Maiden heifer leads Limousin females at 26,000gns

A HEIFER with a proven pedigree from Robert and Jean Graham’s Grahams Limousin herd from Bridge of Allan, proved the star attraction at the female sale at Carlisle, hitting the top price of 26,000gns.
Grahams Nikita, a 14-month-old ET heifer brought out by brother and sister duo, Drew and Jennifer Hyslop, is bred from the Millington Vascular-sired Grahams Coffee, which is said to be the best cow in the herd, and sired by Claragh Franco, a bull that has bred numerous top priced bulls and females.
This makes Nikita a full sister to the 40,000gns Grahams Lorenzo; 32,000gns Grahams Lilly; the record priced weaned calf Grahams Natalie which made 38,000gns at Carlisle last December; the 20,000gns Grahams Nashville, and the16,500gns Grahams Lizzie. 
A half sister to the 37,000gns Grahams Humphrey, Nikita is entered for the Highland Show, Great Yorkshire and the Royal Welsh, and sold to Lee and Tabatha White, buying for their Ladybowers herd from Two Thorns Fields Farm, Bamford, Hope Valley, in the Peak District.
Embryo heifer daughters of the record priced 140,000gns Trueman Jagger, from Mike and Melanie Alford’s Foxhillfarm herd also proved popular, attracting the next six highest prices. 
Dearest at 9000gns for the Devon-based herd was Foxhillfarm Natalie, a yearling bred from the Wilodge Vantastic-sired show heifer, Foxhillfarm Isla, which in turn was bred from the top breeding cow, Bankdale Alice. Dutch breeder, Teus Dekker, who dispersed his Cowporation herd here in 2014 having been forced to vacate a rented farm, was the last man in buying for his new farm based at Hertzweg 3.
In all, Mr Dekker, who has already built up his herd to 65 breeding females, bought 13 at the sale to include three full ET sisters to Natalie, paying 8000gns for Foxhillfarm Nicola; 7000gns for Foxhillfarm Nellie, and 5500gns for Foxhillfarm Nannymcphee.  
Shropshire breeders, Mick and Jean Gould, Grange Farm, Bomere Heath, who are better known for their Woodmarsh pedigree Holstein herd, also got in on the act, forking out 8000gns for Foxhillfarm Nancy. A daughter of the 35,000gns Wilodge Vantastic-sired Bankdale Elizabeth which is also bred from Bankdale Alice, this January, 2017-born heifer is also a full sister to Foxhillfarm Madonna that was senior heifer champion and reserve senior overall at last year’s Stars of the Future Show.
And, at 7000gns, Helen Wilson, Bankdale Farm, Wreay, Carlisle, bought Foxhillfarm Nextmillion, an ET yearling heifer bred from the Sympa daughter Bankdale Alice, sold at the family’s Bankdale dispersal here in 2011.
Next highest disclosed price was 5000gns paid by Devon-based breeders, J and MR Garthwaite, Stoneleigh, Frithelstockstone, Torrington, for Bruce Goldie’s Goldies Maiden from Townfoot, Mouswald, Dumfries. 
His two-year-old ET heifer is by Ampertaine Gigolo and bred from the Kaprico Germander-sired show cow, Goldies Inchantress that was purchased by Aberdeenshire breeder Aileen Ritchie for 8000gns.