THERE was a quality entry forward for the Border and Lakeland Club spring bull show and sale at Carlisle, last week, where no fewer than 20 bulls sold for £3000 or more and a top price of 5500gns was paid for the dearest of the British Friesians. 

"Breeders must be congratulated for consigning such high quality bulls," commented Harrison and Hetherington auctioneer, Glyn Lucas. "Buyers had a great choice with bulls bred from many of the best cows in the UK and all with impeccable pedigrees; it is worth noting the bulls with outcross pedigree were in high demand."

Heading up the sale at 5500gns was a Friesian entry from local consignors, RW and J Bell, whose Nerewater Marshall Jackpot sold north of the Border to H Limond, Drumore, Kirkmichael, Maybole. This December, 2016-born entry is bred from the Janice family, which boasts high BF and P content, and is backed by two generations of Excellent-classified females recording yields in to teen figures. Sired by Lakemead Marshall, he has both paternal and maternal brothers sold to work in pedigree herds, and changed hands with a profitable lifetime index (£PLI) of £127. 

A few lots earlier, the Bells, from Saltcoats, Kirkbride, Wigton, sold Nerewater Jackpot Alex to Bill O'Keeffe, Church Clara, County Kelkenny, Ireland, for 4700gns. Born a month earlier than his byre mate but also bred from two generations of Ex-rated cow, he is by Nerewater Jackpot and sold with a PLI of £177. 

The Holstein champion, Warnelview Retake from Kevin and Christine Wilson, attracted the second top price of 5300gns when sold to Greentower Farms, Moor Road, Cartland, Lanark. This 14-month-old was bred by ET, and his pedigree features Ballycairn Supersire Cotinthian on to the Ex92-2E Warnelview Ruby Iota, a regular high yielder that has five further sons in pedigree herds and goes back to the former number one PLI cow, Warnelview Goldwyn Ruby 2 Ex9403E.

Retake's full ET brother from the herd at Wood Farm, Thursby, Carlisle, Warnelview Ramone, achieved a similar price when knocked down to HJ Walker and Co, Barwinnock, Whauphill, Newton Stewart, for 5000gns. 

A total of four bulls sold for 5000gns apiece, with the first being DG Apple Pie Red from the team at Diamond Genetics, Netherlands, which was housed at Cogent ahead of the sale. Selling north to Drumduan, Nairn, with C Innes and Sons, Apple Pie comes from eight generations of cow in the top two classifications, being out of MS Apples Uno Armana Ex91 and from a line of American show winners. Sired by Ladys-Manor Olympian, this three-year-old has a PLI of £546.

A couple of lots later, R Neill and Sons paid 5000gns to take the Friesian champion, Ian Brocket's Winnoch Incognito, home to Thornington, Mindrum, Northumberland. Bred from the Penguin family in Ian's herd at Park of Barnaigh, Bentham, Lancaster, this two-year-old is a son of Dechmont Ignitor. 

Another to hit the 5000gns mark snapped up by Euegen Mcerlean, Macnairston, Ayr, was Mathew Armour's Annandale Bach, a Ladys-Manor LQ G Lanvin son from The Milton, Moffat. Bred from a high-production dam that gave more than 13,000kg in her second, he goes back to cows that have recorded more than 14,000kg. 

Averages: 51 Holstein bulls, £2863.82 (+£406.82 for 11 more); nine British Friesian bulls, £3581.66 (-£278.96 for one more).