Annual Spring Show & Sale

Friday 16th May 2003

BREED RECORD SMASHED AT CARLISLE

There was a 95% clearance and the British Belgian Blue breed record of 10,500gns was smashed at the Border Belgian Blue Club’s Thirteenth Annual Spring Show & Sale on Thursday 15th May 2003 (Judging of all classes) and Friday 16th May 2003 (sale), at Borderway Mart, Carlisle when auctioneers Harrison and Hetherington Limited offered the catalogued entry of 199 bulls and 46 females to a packed ringside of buyers.

Netherwood Umpire

Netherwood Umpire, Junior Male Champion bred and exhibited by A Woodburn & Sons, Netherwood Farm, Muirkirk, Ayrshire sold for the new breed record of 11,000gns to Border Club enthusiast Mark Bousfield, Widewath, Askham, Penrith. Mark selected this young black and white bull by Blue Stone Mr Motivator ET for his dams breeding Canvin Iraine who is by Platinum George ET and out of Boston Fire Fly ET. He has great mobility and shape, and will be run with Mark’s small suckler herd and possibly some of his Pedigree females. Auctioneer David Dickinson commented that without a doubt this has been the largest show of Belgian Blues sold at Borderway. The overall quality of stock on offer was well up to the usual high standard at this event. Trade throughout the sale was on a buoyant note with the prices achieved, exceeding many vendors’ expectations, resulting in 19 bulls selling for 5,000gns and above, and 149 bulls averaging £3,369.87, with very few bulls leaving the ring unsold and 42 more bulls sold on the year. British Linalux and the British Blue Cattle Society jointly sponsored the show and sale.

Bringlee Titus

Phillip Cleiren, de la Houlette herd in Belgium had the difficult task of judging the tremendous show of cattle. He awarded the Intermediate Male, Overall Male & Supreme Championship to Bringlee Titus ET an August 2001 son of Baron, who is noted for his high weight gains. His dam Astbury Port ET is an all black cow, who has won many prizes at numerous shows. Titus who is dark in colour and has an EBV of 24, which puts him in the top 1% of the breed was the single entry of JG Brindley, The Lees, Adderley, Market Drayton, Shropshire who is up for election as a council member at the Society’s forthcoming AGM, which is to be staged at Border Club member George Bowe’s, Chalk Lodge, Dalston on 29th May. Titus was sold for the second highest price of the day 10,000gns to GH & NM Jones & Sons, Ty-Isaf Farm, Builth Wells, Powys.

Springfield Trueman

Next at 8,000gns was the 5th prize-winner Springfield Trueman ET who is full brother to Springfield Tinga, who was Reserve Champion and sold for 4,000gns at the Inaugural Premier Society Show & Sale at Carlisle November 2002. This May 2001 born blue bull is by President and out of the noted Ovatie Van de Wolvendree cow, was bred and exhibited by Allan & Deirdre Wilkinson, Springfield Farm, Out Rawcliffe, Preston. The successful bid came from S & D Blaylock, Newbigging Farmhouse, Oxnam, Jedburgh. Also from the same good stable was Springfield Tudor who stood 3rd in his class and sold for 7,500gns. This almost all black bull is out of a very good Galopeur cow Springfield Rhapsody ET and by the popular Franchi. Tudor travels to Yorkshire for Messrs S & A Taylor, Dearne House Farm, Huddersfield. Allan (who is also up for election at the AGM) & Deirdre successfully sold 7 bulls to average £5,430.00.

Local breeders BK Ryder & Sons, Newton Farm, Annanwater, Moffat purchased an exceptional bull for 7,500gns from Settle breeders’ Messrs Coates, Rainscar Farm, Stainforth, N Yorkshire one of the founder members of the British Belgian Blue Cattle Society. Greystone The Boss is by their imported stock bull Adagio du Stordeur and out of their homebred cow Olive. Adagio also sired Greystone Turbo who has been sold to Genus.

