Aintree herd grosses £860,000+
BREEDING Holstein cows with exceptional production figures complete with impressive deep pedigrees paid off at Richard and Ruth Pilkington’s Aintree dispersal which saw more than £860,000 change hands with some 238 milking females averaging not far off £3000 per head.
The herd of Holsteins and British Friesians was first registered in 1958, by Richard’s late father, Fred Pilkington, on a farm neighbouring Aintree Racecourse.
Now based at Shordley Hall, near Wrexham, this on-farm sale saw a fast and furious trade from start to finish as almost 400 animals went under the hammer.
Sale leader at 8400gns was the VG88-classified Aintree Sassafras Rapture, bred from 15 generations of Excellent-classified cows and likely to be the 16th in due course.
An ABS Sassafras-sired three-year-old, she is out of Blacksnape Acme Rapture SP, Ex-90, with her granddam being the Ex92-2 cow, Kingsmill Roy Roulette. She calved her second in August and sold to James Dunn, who bought 20 head at the sale to take home to the Newbarton herd at Camborne in Cornwall.
Rapture’s eight-week-old heifer calf by Denovo Cabo made 2600gs to the Jones family’s local Leamoll herd.
No fewer than 70 lots sold at or above the 3000gns mark with a second top bid of 5200gns given by Martin Lowry of the Halen herd from Newcastle Emlyn for another VG88 second calver.
His purchase, Aintree Achiever Shady B SP, bred from six generations of VG or Ex dams, is by ABS Achiever, and out of the LP60 SP Ex912 cow, Aintree Snowman Shady. She changed hands having calved at the end of June and giving in excess of 50kg.
Northern Ireland breeder, Sam Gilmore, Tandragee, Co Armagh, bought 24 lots and also went to 5100gns for the 88 pointed red and white cow, Aintree Kimball Linda B Red, also bred from six generations of VG or Excellent-classified cows. A three-year-old by Seagull-Bay Silver Kimball, she calved her second in August.
The much admired red and white cover girl, Aintree Kimball Nugget B Red Ex92 SP, made 5000gns selling to Stuart Forshaw of the Longshaw herd in Lancashire. Another by Silver Kimball, her third dam is the 6* LP70 Ex92-4 brood cow, Aintree Regiment Nugget B.
Matching that 5000gns sale was Aintree Achiever Elegance B VG88, bred from six generations of Ex cows. A daughter of ABS Achiever, her grand-dam is the Ex94-2 LP50 cow, Monamore Miss Elegance. The buyers were David and John Coullthurst from Goosnargh, Lancashire who bought another 23 young milkers for their Edenfield herd.
Heifer calves met a flying trade with in excess of 100 – most of which were under two months old – averaging £951.
Leading this section at 4000gs, was Aintree Ranger Sara Red, a six-week-old calf out of Aintree Doorman Sara SP Ex-94-3E, purchased by James Dunn.
The same buyer also purchased the lead priced Friesian from the Pilkingtons which emanated from the Scottish-bred brood cow Blackisle Pauline 71 Ex-95-6 17*. She gave more than 100 tonnes of milk with yields up to 14,000kg at 4.9BF%, and bred four proven sires in the Genus stud.
Mr Dunn, who milks both Holsteins and British Friesians on his Cornish farm, purchased her last remaining daughter, Aintree Chad Pauline 4 ET Ex-90 for 4200gs together with her Bradash Patriot Red heifer calf for 2600gs. Five other Paulines made 3000gs or more. The 17 British Friesian averaged over £2700.
Auctioneers: Norton and Brooksbank.