BCCS September Newsletter 2022

Stirling February
Ronaldinho
scores at
Stirling
Judge Jim Muirhead
Top price at 24,000gns Harestone Ronaldinho
It was once again time for the
Charolais breed to return to the Stirling
Bull Sales, hosted by United Auctions,
over the course of Monday 21 to
Tuesday 22 February 2022. The event
saw a plethora of high-quality animals
offered for sale, with a total of 105
bulls and 2 heifers changing hands.
The bull sale reached a maximum price
of 24,000gns, with an 89% clearance
rate and an average price of £8317
– up £1196 on last February’s sale.
Heralding a return to the bustling
pre-Covid Charolais trade, a total of
28 bulls reached a final price over
10,000gns, and 44 sold for between
5,000gns and 9,500gns. This sale
marked a phenomenal new centre and
breed record, smashing the previous
records set at Stirling in October 2021.
The Society Chairman, Allen Drysdale,
said of the event: “A sensational
day for the breed with a new centre
and breed record set for the second
consecutive sale, with commercial
buyers willing to go to 20,000gns to
secure the bull of their choice. This
highlights the superior attributes of
the Charolais-sired suckled calf and the
increasing demand for them through
the store ring.”
Reaching that all-important top
price of 24,000gns was 1st-in-class
HARESTONE RONALDINHO from
the herd of R & N Barclay of Insch,
Aberdeenshire. Ronaldinho was
sired by Goldies Oasis, who sold for
23,000gns at Stirling in 2019, and his
dam is Harestone Nigella, a daughter
of the popular AI bull Hermes. This
cracking young 18-month-old boasts
growth EBVs in the top 1% of the breed
across the board, and caught the eye
of winning bidders D F W H & N R
Walter of Balthayock, Perthshire and C
Smeaton of Inverarity, Angus who will
be taking him under joint ownership.
The next highest price, at 21,000gns,
was achieved by GOLDIES ROCKY, a
19-month-old from H Goldie’s herd in
Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire. Rocky is one
of the last bulls offered for sale out of
prolific sire Gretnahouse Heman, who
is a trait leader in
both calving ease
and growth EBVs.
Rocky’s dam is the
homebred Goldies
Dignity, a daughter
of the 30,000gns
Dingle Hofmeister.
Winning the bid
and taking Rocky
home is J Wilson
& Sons of Alford,
Aberdeenshire.
The hammer came
down a total of
three times for the
next highest price
of 20,000gns, firstly
for the Senior and
Goldies Rocky at 21,000gns
Reserve Overall Champion WESTCARSE
RULER. Ruler marks vendor Catherine
MacGregor’s first foray into showing
& selling Charolais bulls, and what an
incredible start it is. This impressive
22-month-old was sired by the easycalving
Nuthampstead Judas, and his
dam is Westcarse Milly, a daughter
of Mortimers Highlandfling. Ruler
will be making the journey over to
Biggar, Lanarkshire, where he will be
introduced to the herd of winning
bidder C J Wight.
Next to reach 20,000gns was 1stin-class
SILVER REBEL from the
herd of D A Harman of Chesham,
Buckinghamshire. Rebel is a son of the
easy-calving Balthayock Musketeer, and
12
- No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet -
September newsletter 22.indd 12 16/09/2022 14:57:37