RECORDS were broken and then broken again at the second Designer Genes sale of Herefords at Shrewsbury, when a new top price for a Hereford female to sell at auction in the UK was set at 10,200gns, then again at 11,000gns.

This contributed to the highest averaging Hereford sale in UK history when 19 lots cashed in to average £5062, up from £4717 for 17 females and three embryos at the inaugural 2016 sale.

Setting that 11,000gns was Sky High 1 Lâncome Lucy, a 16-month-old heifer from Boomer Birch and Graham Brindley that already has some top accolades, including the supreme title at the 2017 National Hereford Calf Show in Cirencester, and the intermediate female championship at the National Poll Show in September. She is the first daughter of Dendor 1 Murdock to sell at auction, and was snapped up at that price by Matthew and Rita Goulding, of Gouldingpoll Herefords, Kilmore, Tralee, and Intelagri, Republic of Ireland.

Selling for 10,200gns was another Dendor 1 Murdock daughter from the Sky High team in the shape of Sky High 1 Danish Dream. She was knocked down to Rachel Johnson, who was buying the 26-month-old as a Christmas present for her partner, Adam Bowen, to join their Bowendu herd.

Also in the money for Boomer and Graham was Sky High 1 Dainty Duchess, an October, 2015-born heifer that has an equally impressive haul of prizes as the record setter, having stood supreme champion at Shropshire County Show, reserve female at the Royal Welsh, and third in this year's Hereford of the Year competition. She sold to SC Hartwright for the Spartan herd for 7500gns, and was in calf to SMH Kingsize.

The Sky High team also offered recipient carrying an embryo from the current Female of the Year, Dendor 1 Jennefer, which sold to M Barber for 2600gns.

The sole female offered from T and D Harrison's Moralee herd at this year's event sold to you Hereford breeder, William Awan, for 6200gns. That was Moralee 1 Kate 2, the junior female champion at both the Royal Highland and Great Yorkshire shows. She is sired by Romany 1 Frisky A84 F57, and sold in calf to Knightrider.

Father and son duo, Ronald and Robert Wilson, offered the pick of the heifer calves born from August, 2017, to March, 2018, from their Romany herd in the Scottish Borders. Forking out the 6000gns were the Goldingpoll and Intelagri partnership.

Heading up the horned offering at 5200gns was the reserve female champion from the HCBA Christmas Calf Show staged on the same day, Pulham Blossom 20 from PRJ and LR Vincent, Norfolk. She combines British and Australian genetics, and was snapped up by S Taylor and D Marsh, Lancashire.

Three were also embryos and flushing opportunities from international Hereford programmes on offer, which peaked at £4400 for the eight embryos from all the flushes at Harvie Ranching next year. This was paid by S and E Walker, of Hoghton View Herefords, Lancashire.

Auctioneers: Halls Auctions