May 14, 2020 Inaugural Charolais Online Auction Tops at £10,000

With the ban on pedigree breeding sales in the livestock markets due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Harrison and Hetherington developed their online marketing to include timed auctions, so that the pedigree breeders had a legitimate outlet at which to sell their bulls.
The Charolais sale which was due to take place at Borderway mart in the 9 May was converted into the new online timed auction format, which started on Friday 8 and concluded on Tuesday 12 May. A total of 19 Charolais bulls found new homes to average £5,021 with bidding peaking at £10,000 and eight lots trading at £5000 and above.

Topping the lots at £10,000 was the November 2018-born Solwayfirth Oneal, , who was purchased by John Wight and Sons, Biggar, Lanarkshire. This bull is the first to be sold by the 11,500gns Glenericht Majestic, who has so far produced over 40 progeny for the herd since his purchase in October 2017. His dam is Solwayfirth Ingrid, a daughter of the Perth supreme champion Blackford Samson.

Oneal has some impressive figures with a Terminal Index of +63 and Self Replacing Index of +60, placing him in the top 10% of the breed. He also has a copy of both the F94L and Q204X myostatin genes in his DNA. He was bred and exhibited by Ian and Dorothy Goldie, Annan, Dumfriesshire, who had a great day selling all four bulls they had entered to average £5,525.

“I’m delighted with our trade and really pleased that H&H have set up this new online system so quickly,” said Ian. “I feel that we would never have achieved a price of £10,000 in the current situation without this. These are the first four sons of Majestic we’ve sold, and hopefully there’ll be some more in the pipeline for February.”

The second highest price of £9,000 was paid for Mornity Pedro, an entry from Jack Nicoll Farms, Blairgowrie, Perthshire. Sire verified as by the renowned 14,000gns Westcarse Houdini, and he’s out of the exceptional breeding of Guthrie Laura who goes back to Falleninch Hamzoraj. His TI of +66 places him in the top five percent of the breed. He’s also amongst the top one percent of the national herd for 200 day weight, and the top five percent for 400 and 600 day weight gain, and was purchased by Tom Story, Greenburn, Dumfriesshire.

At £7,400 the next highest priced lot was the October 2018-born Goldies Orchard who boasted the highest Terminal Index and Self Replacing Index in the sale catalogue at +86 and +76 respectively, placing him in the top one percent of the breed and he also has two copies of the F94L myostatin gene.

Another to be fully parentage verified, his dam is the 15,000gns Gretnahouse Heman-sired Goldies Lottie and his sire is the 10,500gns Tweeddale Matador, a prolific show winner whose accolades include the National show junior championship. Orchard was purchased by Ouston Farms, Lobley Hill, Tyne and Wear, and he was bred and consigned by Hamish Goldie, Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire.

An entry from RM Adam and Son, Forfar, Angus, was the next top selling bull at £6,800 and he goes on to work in Caernarfon, Gwynedd for new owner Ifan Thomas. Newhouse Olympus, a 17 month-old with a myostatin status of F94L-1, Q204X-1, who has also been fully parentage verified, is out of the 26,000gns Maerdy Hearthrob daughter Newhouse Lass, and sired by the 28,000gns Perth supreme champion Brampton Nacodar.

At £5,100 was the 21 month-old Retties Oasis from Richard and Carol Rettie, Methven, Perthshire. The popular AI bull Davally Illusion is the sire here and his dam is Retties Harmony, a daughter of the 10,000gns Stirling senior champion Chunal Dougie. He was purchased by JC Rennie and Son, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.

Three bulls achieved bids of £5,000 and the first was Gretnahouse Onside, an October 2018-born lad who is fully parentage verified. He has an impressive calving ease score (+11.6), which positions him in the top 10% of the national herd and he also has a copy of the Q204X myostatin gene. His sire is the 12,000gns Carlisle reserve senior champion Wesley Equinox and his dam Gretnahouse Maradise is a first calving daughter of the 17,000gns Balthayock Gladiator. He was offered for sale by Alasdair Houston, Gretna Green, Dumfriesshire, and was purchased by R and J Stannard, Bethersden, Kent.

Matching the £5,000 price tag when he was snapped up by John Nelson, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, was Glenericht Oger an entry from WK and P Drysdale, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, who places in the top five percent of the breed with a TI of +69 and in the top one percent for SRI with a score of +70.

He also places in the top 20% for calving ease, gestation length and 200-day weight, top five percent on 400 day weight and top 15% for 600 day weight gain. An October 2018-born bull who boasts two copies of the F94L gene, he is sire verified to the 12,000gns Caylers Gladiator and his dam Glenericht Gigi goes back to the popular AI sire Blelack Digger who has added over 2,000 progeny into the national herd.

Another who was bid to £5,000 was Mark McGahan’s 15 month-old Chunal Primeminister from Hadfield, Derbyshire, who was the second easiest calving bull in the catalogue at +14.5 and has a myostatin status of F94L-1. His dam is the 12,000gns Wesley Equinox-sired Chunal Mistletoe and he is sire verified as by the Yorkshire-bred Whitecliffe James. He’s off to work for Andrew Wilson in Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire.

Next in the trade stakes at £4,800 was Solwayfirth Ozzy, a November 2018-born bull from the aforementioned Ian and Dorothy Goldie, who has a myostatin status of F94L-1. Sire verified to Glenericht Majestic, his dam is Solwayfirth Hayley, a daughter of the homebred Solwayfirth Bandit. He was snapped up by Mark Jones-Davies and Co, Brecon, Powys.

The Goldies success didn’t stop there, and their other top lot sold when a bid of £4,200 secured Solwayfirth Oliver for Scott Hiddleston, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire. The 17 month-old Oliver is again sire verified to Glenericht Majestic, is out of the Solwayfirth Bandit-sired Solwayfirth Heather, and has one copy of the F94L myostatin gene in his genetics.

Achieving a top bid of £4,300 was Harestone Oasis, an entry from R and N Barclay, Insch, Aberdeenshire. Born in November 2018 and a carrier of the Q204X gene, he is fully parentage verified and sired by the Highland show supreme champion Harestone Jaquard, while his dam is Knockmahon Jane, who goes back to Cloverfield Excellent. He was purchased by A and B Fisher, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire.

The star of the female section was the 2019 Royal Welsh show reserve junior female champion Bassett Oakleaf, who was offered for sale by Brailes Livestock, Banbury, Oxfordshire. She is a January 2018-born heifer who was bred in North Yorkshire by Jean Atkinson and was sold AI’d to Westcarse Houdini to Kenneth Hall and Son, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, for £5,600. Her sire is the 10,000gs Harestone Domino and she is bred out of Bassett Ebony, a daughter of the 16,000gns Perth junior champion Balmyle Vagabond.

The other top priced female seller at £3,000 was Bassett Olivia, a March 2018-born heifer who is sire verified to Whitecliffe Lacroix and one of the first to be sold by this bull. She is bred out of the 10,000gns Harestone Domino daughter Bassett Hifi, was bred and consigned by Jean Atkinson, Thorpe Bassett, North Yorkshire, and purchased by Lee hopwood, Littleborough, Lancashire.

Averages: 19 bulls: £5,021.05, four heifers: £3,362.50
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington Ltd.