Scottish cattle producers made their presence felt at a Charolais bull show and sale at Swatragh, Northern Ireland, buying two of the top three highest priced lots, including the dearest at 9200gns.
Selling at this price was Trevor Phair’s Brogher Trump, purchased by Aberdeenshire suckled and store cattle breeders, WJ Fraser and Sons, Achnarrow, Ballindalloch.
Their purchase, an October 2022-born son of Whitecliffe James which goes back to Blelack Digger, is bred from the Mornity Nero-sired Brogher Ripple.
Two other bulls from the same stable made 5800gns and 5600gns. The dearest, Brogher Tyson, a similarly aged bull by Culmvale Novello, sold to N Blair, Limavady, Co Londonderry.
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Selling for 5600gns was Brogher Trader, a November 2022-born bull by Goldies Icon, which headed home with G and J Armstrong, Florence, Co Fermanagh.
The sale, which saw 19 bulls average £5620, up £1370 on the 2023 event and with an 83% clearance, was judged by mother and son duo, Leanne and Jamie Workman.
They found their reserve intermediate in Drumacritten Toby ET from GE Nelson, which made 9000gns when selling to C McDonnell, Glenariff, Co Antrim. The result of a flush from Drumacritten Jessie, Toby is also sired by Whitecliffe James and sold carrying two copies of F94L myostatin.
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The senior champion and supreme overall also sold to Scotland. This was S and D Bothwell’s Killadeas Trevor, a Cloonglasna11 Padraig son, purchased by J and G Smith, Stromness, Orkney, for 8000gns. An August 2022-born bull, he is bred from Killadeas Octavia and also carries two copies of F94L.
The intermediate champion Glencoe Thanos, an October 2022-born bull from P and V McDonald, made 6800gns. This Liscorran Magic son is out of the Clyth Diplomat-sired daughter, Beechdale Lupin, and headed home with M Johnston, Toomebridge, Co Antrim.
Northumberland-based pedigree breeders, Jonathan Watson of the Tweeddale herd and Chris Curry, Burradon, joined forces to buy the reserve junior champion, Stranagone Unrivaled, from Robert McWilliams, at 6000gns. A 14-month-old, he is a son of the Ocean-sired Strangagone Saphir.
Top price for P Hackett’s Fury herd was 5600gns for the second prize Fury Turbo, an 18-month-old by the Domino-sired Fury Action. Final bidder was R Watters, Stewartstown, Co Tyrone.
Females sold to 3500gns on two occasions. First to make that money was the section champion, Ashview Upmarket ET, a 13-month-old from V and S Keys. Bred from Ashview Rebecca, and sired by Lisnagre Elite, she sold carrying a double copy of the Q204X myostatin to C McVeigh, Tassagh, Co Armagh.
Matching that top female bid was Kenny Veitch’s Drumlone Sonia, a Fury Action daughter out of Drumlone Edwina. She sold in calf to Drumlone Navigator to W McElmurray, Pomeroy, Co Tyrone.
A draft of females from W Short reached 3400gns for the July 2022-born Woodpark Tara, by Deeside Gulliver and bred from the prolific Woodpark Ermintrude which is still going strong at 14 years of age. She sold to E and C McCloskey, Colraine, Co Londonderry.
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