The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Strong demand for the Stirling stock
Day ends on a high with a 30,000gns purchase
A day of livestock selling at Stirling ended on a high when one of the last lots to come under the hammer sold for 30,000gns.
The price was paid for one of Neil and Graeme Massie’s Blelack stock Charolais bulls at the dispersal of their entire herd.
Demand was high for the 95 lots of cows, heifers, calves and bulls but it was Oakchurch Igor, a three-year-old sire by Goldies Eddy who topped the day’s selling. He was bought by Swalesmoor Farm, Halifax.
Another Massie stock bull, Caylers Hustler, sold for 12,000gns to Gareth Jones, Abergele, and at 7,000gns Strathisla Farms, Moolies, Ruthven, bought Maerdy Henley, a son of Begonia.
Female trade reached a top of 8,000gns for four-year-old Blelack Harlot who was bought by W and CS Robb, Chalmerston Farm, Mauchline.
At 6,500gns C Smeaton and Son, Cotton of Ovenstone, Kirkbuddo, bought the seven-year-old cow, Alsnow Emulous.
Five-year-old Blelack Gorgeous made 6,000gns to M Phillips, Co Sligo; J Charlton, Eastbarns, Cramlington, bought Blelack Glamourgirl for 5,800gns, Blelack Georgie for 5,500gns and Blelack Darling for 5,200gns.
JM Wood, Waters Farm, Shap, bought Blelack Jane for 5,500gns and at 5,200gns Blelack Hillary was sold to Northern Ireland.
At 4,800gns JS Fraser, Tore Mains, Tore, bought Blelack Glenis and the same price was paid for Blelack Harriet by W Milne, Ernan.
In the show ring a stylish Charolais bull called Blackford Leonardo walked away with the supreme championship for Inverness-shire breeder Anne MacPherson of Croy.
The 18-month-old sire by Elgin Davinci had been admired by many breeders ahead of the show, and judge Bob Adam from Newhouse of Glamis said he knew from the moment he spotted the show topper that he would be “there or there about”.
Anne MacPherson was just a teenager when she started breeding and showing bulls with her parents – predominantly Simmental breeders – 30 years ago and this was her second Charolais breed championship.
In reserve overall place was Goldies Linford, an 18-month-old son of Blelack Digger from Hamish Goldie, Bowerhouses, Dumfries.
The junior champion came from Major Walter’s Balthayock herd at Perth. This bull was Balthayock Loyalist, by Maerdy Grenadier. Stubbs and Burleigh from Co Fermanagh took the reserve junior award for Derryharney Leebee by Corrie Alan.
The senior champion was Harestone Largo, just one of the three first prizewinners from Neil Barclay of Insch.
Largo, a son of Thrunton Fearless was born in March 2015. Mr Barclay also won the first four prizes in the second class of bulls to be judged.
Murray Lyle, Mid Cambushinnie, Dunblane, also won a first prize for Loganbar Ludavic, a 17-month-old sire by Elrick Historian. The female championship was a clean sweep for Hamish Goldie whose heifer Goldies Lulu came top and later sold for 6,000gns to EW Davies, Brynawel, Ceredigion. Goldies Jessie took reserve place and sold for 3,800gns to King, Newton.