Record day as Charolais fetches 70,000gns

Breed and centre records tumbled at Stirling yesterday when a Charolais bull sold for 70,000 guineas, the highest price ever paid for a bull in Scotland.

The previous record for a Charolais was 56,000gns for Maerdy Director in 1989.

A trade which saw eight five-figure prices and 23 bulls sold for 7,000gns or over helped the Charolais average for 97 bulls to a record £6,279 compared with £4,536 for 103 sold in October 2010, a massive jump of £1,743.

The sale topper was, unbelievably, a first-time entry for new breeders Tom and Sheena Gatherer, of Brownsfield Holdings, Inchinnan, near Glasgow, and they were quite dumbfounded by the demand for their first prize junior bull. Charlie Boden, who runs the Sportsmans herd at Stockport, alongside his recycling and haulage company was the successful bidder.

Tom Gatherer is an inspector with the SSPCA and only has three cows in his herd. Barnsford Ferny was by the 30,000gns Balmyle Bollinger.

The intermediate and supreme champion made the second top price of 16,000gns for Colin, Ian and John Campbell at Thurnton, Alnwick. Thrunton Fearless sold in a joint deal to Neil Barclay, of Harestone, Banchory, and Mike Massie, of Mains of Elrick, Ellon.

The reserve intermediate champion, Brampton Fugitiv from Billy Turner, of Brampton Hall, Ripon, made 14,000gns to Keith Brooke, a well-known Blackface breeder from Carscreugh, Newton Stewart.

Another to make 14,000gns was Goldies Fantastic from Hamish Goldie, of South Bowerhouses, Dumfries. This full brother to the 15,000gns Goldies Dynamite was bought over the telephone by Messrs Jones, of Danycapel, Carmarthen.

The very last bull in the catalogue was Gwenog Fieldmarshall from John Howells, of Tycam, Dyfed, and it sold in an all-Welsh deal for 11,000gns to Bob Roberts, of Brynffanigl-Ucha, Conway.

Also at 11,000gns, Greenall Franklinroosevelt was sold by J R Green, of The Craggs, Melsrose, to Andrew Warnock, Dreva, Biggar. Neil Massie, of Blelack, Dinnet, sold his reserve senior champion, Blelack Fabulous, to Esmor Evans, of Maerdy, Monfa, Gwent for 10,000gns. Also at this price was Neil Barclay’s Harestone Fundy, sold to the Caylers herd, of Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire.