Aberdeen Angus breeders were brought down to earth with a bit of a bump at United Auctions' Stirling Bull Sales, with averages falling £542 per head on the year, to average £6185 for 74 with a 71% clearance.

This compares to last year's event which saw 86 sell at £6727 for 77% of the numbers forward changing hands.

There was nevertheless a good sound trade for the top end of bulls which saw two 20,000gns sales, a 16,000gns and another at 10,000gns.

First to reach 20,000gns was Thrunton Best Man, an April 2022-born bull from Ian Campbell and sons Bruce and Andrew, Thrunton, Alnwick. Their red ticket holder is by the 11,000gns Tonley Kasper and is the first bull calf out of the Blelack Prince Consort-sired Thrunton Best Maid. He sold to Alastair and Graeme Fraser, Newton of Idvies, Forfar.

Equalling that top sale was Alistair Clark and sons Brian and Alistair's Duncanziemere Mr Bulletproof, a fourth prize winner from the pre-sale show. Bulletproof, a July 2022-born entry, is by retained stock bull Duncanziemere Sportsman, out of Duncanziemere Miss Belinda, and sold to Andrew Hodge and daughter Emma of the Rulesmains herd from Duns.

Minutes earlier, Northern Ireland breeders, Jonathan and Lisa Doyle took 16,000gns for their reserve junior champion, Drumhill Echo, from Balavil Estate, Kingussie, Inverness. Echo is the first son sold by the 15,000gns Galcantray Jedi Eric and out of the top breeding female, Drumhill Evora, a Blelack Prince Challenger daughter.

The intermediate champion and supreme overall, Harestone Eurostart, from Aberdeenshire breeder June Barclay, made 10,000gns selling to David Walker of the Galcantray herd, Cawdor, Nairn. May 2022-born, this entry was bought in utero of the 19,000gns Blelack Evora cow at the herd dispersal here in 2021 and sired by Blelack Popeye.

Top price amongst the females was 8000gns paid for the section champion, Foxhill Diamond Mist, a 13-month-old heifer from Devon-based breeders, Mike and Melanie Alford. An embryo-born calf, she is bred from Weeton Diamond Mist, sired by Linton Gilbertines President and sold to Balavil Estate.

The Alfords also produced the reserve female champion which sold for the second top price of 6800gns.

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