Limousin highlight sees Tomschoice double top at mart

A fifth calver cow with her three-month-old heifer calf bettered the boys for a change to bag the overall championship for Tomschoice, while one of their 2019 bulls claimed top price honours of 6,200gns (£6,510) at the North Yorkshire mart’s premier breed fixture.

Taking top call on price was a December-born intermediate bull, Tomschoice Percy, who finished third in his show class and is son of the 14,000gns Goldies Nicholas, bred near Dumfries by the renowned Goldie family, and which stood as stock bull at Hill Top Farm until sale day.

Bred from the Carwin Icaros daughter, Tomschoice Mercy, which puts him in the top 1% of the breed’s EBVs for gestation, Percy will now be put through his paces by new owners, Kirklees husband and wife, Matthew and Emma Shaw, who run the Pleashaw herd in Shelley, near Huddersfield. He will be utilised solely for pedigree breeding on their small Limousin herd in the hope of producing some top-notch show progeny.

The 2017-born Goldies Nicholas himself made an appearance in the Skipton sale ring as a senior bull as he is now back to his own daughters and, though not shown, clearly remains in great nick, his EBVs and progeny ensuring he received a good following when making 5,700gns and going to Cumbria with KG Burrow, of Dent, Sedbergh.

A Nicholas daughter, Tomschoice Roxy, picked up the red rosette in the 2020-born maiden heifer show class, also standing reserve female champion. By the Kaprico Eravelle daughter, Tomschoice Ici, and a maternal sister to Tomschoice Onslow, who sold privately to ABS Genus and is reported to be breeding extremely well for them, Roxy topped the maiden heifer prices at 2,300gns, heading to the same neck of the woods as her sire when joining Cautley’s S Whitehead.

The title winner, also female champion, was the 2013-born cow Tomschoice Ibiza, by the Haltcliffe Vermount son, Tomschoice Falcon, who was a former first prize winner at the Limousin National Show. The dam, Tomschoice Fiesta, whose own sire, Brontemoor Aceofspades, bred by the Priestleys in Cumbria, made a real impression on the North Yorkshire herd, was herself reserve champion and top price 4,200gns female as an eight-year-old at Skipton’s 2018 Limousin showcase.

The victor’s February-born calf, Tomschoice Siesta, is by the herd’s current stock bull, Scorboro Nero, and it was the sweet youngster which really impressed Welsh show judge, Colin Lewis, who runs the Garyvaughan herd in Welshpool and noted: “The dam is a very good cow with an exceptional calf which caught my eye as soon as she came into the ring.” The supreme champion duo remained in North Yorkshire when joining Malton’s Tim Vickers for 3,300gns.

Mr Lewis also described his champion and reserve in the male section as “outstanding bulls.” Both came from Procters Farm in Slaidburn and were got by AI to the same sire, the Haltcliffe Doctor son, Goldies Jazz, who has also produced some nice females for Procters Farm

First up and winning one of the three intermediate bull show classes, before being tapped out as intermediate, then reserve male champion, was Proctors Portillo, a December, 2019, natural calf out of the Haltcliffe Genesis-bred Procters Myleina, a young cow from an extremely fertile female line going right back to Greenwell Leiha in the days when the Procters herd was first established over 20 years ago.

Myleina’s great granddam, the imported French cow, Renoncule, produced the famous Haltcliffe Vermount, bought by Procters Farm in 2006 for a then world record price for a Limousin bull of 100,000gns. Portillo steamed to 5,900gns when making tracks to North Craven with Chapel-le-Dale’s Jeff Pickles.

Winning one of the junior bull show class, before becoming junior male, then male champion and reserve supreme champion, was the March, 2020, Procters Rambo, whose dam, Glenrock Diamante, was acquired five years ago and has bred consistently, producing bulls to 24,000gns and heifers to 8,500gns. Rambo will be strutting his stuff in the Hodder Valley after falling to Thomas Robinson, of Catlow, Slaidburn, for 5,600gns.

Again supported by the North East Limousin Breeders Club (NELBC), the fixture produced solid trade for strong intermediate bulls, though trade for junior bulls was more selective.

