6,200gns secures Blonde Godfather bull

Alasdair McSporran of the Peebles-based Eilean Herd returned to Carlisle and successfully defended his top-price honours at the Spring Show and Sale of British Blonde cattle, Borderway Mart.  Having topped the corresponding sale fixture in 2012, he again secured the highest price of the day when selling Eilean Godfather for 6,200gns.  

A powerful Ballygowan Noble son out of Eilean Sparkle, dam of the record 9,000gn Eilean Fergus, Godfather had earlier captured the Senior, Overall Male and Supreme Championships under judge Roy Kinnish in the pre-sale show.  He now heads over the Irish Sea with buyers Farm Direct, Co Meath, Eire. 

Following in the prices at 4,500gns, and leading a strong team of bulls from the Hallfield Herd, was Hallfield Gerry from regular exhibitors Peter & James Weightman, County Durham.  A Blackwater Ainsley son, from a Ballygowan Noble-sired dam, he had been tapped forward earlier as the Junior Champion and went on to claim the Reserve Overall Male and Reserve Supreme rosettes.  He was knocked down to W Pate & Partners, East Lothian.

Trading at 3,800gns was the Reserve Senior Male Champion, Lochhead Gents Prefer Blondes from L Laird & Sons, Fife.  The May-2011 born bull, from homebred sire and dam lines, finds a new home at Buchlyvie, Stirling with purchasers Dougall Estates. 

A trio of bulls then went through the ring at the 3,000gns mark.  Hallfield Guy, another Blackwater Ainsley son from the Weightman family, was purchased by BJ Stonehouse, Scarborough. 

Eilean Govener, a 2^nd prize winner from A McSporran also commanded 3,000gns. By a homebred sire of French bloodlines, out of the same maternal line as the top price bull, he was snapped up by H Griffith, Caernarfon. 

Completing the run of 3,000gn bulls was yet another powerful Blackwater Ainsley son from the Hallfield team; the 2^nd prize winner Hallfield Garcia.  Buying this time was JJ Horn, Richmond for his Bushypark prefix.  

The sole female on offer; the 2010-born Brownhill Flo, shown by John Langhorn, then traded for 2,000gns.  Sired by Hallfield Albatross, she sold with an Abricot-sired bull calf at foot to Lucy Corner, Aycliffe, Co Durham for the Lucyland Herd.   

Averages – 8 Bulls  £3819.38, 1 Cow and Calf  £2100.00

———————————-