Limo show discovers stars in the making

Tommy and Jennifer Sedgwick and their son Ian, of Gallaber Farm, Burton-in-Lonsdale, saw their senior bull Gallaber Freddie knocked down for 4,800 guineas (£5,040) to David and Martin Wilson, of Crimple Head Farm, Beckwithshaw.

The two-year-old son of Melbrek Charriot, out of Gallaber Umist, is a half-brother to Gallaber Empire, who fetched 5,000gns (£5,250) at last year’s fixture.

Supreme champion of the day according to the judge was Copperhurst Fuller, an August 2010 bull from Andrew Howarth of Whitefield, Bury, which sold for 3,400gns to AR and J Alsop & Sons, of Dacre.

Reserve champion was a junior bull, the 15-month-old Tomschoice Galahad, from James and Sarah Cooper at Dacre. He joined RC Robinson & Partners, of Newton Kyme, for 3,200gns.

The judge’s favourite senior bull, Coach House Fairfax, born April 2010, was presented by Barry and Gill Heald, of Grove, Retford and sold for 4,500gns to Mark Throup, of Malham.

John and Claire Mason, who run the Oddacres herd at Embsay, came forward with the second prize junior bull, the 14-month-old Oddacres Grizzly, by the herd’s stock bull Homebyres Dixon, acquired for 10,500gns in 2009.

Grizzly’s dam is Oddacres Dazzler, whose breeding lines stretch back to the renowned Champerval herd in France. With great potential for the future, he found a new home in Calderdale with D & S Hollings, of Pecket Well, for 3,100gns.

The Oddacres herd, whose annual production sale is fast becoming an established highlight in the breed calendar, dominated the female section, landing both championship and reserve honours with top-class youngsters.

Their champion, senior maiden heifer Oddacres Figurine, fetched a top call of 3,100gns from Bill Cowperthwaite of Malham Moor. The reserve, junior maiden heifer Oddacres Goldern, sold for 1,700gns to RH & C Ayrton of Abbeystead in the Forest of Bowland.

Senior bulls averaged £3,948, intermediate bulls £3,315 and junior bulls £2,746: an overall average of £3,091.

The sale was the second day of Skipton’s annual two-day Limousin highlight. The day before was given over to the Northern Limousin Extravaganza, an annual show of pedigree and cross-bred Limousins that has become a traditional early outing for youngsters with show potential. On their first foray into the pedigree show arena, Garrowby Farms, of Garrowby, York, exhibited the overall supreme champion – Garrowby Gizmo, a 13-month-old son of the renowned Glenrock Ventura. Owner Clive Rowland is now planning to try his new star at the Great Yorkshire Show.

James and Sarah Cooper were reserve supreme champions, with 14-month-old Tomschoice Gladstone, who will be paraded again at Otley and the Great Yorkshire before being sold this autumn.