Pedigree averages fell significantly at the 32nd annual premier show and sale of Salers which was held at Wallets Marts, Castle Douglas. However, soaring demand was met for the commercial females with all sections taking a lift on the year and achieving a 99% clearance rate.
The clearance rate of pedigree bulls matched 2022 at 79%, having reached a high of 8000gns for Rednock Salvador from Gill and Malcolm Pye, Rednock Estate, Port of Menteith, Stirling.
He took the intermediate champion in the show – selected by the judge, Peter Donger, Seawell Salers. He is a March-2022 bull by the French sire, Baron, and is out of the heifer, Rednock Peru, which goes back to Drumaglea Kes.
Junior male and overall male champion at the Royal Highland Show this year, he sold to pedigree breeders, Malcolm and Kyle Fleming, Magherafelt, Northern Ireland for their Killyboggin herd.
The last of the bulls to be sold from Patrick and Judith Boyd, Drumaglea, Cornaigmore, Isle of Tiree, achieved a top of 4800gns, simply because it is not viable for producing bulls for the team, who are going to concentrate on their females.
However, there was no disappointment when their September 2021 bull, Drumaglea R-Tic, stood reserve senior champion, and made 4800gns when travelling across to Stranraer with John Adams, Half Mark, Leswalt. A Baron son he is out of Drumaglea Alice who has produced bulls to 12,000gns, going back to Variegeois.
Drumaglea Stan again made 4800gns for the same home when the hammer fell to McConchie Partnership, Mossyard Farm, Gatehouse of Fleet. This third prize junior bull is a Halley son being bred from the Drumaglea Zenith daughter, Drumaglea Corinne.
Another with the same price tag was Lisnamaul Rio from Seamus and Stephen Maginn, Northern Ireland. This December 2021-born bull is backed by French imports being sired by Nemo, and bred from Opaline. This one found a new home with KC Heard and Son, Hughslade, Okehampton.
The male champion, Bacardi Superman from father and son duo Roy and Adam Crockett, Bacardi Salers, Galashiels went on to attain 4500gns when the hammer fell to James Morton, Kaeside, Melrose.
This April 2022-born bull is by the privately purchased sire, Seamore Nitro, and bred from the show cow, Bacardi Matilda, who this year won inter-breed titles at Northumberland County and Border Union as well as reserve inter-breed titles at Stirling and Berwickshire County and the breed champion at the Great Yorkshire Show.
The best from Roy Alexander and Jean Blyth, of the Marwood herd from Middleton House Farm, Elwick, came in the form of the reserve intermediate champion, Marwood Spartan, which received 4500gns. This April 2022-born bull is by the French sire, Murphy, out of Marwood Jellybaby who has bred sons to 9500gns, being a Whitebog Convener daughter. He now goes to work for N and D Austin, Rusko Farms, Gatehouse of Fleet.
The same buyers went to 4500gns for the reserve intermediate champion, Preenbank Samson, from Fred and Bryn Robinson, Highfields, Church Preen in Shropshire. A Preenbank Oggy-Oggy son this February 2022-born bull is bred from the Preenbank Cassidy daughter, Preenbank Ismina, who has produced bulls to 8500gns.
Another to make 4500gns was Cleuchhead Saracen from Iain Livesey and his parents, Rob and Kath of the Cleuchhead herd from Nether Firth, Lilliesleaf, Melrose. This April 2022-born bull is by the French import, Noble, which has bred well for the herd, while the dam, Cleuchhead Gentle, which produced last year’s reserve champion here which made 7000gns, goes back to Drumlegagh Brandon. John Ritchie, Montallt Farm, Dunning, Perth, was the final bidder.
On the pedigree female front, there was a 100% clearance rate achieved with a joint top call of 5000gns paid twice.
The overall champion, Jedforest Roxy, is one of just three cows in 16-year-old, Lewis Ralston’s own herd, Edgerston, Jedburgh, and went on to achieve the joint top priced female at 5000gns.
This March 2021 female stood as reserve junior female champion at the Royal Highland Show last year and was knocked down to Colin and Fiona Wight, Carwood, Lanarkshire. Sired by Cuil Marvin, which was bought privately as a calf, she is out of the privately purchased dam, Seamore Nicole Kidman, and sold PD’d in-calf to the imported French sire, Tibet.
Matching that 5000gns price tag was the similarly aged heifer, Rednock Ukraine, who was very kindly donated to the sale by Gill and Malcolm Pye, Rednock Estate, in aid of Forth Valley Welcome charity supporting refugees and children of Ukraine.
Junior champion at the pre-sale show, she is not unusual to the top tickets having stood as junior female champion and reserve overall female champion at the Royal Highland Show this year and junior champion and reserve overall champion at the Great Yorkshire Show. A daughter of Rigel Officer she is out of Rednock Odessa, which goes back to Rigel Byron Poll, and she sold to H Limond, Dromore, Kirkpatrick.
Patrick and Judith Boyd, Tiree, were back in the money among the females, who were staging their fifth production sale from Drumaglea. Their sales leader, Drumaglea Riff, made 4600gns when the hammer fell to Seamus and Stephen Maginn, Northern Ireland. This August 2021-born female is by the imported semen, Baron, and he is the second calf from Drumaglea New Look and sold AI’d to Hibou.
Leading the commercial trade at £2600 was a pen of three in-calf heifers – to Bacardi P-Diddy – from AR Lee, Lumbylaw, and they were snapped up by G Jones, Creigiall Farm, Nebo, Conwy.
Leading the bulling heifers trade was a pen of three from Angus and Kerry Gowthorpe from Approach Farm Salers, Escrick, York, at £2000 each to A and J Wright, Traboyack, Girvan, Ayrshire.
The McClymont family from Cuil, Palnure, produced the lead priced heifer stirks at £1600 when a pen of four sold to R Andrew, Ty Cerrig, Meifod.
The same home also won the Willie Davidson trophy for the best pen of commercial Salers and sold this pen of six to J and J Lawrie, Wester Clunie, Newburgh, Fife for £1500 apiece.
Auctioneers: Wallets Marts.
Averages: 15 bulls, £4732 (-£453.33 for one more sold); 19 in calf heifers, £2829.47, (-£205.98 for eight more).
Commercial – 114 bulling heifers, £1321.49 (+£34.26 for 18 fewer); 73 heifer stirks, £1160.96 (+£162.98 for 44 more); 49 in-calf heifers, £2189.80 (+£416.41 for 13 less).
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