A top price of 16,000gns, some 42 animals selling at or above the £5000 and buyers recorded from no fewer than seven countries were just a few of the highlights of the Black and White sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, last weekend.

Add to that 100 lots selling to average £4410 per life and only seven heifers failing to find new homes, and it was one of the most successful Black and White sales in recent years.

Star of the show was a first choice heifer calf bred from the Ex96-3 DOM 32* LP100 brood cow, KHW Regiment Apple-Red show cow from Brian and Michael Yates from East Logan, Castle Douglas and Gary and Izzy Jones, now based in Eire. The first Apple to be offered in the UK, this youngster which is only a few weeks old, is a sister to the 2020 North American Open grand champion, Miss Apple Snapple ET Ex96 and to many other Ex-classified show winning cows in the US.

%image('12123894', type='article-full', caption='KHW Regiment Apple-Red, dam of the top priced choice calf at 16,000gns and grand-dam of the 9500gns heifer', alt='KHW Regiment Apple-Red, dam of the top priced choice calf at 16,000gns and grand-dam of the 9500gns heifer')

Dam of the 16,000gns choice heifer and grand-dam of the 9500gns Holben Snapples Storm, the Ex96-3 DOM 32* LP100 show cow, KHW Regiment Apple-Red

Her dam, which boasts numerous major championships throughout the US as a junior and a senior, sold for $1m at the Global Glamour sale in 2008, while her sire is Farnear Altitude Red. The successful bidder at 16,000gns was Gerrit Kerssies of Hullcrest Holsteins in the Netherlands.

Another Apple from the same cow family from Dartford breeders, Ben and Holly Dyer of Holben Holsteins, sold minutes later for the second equal top price of 9500gns. Holben Snapples Storm ET, a grand-daughter of the KHW Regiment Apple-Red cow, is a yearling bred from the top Ex96 Miss Apple Snapple ET show cow and by Blondin Thunder Storm. She sold in a two-way split down to Wales with Messrs Wilson of Tregibby Holsteins, Cardigan and Shaun Davies, Carmarthenshire.

%image('12123895', type='article-full', caption='Molly Westwood's Panda Unique Cheerleader Red sold for 9500gns as a six-month-old calf', alt='Molly Westwood's Panda Unique Cheerleader Red sold for 9500gns as a six-month-old calf')

Panda Unique Cheerleader Red sold for 9500gns

Matching that 9500gns sale was Molly Westwood's Panda Unique Cheerleader Red, a six-month-old heifer by Knock Amaretto Red from Molland Ridge, Devon. The first Red Cheers to sell in the world, her grand-dam, Unique Dempsey Cheers ET Ex95 MAX is one of the most popular show cows in North America landing the grand champion at Wisconsin and the reserve intermediate champion at the World Dairy Expo in 2018. Cheerleader Red is bred from Blondin Unstopabull Cheers which stood reserve All Quebec June calf in 2018, and sold down to Essex with Pete Prior of the Designer Holsteins herd

Top priced black and white at 8200gns, was Sue and Richard Armstrong's Wolfa Kind Doc Fleur, from Salkeld, Penrith, which sold to Stranraer breeder, James McNeil, buying for the Cairnpat herd. His purchase, a nine-month-old heifer, is by Woodcrest King Doc and out of the Ex91 Wolfa Berryhill Fleur which is a daughter of Ex95-2E Holywood Goldwyn Fleur.

%image('12123896', type='article-full', caption='Top priced black and white, Wolfa Kind Doc Fleur at 8200gns from Sue and Richard Armstrong', alt='Top priced black and white, Wolfa Kind Doc Fleur at 8200gns from Sue and Richard Armstrong')

Sue and Richard Armstrong's Wolfa Kind Doc Fleur was top priced black and white at 8200gns

Scott Forsyth, Baltier, Whithorn, was another to fork out the cash, going to 8000gns for Mark Nutsford's February 2020-born heifer, Riverdane Tatoo Springsteen from Ravencroft Hall Farm, Cheshire. She is the sole daughter of Riverdane Absolute Springsteen, a heifer that classified maximum points as a two-year-old, was All Britain Senior 2yr 2019 and stood inter-breed champion heifer in milk at UK Dairy Day the same year. Her sire is Duckett Crush Tatoo.

