Orkney father and son duo, Jim and Hamish Baillie of Sebay Farm, Tankerness, enjoyed a flying trade at the Thainstone Spectacular show and sale, selling the top priced lot at £9000.
Their six-month-old heifer was placed overall junior haltered champion by the judge, Stewart Bett, Boquhan, Kippen. Sired by Huntershall Odyssey and out of a British Blue cross cow, she scaled 286kg and was knocked down to Allan and Susan Campbell, Alt Na Craik, Lochgoilhead.
The heifer was pipped for the supreme by the senior haltered champion, a Limousin cross bullock, ironically from fellow Orkney breeder, Balfour Baillie, Sebay View.
His December 2023-born bullock is sired by Huntershall Rosco and out of a Limousin cross dam. Reserve champion of champions at Orkney County Show, it weighted in at 495kg, and made £3400 selling to John Work, Mains of Drumbreck, Ellon.
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Another two lots from Balfour made £4000 each. First was his reserve senior haltered heifer, a daughter of Redriver Powerful out of a British Blue cross mother. This eight-month-old scaling 450kg, was bought by Blair Duffton, Huntly.
Mr Baillie’s March 2024-born heifer scaling 243kg was purchased by Morayshire’s Tony Weir. She is a half-sister to the aforementioned senior champion having been sired by Powerful and bred from a Limousin cross.
Second top price was £6000 paid for the senior haltered heifer champion from the Greenlaws of Balgairn Farm, Ballater. Their home-bred 440kg October 2023-born heifer is a mix of Limousin and British Blue genetics sold to an undisclosed buyer.
Graham Sutherland, The Antler Occumster, Lybster, took £5600 for his third prize junior heifer Belinda, a six-month Limousin cross heifer scaling 286kg. Sired by Red Ripper Powerful, she headed home with Neil Slack, Plumtree House, Penrith.
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The Frasers of Easter Clune, Nairn also had a good day taking £3900 for their champion junior haltered bullock. Sired by Maraiscote Shaan, and bred from a Limousin cross dam it weighed in at 280kg. Julie Sedgewick, Rickmall Grange Farm, Durham was the final bidder
Top price for Craig and John Robertson, Newton of Logierait, Pitlochry, was £3500 paid twice – for a bullock and a heifer for Limousin crosses both of which were purchased by Andy Ireland, Feoch, Dalry.
Leading Awards
Unhaltered heavy heifer – 1, S Fotheringham, Ballinloan, Dunkeld with a 505kg Lim, £1720; 2, J Robertson and Co, Newton of Logierait, Pitlochry with a 530kg BB, £1700; 3, Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly with Bluebell, a 525kg BB, £1700.
Unhaltered light heifer – 1 and unhaltered champion, Sheep Park Farms with a 500kg BB, £2200; 2, B Duffton, Huntly with Faidre Ukay, a 475kg Lim, £1840; 3, B Duffton with a 455kg BB, £1700.
Unhaltered bullock – 1, A Bothwell, Newbrae, Newmachar with Michelin Man, a 416kg BB, £1480.
Haltered senior heifer (heavy) – 1, J Robertson and Co with a 495kg Lim X, £2700; 2, JS Baillie and Co, Sebay, Tankerness with a 585kg Lim X, £2000; 3, JS Youngson, Westerton, Cullerlie with a 590kg Lim X, £3200.
Haltered senior bullock (heavy) – 1 and overall haltered champion, B Baillie, Sebay View, Tankerness with a 495kg Lim X, £3400; 2 and reserve haltered senior bullock, J Robertson and Co with a 540kg Lim X, £3500; 3, C and K Stuart, Lettoch, Glenlivet with Sandy, a 572kg Char X, £1880; 4, B Paterson, Cairndale Croft, Sauchen with a 580kg Lim X, £1780.
Haltered senior heifer (light) – 1 and champion haltered senior heifer, G and J Greenlaw, Balgairn Farms, Ballater with a 440kg Lim X, £6000; 2 and reserve haltered senior heifer, B Baillie with a 450kg Lim X, £4000; 3, J Robertson and Co with a 445kg Lim X, £1900; 4, C and K Stuart with Charlotte, a 375kg Char X, £2000.
Haltered senior bullock (light) – 1, B Paterson with a 482kg Lim X, £1920; 2, J Robertson and Co with a 430kg Lim X, £1780; 3, JM Fraser and Son, Easter Clune Farm, Nairn with Budweiser, a 405kg Lim X, £1880; 4, S Fotheringham with a 404kg Lim, £1800.
Haltered junior heifer (heavy) – 1, B Baillie with a 315kg Lim X, £2400; 2, C and K Stuart with Belle, a 340kg Lim X, unsold; 3, G Sutherland, The Antler, Occumster with Jojo, a 306kg Lim X, £2500; 4, B Baillie with a 308kg Lim X, £2300.
Haltered junior bullock – 1 and champion junior haltered bullock, JM Fraser and Son with a 280kg Lim X, £3900.
Haltered junior heifer (light) – 1 and champion junior haltered heifer, JS Baillie and Co with a 286kg Lim X, £9000; 2 and reserve junior haltered heifer, J Robertson and Co with a 302kg Limousin X Char X, £3500; 3, G Sutherland with Belinda, a 286kg Lim X, £5600; 4, B Baillie with a 243kg Lim X, £4000.
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