Limousin-cross sold at Skipton takes top beef honours at Otley

The champion steer, a Limousin-X, bred by Jeff Walker, of Dunsop Bridge, Lancashire, came from a Skipton sale of store cattle, in February, at £1,200.

The Mart reinforced its reputation as a Limousin showcase two weeks ago, with a Limousin Day from which North Craven father and son Jim and Ian Handley walked away with top honours.

The Handleys’ Gunnerfleet herd, at Chapel-le-Dale, Ingleton, has had a 12-year break from competition but returned in sparkling style.

Supreme champion of the day was senior bull Gunnerfleet Express, born in February 2009, sired by Scottish-bred Glenrock Ventura, bought by the Handleys in 2006. Express made 3,000gns when joining J Feather, of Hainworth Shaw, Keighley.

Another Handley bull, Gunnerfleet Unbeatable, born in January 2010, also fetched 3,000gns, from Brian Woodsworth, of Bolton Abbey.

North Craven exhibitors were responsible for the day’s top price when the second-prize senior bull, Gallaber Empire, from Tommy and Jennifer Sedgwick and their son, Ian, of Burton-in-Lonsdale, sold for 5,000gns to Matt Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, Colne.

The Sedgwicks also sold another senior bull, Gallaber Evolution, for 2,800gns to CJ & DM Metcalfe, Masham.

Overall reserve supreme champion was 23-month-old bull Coachhouse Emporio, from Nottinghamshire breeders Barry and Gill Heald. He sold for 2,500gns to DR Jackson & Son, Carnaby, Bridlington.

The fixture incorporated female stock from two of the region’s leading breeders, the Oddacres herd of John and Claire Mason, in Embsay, and Steven and Ruth Priestley’s Brontemoor herd, at Denholme, Bradford.

The Priestleys brought the female champion, 13-month-old Brontemoor Fawn, sold for 1,900gns to 19-year-old Sam Whitehead, of Cautley.

The Masons brought the reserve female champion, year-old Oddacres Flora, who joined Walter Wight, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, for 1,220gns.

The lower-profile Craven Limousin Extravaganza, a show-only event for young animals the following week, saw most of the pedigree honours divided between the Tomschoice herd of James and Sarah Cooper, of Dacre, Harrogate, and John Weatherill’s Millington Grange Estate, east of York.

In the commercial section, for Limousin-sired entrants, the Rice family, from Carlton, Yeadon, secured the championship with reserve honours falling to C R Fawcett, Sand Hutton, York.

For the full online version of the Yorkshire Post’s report on Otley Show, see http://tinyurl.com/3qvjwbs/ For the show picture gallery, see http://tinyurl.com/3wcways/

Next shows on the Yorkshire calendar will be run by the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers, at Pateley Bridge, on Sunday, June 5, and by Messingham Horse and Foal Show Society, at Messingham, near Scunthorpe, the same day.