Having said that, the junior bull section has a reputation for producing future stars and the Mason family’s local Oddacres herd in Embsay came forward with the much admired Oddacres Reggie, a 15-month-old son of Procters Major, bred from Oddacres Lady, a daughter of their top performing French import Gallois, who has left such a strong stamp on the herd.

Described as probably the pick of this year’s bulls – the dam’s full brother was also reserve champion at the 2019 Craven Limousin Day fixture – Reggie remained in the area when knocked down for second top call of 6,000gns to the Walker family in Appletreewick.

Oddacres, run by John and Claire Mason, and their daughter Annabel, NELBC secretary, also did well with two further March, 2020, junior bulls again by Procters Major, hitting 4,600gns with Oddacres Ronnie, out of another Gallois daughter, Oddacres Marriot, which also sold locally to Roland Carr in Bolton Abbey, then 2,900gns with a second prize winner, Oddacres Republic.

Major was once more on the mark when one of his 11-month-old maiden heifer daughters, Oddacres Revue, did well at 1,900gns. She is out of their 12-year-old fully French cow, Elue, who has bred quality bulls and females, many of which have been retained in the herd.

Making his debut at the fixture was Geoff Hadfield, who runs the Willowbank herd in Littlemoss village, near Droylsden in Greater Manchester. He made an immediate impact by taking first prize in an intermediate bulls show class with Willowbank Patrick, an October, 2019, son of his French import, Macaroni, bred out of Willowbank Megan, herself by Trueman Jagger. The well conformed young bull sold for 5,000gns to Alan Knowles, of Edisford Bridge, Clitheroe. Mr Hadfield also sold a third prize junior bull again by Macaroni for 2,000gns.

Back with the females, D&A Blockley, who run the Kentucky herd in Drighlington, Bradford, produced the 2015-born third calver, Procters Livine, an Ampertaine Foreman bred cow sold with her smart Lodge Hamlet January heifer calf for 4,100gns, again to Cumbria’s S Whitehead.

South Yorkshire’s Stephen Wilde, of the Ewdenvale herd in Bradfield, Sheffield, won the first of the intermediate bull show classes with Ewdenvale Pesto, a July, 2019, son of the 70,000gns Ampertaine Magnum. The red rosette winner, whose dam, Ewdenvale Isabelle, is said to be the best cow in the herd, made 3,000gns, as did the third prize bull in the same show class, the April, 2019, Trueman Jagger son, Craglane Pathfinder, from Mark Crabtree’s herd in Kettlesing, Harrogate.

Again travelling down from Cumbria and among the prizes were fixture regulars, the Priestley family, who run the Brontemoor herd in Kirkcambeck, near Brampton. Best on price for them at 4,800gns was a second prize September, 2019, intermediate bull, Brontemoor Profiler, an AI son of Guards Boomer, himself by Rocky, out of the home-bred Brontemoor Lightning. The bull sold locally to Addingham’s Nigel Garth.

A first prize January, 2020, junior bull, Brontemoor Richie, by Trueman Idol, made 2,800gns, while another intermediate bull show class runner-up, Brontemoor Paramore, a November, 2019, son of Crossdykes Goliath, made 2,600gns.

The Nutter family – mum and dad, David and Gemma, and their three children, Alex, Joe and Beth – who run the Whitlee herd in Higham, near Burnley – also picked up a junior bull red rosette with Whitlee Richard, an April, 2020, son of their own Whitlee Maestro, out of a Cloughhead dam, which made 2,500gns. A second junior bull and third prize winner from the same home, the February, 2020, Goldies Jazz son, Whitlee Rupert, sold for 2,200gns.

Last, but not least, the first prize 2019-born maiden heifer came from Ian and Angela Grisedale’s Angiean herd at Crooklands, near Milton in Cumbria. Their June, 2019, Angiean Pinkgin, by Ampertaine Gigolo, out of Norman Marcey, shown successfully as a heifer, sold for 1,800gns.

The 81 head forward achieved an excellent clearance rate. Top prices and averages: Senior Bulls to 5700gns (av £5985), Intermediate Bulls to 6200gns (av £3628), Junior Bulls to 6000gns (av £2871), Maiden Heifers to 2300gns (av £1620), Cows Incalf/with calves at foot to 4300gns (av £2575). Other chief prices are at www.ccmauctions.com