swindlehurst, who also went to 100,000gns for Haltcliffe Vermount in 2006.
Bred from one of the best cows, Mozart is a naturally born bull and the first son out of the Plumtree Deus daughter, Ampertaine Glamourgirl. 
Adding to the celebrations, James and stockman, Barney O’Kane, also produced an 18,000gns sale in Ampertaine Lawson, purchased by PW Greed, Columbjohn Farm, Rewe, Exeter, Devon. 

The Scottish Farmer:

Amppertaine Lawson

Backed by home-bred genetics on both sides, this 17-month-old red ticket holder, is by the 32,000gns Ampertaine Elgin, which has bred several five-figure priced bulls, while his dam, Ampertaine Fantasia, by Ampertaine Commander is a full sister to Ampertaine Gigolo – the sire of the 140,000gns record priced bull, Trueman Jagger. In all, Mr McKay sold five bulls to average £28,833.
Christine Williams and Paul Tippett’s popular intermediate champion and supreme overall, Wilodge Lookout, from the well-known show herd from Shifnal, Shropshire, was another to set the heather alight, commanding a 60,000gns bid. 

The Scottish Farmer:

Wilodge Lookout

Their muscly man boasts some new genetics being the first son sold by the privately purchased Gerrygullinane Glen – a a Machermore Augustus son bought privately at Bonnicolon Show, Eire, as an eight-month-old calf from Gerry Walsh and Ann Marie Clark. 
Equally notable is Lookout’s dam, Wilodge Diamante, a Wilodge Vantastic-sired show cow that boasts numerous accolades to include reserve overall champion at the Royal Welsh as a baby heifer and whose only daughter cashed, Wilodge Flawless, made 27,000gns.
Charlie Boden forked out the cash for this big boy which scaled in at just shy of a tonne, buying for the 50-cow Sportsmans herd from Stockport.
Wilodge enjoyed a flying trade with two other ET bulls bred from Diamante and sired by Powerful Irish – a Haltcliffe Dancer son that bred the 12,000gns Anside Loki here, last year – making 13,000gns and 10,000gns.

The Scottish Farmer:

Wilodge's 13,000gns bull

The former, which stood first in his class, was knocked down to J Shennan and Sons, Knockgerran Farm, Girvan, Ayrshire, while the latter, that was second to his pen mate, was purchased by Argyllshire producers, JS and LD Adam and Son, Garraron Farm, Ardfern, Lochgilphead. Wilodge sold four bulls to average just short of £24,000.
Scottish breeders, Iain and Moyra Nimmo and son Andrew, who own the 150-cow Mariascote herd from Newmains, Wishaw, also got in on the act, dishing out a 50,000gns bid for John Crofts’ Bassingfield Machoman, from Gamston, Notts. Their purchase, a 16-month-old ET bull, is bred from the Ionesco daughter, Sarkley Ellajen which was bought at the Red Ladies sale in 2011 for 17,000gns and sired by the former All Ireland bull, Millgate Fame, that made 32,000gns.

The Scottish Farmer:

Bassingfield Machoman

Having sold the four top priced heifers the previous day, Mike and Melanie Alford’s Foxhillfarm herd from Devon, was back amongst the prizes and the top prices in the bulls, with sales at 35,000gns, 10,000gns and 9000gns.
Tops was Foxhillfarm Manhattan, the junior champion and reserve supreme, that also picked up the reserve overall junior championship at the Stars of the Future. Another backed by some cracking genetics, Manhattan is an ET bred from the Wilodge Vantastic daughter Foxhillfarm Gracie, and is a full brother to the 20,000gns Foxhillfarm Louisvuitton. His sire is the AI bull, Guards Boomer which also bred the 38,000gns Foxhillfarm Irishlad and the 35,000gns Foxhillfarm Lordofthering. Welshpool breeders, Colin and Elaine Lewis, Buttington New Hall, were the final bidders at 35,000gns.

The Scottish Farmer:

Foxhillfarm Manhattan

Foxhillfarm Montreal, a full ET brother to Manhattan, which stood second in the same class made 10,000gns again selling to PW Greed, Columbjohn, Exeter.
Despite forking out the colossal 100,000gns bid, Procters Farm, still went home in the black, having sold seven bulls to average £8281 and 17 heifers the previous day at £3764. Dearest here at 24,000gns paid by Bob and Kay Adam, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar, was Proctors Legacy. This 18-month-old ET is the first son bred from the 15,000gns Glenrock Diamante, by Objat, whose daughters have already sold to 8500gns and 8000gns here in December, while the sire is Ampertaine Gigolo. 

