The pre-sale champion went on to secure the top price of £2550 at Gisburn Auction Marts’ dairy sale for M and J Bristol, of the Claremont herd, Newton- in-Bowland.

A pedigree heifer by Sound System, with a long string of VG/Ex dams behind it, the 30kg heifer from the Bristols’ Dawn family sold to the judge, David Coulthurst, Goosnargh.

Following on at £2220 was Worthingtons Irene 165 from SE and J Collier and Son, Haigh, Wigan. A Wilra ABS Amplify daughter with a 50tonne grandam she sold giving 31kg to BF Blezard, Ribchester.

The same home then sold another at £2100 to N Hanson, Barnoldswick, being sired by Mr Wings Norton.

Messrs Blezard was back in the buying seat at £2150 for a Sassafrass sired heifer out of a 12,000kg ABS Eldridge dam, from M Baul and Son, Bishop Thornton, Harrogate.

A 36kg Siemers Darwin daughter from Bowlandview herd owners J and I Garth, Great Eccleston, then made £2100. The heifer traces back to the Fieldside Electric Baby family in another Great Eccleston based herd.

Pedigree newly calved cows reached £2350 for the first prize winner, a Seagull-Bay MVP second calver from WA and A Booth, Feizor. Sold giving 46kg, the cow is backed by a line of Ex dams and sold to JJ and J Graves, Carlisle.

At £2250 J and M Sanderson, Kirkham sold an Altaspring second calver from an extensive line of Ex dams in their Duchess family, to a local buyer.

Leading the unregistered fresh heifers at £2300 came from KE Robinson and Son,Carnforth, when selling to JE Walton and Son, Preston, while the in-calf heifer trade peaked at £1480 for a Jersey cross in-calf to Wagyu, from N and K Forshaw, Alston, Preston.

Auctioneers: Gisburn Auction Marts.

Averages: pedigree newly calved heifers, £1962; pedigree newly calved cows, £2025; non-registered newly calved heifers, £1608; non-registered newly calved cows, £1650; pedigree in-calf heifers, £1028; non-pedigree in-calf heifers, £1102; bulling heifers, £878.