Boomer UpTownGirl

Females sold to a joint top price of 4,200gns, the first through the ring was the 2nd prize junior maiden heifer Boomer Up Town Girl ET who is by the renowned Alambic and out of the Junior Royal Show Champion 2000 Astbury Port ET, who is also dam of the aforementioned supreme champion Bringlee Titus. Up Town Girl already has an impeccable show record; this 16-month-old heifer was Best Beef Calf Stafford, Champion Calf Cheshire, Champion Belgian Blue Calf Nantwich and second overall Baby Beef Birmingham Primestock Show. Signing the cheque was TP Radford, Holme Farm, Grantham, Lincs. Also joining Mr Radford’s Kelby Herd at 3,400gns is the Female Champion and winner of the Border Club’s Challenge Trophy for the Best Animal Opposite Sex to the Champion Beckfarm Una the single entry of Mrs A Tyson, Beck Farm, Millom. Una also a 16-month-old white maiden heifer has won many shows including Champion Belgian Blue and Reserve Beef Champion Westmorland County Show 2002. She is by Seduisant whose sons have sold to 10,000gns at Carlisle and out of Beckfarm Rose who was supreme champion Westmorland show 2000.

Mr R Barker, Stockasteads, Bewcastle, Carlisle went to the sale with the intention of buying a bull to run with his Limousin x heifers, but when he got there he was so impressed with the nature and quality of cattle on offer he purchased a number of females of exceptional conformation to establish his own herd. He has toyed with the idea of Belgian Blues for a while and took this opportunity to buy. For 4,200gns he took home the 3rd prize-winning Wold Newton bred heifer Sage who sold with her first calf at foot, an October 2002 born white bull, Annanwater Usher, and in-calf to Annanwater Rocky. BK Ryder & Sons, Moffat were the vendors. Also from the same good home was Annanwater Penny a 2nd prize-winner, which was knocked down for 3,400gns. This Philipper bred October 1998 blue and white heifer was sold with her January 2003 born blue and white heifer calf at foot Annanwater Vanity.

The Border Belgian Blue Club Special Trophy was presented to Messrs Brass & Bellas, Barnskew, Maulds Meaburn, Penrith for Mullinary Topper who was bred in Ireland. This white September 2001 born 1st prize-winning bull was sold for 3,000gns to J Wood & Sons, Kinnerton Farm, Pontesbury, Shropshire.

Averages:-	£ ( + or - May 2002)
48 senior bulls	3675.00 ( - £288.75)
50 Intermediate Bulls	3750.59 ( + £344.09)
51 Junior Bulls	2709.41 ( - £1,350.59)
149 Bulls overall	3369 .87 ( - £249.69)
16 heifers	1922.82 ( + £32.82)
13 Cows and heifers unserved	2104.04 ( - £74.71)

Other leading prices: -
Bulls
Jane Wyllie’s “Tamhorn Tyrone ET” 6,200gns to DR Evans & Son, Ystradfaelog, Trefeglwys, Caersws, Powys. 1st in class 4, Senior Male, Reserve Overall Male & Reserve Supreme Champion.

RM Birch’s “Boomer Tigger ET” 6,200gns to AJ & FM Harrison, Grange Hall, Great Asby, Appleby, Cumbria. 2nd in class 4 & Reserve Senior Male Champion.

Martin Grayshon’s “Riva Hill Triumphant” 6,200gns to J Robertson & Son (Becks) & Co, The Becks, Langholm, Dumfriesshire. 2nd in class 8.

Michele Wilde’s “Ridge Dean Thomas” 6,000gns to ES & CA Bindloss, Eycott Farm, Berrier, Penrith, Cumbria. 3rd in class 3.

AJ & DA Wilkinson’s “Springfield Taylor” 6,000gns to TG Taylor, The Gilts, Crosby Ravensworth, Penrith, Cumbria. 4th in class 5.

Jane Wyllie’s “Tamhorn Tomahawk ET” 6,000gns to Mr & Mrs SE Jones & Dtrs, Coedmore Hall, Lampeter, Dyfed. 4th in class 9

latest news

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