The Scottish Farmer:

Procters Legacy

Procters Ledzepplin, another ET, made 10,500gns to Thomas Common, Low Ardley, Hexham. This second prize bull also boasts an impressive pedigree being bred from the 16,000gns Glenrock Campari, which is a daughter of the matriach cow, Glenrock Spangle, and sired by Sympa.
Three bulls came under the hammer for 14,000gns including Stuart and Ewan Fotheringham’s reserve intermediate champion, Ballinloan Lush, from Ballinloan, Dunkeld. Living up to his name, this similarly aged bull is by Ampertaine Foreman, which has bred sons to a top of 24,000gns for the 140-cow herd, and out of the Nebo Dynamite-sired cow, Ballinloan Inyourdreams. Pedigree breeders, John and Lynne Cardwell, splashed the cash, buying for their Stocksbridge herd based at Church Farm, Haywood, Askern, Doncaster.

The Scottish Farmer:

Ballinloan Lush

Also heading for pedigree work, McKinney Bros, Maghera, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland, went to the same money for Ian Handley’s Gunnerfleet Landmark, a second prize bull by Broadmeadows Cannon – one of the most prolific Limousin bulls in the history of the breed, having initially sold in 1988 for 8000gns, and then went on to breed numerous show and sale winners. Notably, on the dam side, Landmark is bred from the Plumtree Fantastic daughter, Gunnerfleet Ilocks, which traces back to the £500,000 Una line.

The Scottish Farmer:

Gunnerfleet Landmark

Clive Dent, Naby View, Lartington, Barnard Castle, bought the last of the 14,000gns bulls. This was Fieldson Mahrez, from Lincolnshire breeders, Michael Fieldson and son Henry, Poplar Farm, Corringham, Gainsborough. The first son sold from the 12,500gns Trueman Iglesias, by Ampertaine Elgin, Mahrez is bred from the best female line in the 90-cow herd being out of the Goldies Uppercrust daughter, Fieldson Florence.

The Scottish Farmer:

Fieldson Mahrez

The first bull to hit five figures was the Priestley family’s Brontemoor Laidlaw, from Cracrop, Brampton, which made 11,000gns selling to Jonathan Waring, Park Farm, Everingham, York. The bull from Steven and Ruth Priestley, son Richard and daughter Sarah, is an AI son Loosebeare Fantastic and out of the Burndale Cyclone daughter, Brontemoor Fudge.

The Scottish Farmer:

Brontemoor Laidlaw

Matching that bid was the best from Bruce Goldie, who again sold a string of bulls at big money from his Goldies herd from  Dumfries. His dearest was Goldies Legend, a son of the retained Wilodge Vantastic-sired Goldies Fantastic whose first son made 12,000gns at Stirling in February. The dam is Goldies Dove, an Ampertaine Bravo daughter whose sons have sold to 9500gns. Legend goes out to work at Honeyburn, Hawick, having been purchased by DA Laing.

The Scottish Farmer:

Goldies Legend

OTHERleading prices

Bulls – 9000gns – EW Quick and Sons’ Loosebeare Likeabull, by Loosebeare Fantastic, to CG Simpson and Sons, Square House, Quebec, Durham; BT Goldie’s Goldies Laser, by Goldies Fantastic, to ER Thompson, High Corn Park, Baldersdale, Barnard Castle, Co Durham; J Elliot’s Roxburgh Black Logan, by Goldies Forever, to AG Howie, West Knock, Stuartfield, Peterhead; D Dick’s Ronick Legal, by Rathconville Eugene, to J Drennan, Balgracie Farm, Leswalt, Stranraer; Mr and Mrs M Alford’s Foxhillfarm MacGregor, by Guards Boomer, to Barlure Farmers, Barlure, and J Mitchell and Son, Little Larg, both New Luce, Newton Stewart; WJ and J McKay’s Ampertaine Monarch, by Mullary Intrepid, to JF Teague, Temple House, Buteland Farm, Balerno, Mid Lothian.
8500gns – AG Howie’s Foxhillfarm Justthejob, by Loosebeare Fantastic, to Ballechin Farms, Ballinluig, Pilochry; H Savage and Sons’ Trueman Lad, by Elite Forever Brill, to TE and H Price, Pencraig, Trelach, Carmarthen.
7500gns – RM Hazard and Sons’ Mereside Longbow, by Jacot, to N Iveson, Low Blackburn, Hawes; Procters Farm’s Procters Livingstone, by Ampertaine Foreman, to AE Iceton and Sons, High Birk Hatt, Baldersdale, Barnard Castle; SL Fotheringham’s Ballinloan Lambourghini, by Ampertaine Foreman, to SF MacKay, Knockaneorn, Clunas, Nairn; Ms C Williams’ Wilodge Lancelot, by Powerful Irish, to RS Howard, Whittaker Hall Farm, Guide, Blackburn, Lancs; R Dick’s Ronick Laddie, by Ampertaine Elgin, to B Baillie, Sebay Cottage, Tankerness, Orkney

averages: 28 senior bulls, £5763.75; 57 intermediate bulls, £7333.42; 43 junior bulls, £9484.53. Overall, 128 bulls, £7712.70 (+£1294.25 for seven more sold).


Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.