64 PEDIGREE LIMOUSIN CATTLE Friday 29th February 2008

A new Limousin breed and centre record for a herd Dispersal Sale was set at Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Friday 29th February 2008 when the combined holding of the Newstart Herd on behalf of Mr D & Mrs M Cormack, Abotts Close Farm, Sutton Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire went under the hammer.

Sale ring photo by Wayne Hutchinson

The atmosphere was electric amidst one of the biggest crowds ever assembled for a Limousin Breeders’ Sale. An outstanding catalogue, packed with quality and performance duly met with reward with 11 five-figure prices and an overall average of a mighty of £9,906, comfortably setting a new breed and centre record. The audience’s anticipation had been heightened by the vast array of prizewinning bloodlines on offer which read like a who’s-who of the Limousin breed and included: Broadmeadows Cannon, Broadmeadows Ainsi, Ronick Iceman, Uplands Daffodil, Sarkley Nellie, Newstart Tansy, Ronick Gains, Ryedale Orion, Greenhill Viper, Sarkley Moonlight and Fleethill Talisman to name but a few!

Newstart Upsydaisy

And it was the 2007 Royal Show Burke Trophy winner and Royal Show Supreme Limousin & Interbreed Champion, Newstart Upsydaisy, who lived up to the pre-sale hype when selling for the top price of 41,000gns. This outstanding female, an April 2003 born third calver, is sired by Ronick Iceman and is out of Rivermead Rosebud. The purchaser was E Beeney & Sons for their Broomfield pedigree herd, Tambour Manor, Mount Pleasant Farm, Hoath, Kent. This was the second highest female price ever achieved at auction by the Limousin breed with the 50,000gns heifer, Bailea Umandy, having set the benchmark in December 2004.

In a continuity of breeding, Newstart Upsydaisy’s dam, Rivermead Rosebud, was the next top price at 22,000gns. Purchased originally as a calf at foot at the Rivermead Dispersal Sale in 2000, she was bred by Mr DJ Deer, Llancayo Farm, Llancayo, Usk, Gwent. Sired by Rivermead Judge, a Ronick Gains daughter, Rosebud is out of Uplands Daffodil from the noted herd of DJ Haak. She headed south to Mr BJ Baker’s Wealden Herd, Olives Farm, Hooe, Nr Battle, East Sussex.

There were no fewer than 11 lots sold in excess of £10,000 and there were headlines aplenty with GA McDowall, Sunnyside Farm, Tilton Lane, Billesdon, Leics forking out £90,300 for a total of 6 five-figure lots.

Two of these came in at the 20,000gns mark: Newstart Tansy and Greenhill Viper. Newstart Tansy is a 2002 born daughter of Woodhouse Pugh, a Broadmeadows Cannon son, and out of Sarkley Nellie. A prolific Show winner, whose achievements include the 2004 Royal Show Female Championship and member of the Interbreed Team of Five Champions at the 2005 Royal Show, Newstart Tansy was sold in calf to Greenhill Viper.

The Cormacks’ stock bull, Greenhill Viper, was himself also snapped up by Mr McDowall. Greenhill Viper is a four year old bull bred by Mr J Greene, Co Donegal, Republic of Ireland and was purchased at the October 2005 Carlisle Bull Sale from Messrs MacGregor (Allanfauld). Greenhill Viper also has many regional show successes to his name in addition to first prize winning outings to both the Royal & Highland Shows in 2006.

Another heading to Mr McDowall’s holding was Newstart Viyella for 18,000gns. Viyella is sired by Woodhouse Pugh and out of the Ronick Iceman daughter, Rachels Stella. June 2004 born, her rising one year old heifer calf was sold as an “A” lot also to Mr McDowall for a further 5,000gns and a total price for the unit of 23,000gns. Newstart Viyella has a prodigious Show career behind her including being a member of the 2006 Champion Royal Show Team of Five. Her visual appeal was also backed up by very good performance figures, with a Beef Value of LM+40 placing her easily within the top 1% of breed. Viyella’s dam, Rachels Stella, was later snapped up by Mr McDowall for 13,000gns. Carrying two lines of the famous Broadmeadows Ainsi, Rachels Stella is by Ronick Iceman, grandsire of Queenshead Altea, the 52,000gns Champion Bull at Carlisle in May 2007.

The second lot making 13,000gns was Newstart Buddleia when purchased by PM Varley, Myrtle Grove Farm, Baldwin Lane, Queensbury, Bradford for their Queenshead Prefix. Buddleia is a daughter of the 41,000gns Newstart Upsydaisy and was at foot during the latter’s tremendous 2007 Show career. Newstart Buddleia is a September 2006 born maiden heifer sired by Greenhill Viper.

Going under the hammer at 14,000gns was Woodhouse Amy, a January 2005 born heifer bred by Messrs G& P Blood, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent and purchased at the 2006 Red Ladies Sale for 1,600gns. Sired by the noted Goldies Oswald and out of Woodhouse Sian, a Greensons Gigolo daughter, she was sold with her Greenhill Viper sired bull calf, Newstart Claymore, at foot to C Birrell & Co, Barnboard, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire.

EWG Scotland Ltd, Hearthstanes Farm, Tweedsmuir, Lanarkshire paid 12,000gns for the young bull, Newstart Buchanan. August 2006 born, he is another by Greenhill Viper and out of the 1999 Red Ladies Champion, Sarkley Nellie, purchased in 1999 for the top price of 9,000gns. Sarkley Nellie herself was sold back to her original breeders EH Pennie & Son, Gwern-yr-ychain, Llandyssil, Montgomery, Powys earlier in the sale for 10,000gns. A daughter of the French sire, Heros, and out of Sarkley Eclipse, Sarkley Nellie is 1997 born. She was sold with her Tyddyn Mei sired bull calf at foot, Newstart Cantona.

Another at 10,000gns was the full sister to Newstart Viyella, Newstart Cinderella, when selling once again to GA McDowall, Sunnyside Farm, Tilton Lane, Billesdon, Leics. January 2007 born, Cinderella is by Woodhouse Pugh and out of Rachels Stella.

A cow and calf outfit made a combined total of 12,500gns when knocked down to two separate purchasers. Newstart Uptowngirl, by Ronick Iceman and out of Sarkley Nellie, made 9,000gnswhen selling to P Dawes, Kipperknowle Farm, Dinmore Manor Estate, Dinmore, Hereford for his Dinmore herd. Her April 2007 born calf at foot, Newstart Charlieboy, is sired by Grahams Poncho, maternal brother to the 55,000gns Grahams Samson and heads to K & G Whitehead, Thwaite Farm, Thwaite, Richmond, N Yorks for 3,500gns.

In the Lumbylaw Dispersal Sale held on behalf of Mr RG Oates, Billerwell Farm, Bonchester Bridge, Hawick, Roxburghshire, 14 cows and heifers averaged £1672 with the top bid of 3,000gns coming from H Annett & Son, Widdrington Farm, Morpeth, Northumberland for the 2003 born Lumbylaw Unkempt sired by the Broadmeadows Cannon grandson, Lumbylaw Panache, and out of the homebred dam, Lumbylaw Necklet.

Averages

Newstart Herd
24 Cows and Heifers served and/or suckling £10,277.31
6 Served and Maiden Heifers £ 6,900.00
1 Stock Bull £21,000.00
2 Young Bulls £ 8,925.00

Lumbylaw Herd
14 Cows and Heifers served and/or suckling £1,672.50
3 Maiden Heifers £1,067.50