Another heading home on the same trailer load to Baltier at 7000gns was Hugh and Andrew Neilson's Overside Crimson ET, a six-month-old heifer from East Brackenridge, Strathaven. This Brenland Denver youngster also boasts the best of bloodlines being bred from a flush from the Ex92 SP cow, Wiltor Silver Crimson which is a full sister to the 2020 UK Dairy Expo grand champion, Wiltor Silver Centerpiece Ex93 that was bought for 43,000gns at the Wiltor sale in 2019.

Reds were back in the money when two full sisters by Farnear Altitude Red sold for 7500gns and 7000gns consigned by Stuart Mullan, of Redsky Holsteins, Hexham and Philip and Simon Haffey, of Glasson Holsteins, Portadown, Northern Ireland, respectively.

Their dam is Luck-E Awesome Jacuzzi, a maximum classified three-year-old in the USA that sold for $30,000 in the Best of Luck-E sale in 2019. Redsky Altitude Jazz Red ET, a polled yearling heifer, was purchased by GS Farming, Cheshire.

Selling at 7000gns was the 11-month-old, Glasson Altitude A Jacuzzi Red ET, which headed north selling to David and John Brewster buying for their Boclair herd from Glasgow.

Matching that 7000gns price tag was Absolute Genetics' Absolute Goldwyn Aperol Spritz RC, an April 2020-born heifer whose third dam is again the Ex96 top show cow KHW Regiment Apple Red, while the dam is Auchensala Adeles Doorman Ava ET VG86-2yr. Messrs Davies and Son, buying for their Davlea herd from Wake, Somerset were the final bidders on this entry whose grand-dam is the VG88-2yr 3* MS Apples Uno Adele.

One of the most intriguing lots was the offering of a calf from the entire crop of 2020-born animals from the Fleming family's Potterswalls Jersey herd from Northern Ireland, which is celebrating 50 years in the breed. Alan McNeely, buying for his Uppertully herd from Londonderry, was the successful bidder at 5200gns after fighting off stiff competition from throughout Europe, North America and Australia.

Top priced milking female at 6400gns was the Dennison family's Denmire Abbott Reba 109 VG88-3yr from Scales Park, Aldingham, Ulverston. Bred from five generations of high scoring Ex-classified dams with big production, she sold to Emerald Isle Genetics, Republic of Ireland, she is by Willsbro Abbott and bred from the Ex93-4E SP LP60 cow, Denmire Fever Reba 50.

Averages: Seven cows and heifers in milk, £4001.02; six Holstein in-calf heifers, £4226.25; 20 Holstein yearling heifers, £4273.50; 63 Holstein heifer calves, £4558.33.

OTHERLEADING prices

6500gns – Riverdane Holsteins' Riverdane Tatoo Sharon ET A2A2, out of Riverdane Brady Sharon Ex93 MAX, to Wormanby Farms, Carlisle

6000gns – R and D Steeples' Cramar Black Diamond Cutes, out of Cramar Splashing Fever ET VG88-2yr, to Messrs Innes and Sons, Drumduan, Nairn; C and J Richardson's Annaghmore Jordy Jodie Red ET, out of Vetech STV Awesome Jodie Red ET VG88-2yr, to Messrs Wynne, Co Cavan, Eire;

5800gns – T Lomas' TLC Denver Bambi, out of Nobold TLC Gold Bambi ET VG88, to Hullcrest Holsteins Netherlands; Riverside Farm's first choice heifer from three female pregnancies due in March from Mattenhof Crushtime Holiday which sold for €15,000 at the German Master sale in 2019, to Messrs Norman, Crediton, Devon.

5600gns – Milliedale Holsteins and Peak Holsteins' Milliedale Com Brendev Rhapsody ET, out of Milliedale Commander Rhapsody VG88-3yr SP, to Breeze Farms, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington