Charolais Champ to 6000 Guineas
The supreme champion at the Northern Ireland Charolais Club show and sale in Dungannon this week was not only the choice of judge, Danny McKay from Ballymena
but was also in demand from a number of buyers who bid keenly to 6000gns. However it was well known breeder, John Causey from Cookstown who persevered to the final bid and took home the champion.,Kiltybane Best, a December 06 Maerdy Impeccable son out of a Hermes daughter.
The show and sale received generous sponsorship from Custom Built Homes, Swatragh which attracted quality entries. The 22 bulls sold averaged £2713 while ten females averaged £1837.The second bull in the price stakes also backed the judge’s decision for it was the reserve champion, Mullaghbane Classic by the widely used Hermes son, Doonally New. This gave Fred Elliott from Florencecourt his second reserve championship within a month as he claimed the same title at Carlisle. Fred states that Classic is out of one of his best breeding cows and he was a first prize winner at the NI National Charolais Show at Fintona last September. Classic was knocked down at 4700gns to Arthur Devlin, Ballycastle a progressive suckler herd owner who features regularly in the top price bracket for his cattle.
It was another Doonally New son , Aughafad Clive which made 3900 gns for Robert Henry Sinnamon, Pomeroy and he went home to the farm of Robert Keys at Donemana.
John Causey was selling as well as buying and received 3800gns from another successful suckler farmer, John Mulvenna at Larne for a Doonally Nicefor son out of a Doonally New daughter.
Allanfauld Superscot is another successful sire in the Charolais breed and it was a son of his out of a Doonally New daughter which made 3600gns for Florence McCrea, Coagh. Craemill Belfastboy was purchased by Edward Conn, Limavady.,
It was the red rosette winner in the April/May 07 bull class that realised 3500gns for Stuart and David Bothwell, Ballinamallard. Killadeas Corporal, a Brampton Embark son sold to Leslie Galway, Downpatrick.
Stuart and David Bothwell also had the highest price in the heifer section with a first prizewinner, Killadeas Beverley. She is by their successful stock sire, Dunlon Ulick and is out of a Brampton Embark daughter and sold to John McMordie Ballygowan for 3300gns.
Bothwell’s reserve female champion failed to make her reserve in the ring, but standing second to her in her class was John Erskine’s Dartonhall Bessie, a heifer by Ashleigh Victor, the sire which was reserve Interbreed champion at Balmoral and Interbreed champion at Ballymena. Bessie has joined the herd of Vivian McGee, Dungannon who has been purchasing Charolais females over the past year to build up a quality herd, for 2800 gns.