A cracking line-up of Beef Shorthorns was mostly led by first-time exhibitors, with all bar the supreme and the champion senior, coming from new vendors to the Stirling Bull Sales.

Supreme overall was the intermediate champion, Coxhill Magnum, an April 2018-born bull from Lucinda Townsend’s 100-cow herd from Moffat, with the reserve presented to the best amongst the juniors, Llwynhywel Masterpiece, from Welsh breeders, Irwel Evans and Esyllt Price.

“The champion is a fantastic bull,” said the judge, James Playfair-Hannay. “I was looking for bulls with good balance, top line, locomotion and structure and the champion has got all that and style. He’s a real eye-catcher.

“The reserve is also a super bull and a really good commercial bull, but he is a lot younger than the champion,” added Mr Playfair-Hannay.

Star of the show was Magnum, a roan bull by the 18,000gns Ballylinney Glenn, bred from the Fearn Duke daughter, Ballylinney Graduate. He was providing the herd with it’s first February Bull Sales championship, and was brought out by the Rettie team.

The reserve overall, from first time exhibitors, Irwel Evans and Esyllt Price, came all the way from Rhosygarth, Llanilar, and was shown by free-lance stockman Steven O’Kane. Llwynhywel Masterpiece is the result of the in-calf cow purchase, Sandley Augusta Fern, an Ex90-classified polled cow by Meonhill Snowman, and sired by Lintonpriory Dollar.

Regular winners, David and Rosemary Dickie, were again in the tickets taking the senior title with their 22-month-old roan bull, Knockenjig Morpheus from Sanquhar. One of the first sons of Fearn Jumpstart, a polled bull that won the Scottish Herd’s competition bull championship, he is out of the foundation cow, Mountbenger Caron Ex90, a polled cow by Glenisla Zigzag that is still going strong having produced eight heifer calves, and this one bull.

New exhibitors took the remainder of the lead awards, with Calla Major, a polled roan from David Baillie, Carnwath, bagging the reserve senior. His bull, a similarly aged entry, is by Chapelton Destiny, a sire bought privately from Mount Benger at eight years of age. The dam is the heifer, Calla Opal Katie a Mountbenger Elliot daughter and one of only 10 females in the herd.

Ed Page, Page Farms Partnership, Rookwith, also came up with the goods winning the blue and white sash amongst the intermediates with Rookwith Marvellous, an April-2018-born son of the 8500gns Castlemount Junior. Junior male champion and reserve male at the Highland Show, last year, Marvellous is bred from Chapelton Waterloo, a Cavans Yankee-sired cow bought privately.

The equivalent amongst the juniors was taken by Norworth Merlin, a May-2018 born bull from joint owners Tracy Severn Barkisland and Carol Rettie, Methven, Perthshire, who bought the bull privately at the Great Yorkshire Show. He is by Chapelton Barolo and out of Cobbysyke Gail, by Highlee Archie.