Stirling: Blelack dispersal tops at 32,000gns and leads trade
Blistering hot trade for Blelack females saw prices peak at 32,000gns, with 31 lots making five figures or more on Monday 19 October.
Neil and Helen Massie and their son, Graeme, made the difficult decision to disperse their entire herd after Graeme had a heart attack in 2019. Decades of hard work were rewarded with phenomenal prices.
Sale topper was the three-year-old Blelack Princess Carina U902, sired by ONeills Black Bardolier and out of the Warrenho Emperor M425 daughter Blelack Princess Carina R508. She sold having run with Kilmaluag Eriskay and was the pick of Foxhill Farm, Cullompton, Devon.
Foxhill Farm also paid 30,000gns for her five-month-old heifer calf, Blelack Princess Carina X125, sired by Kilmaluag Eriskay T203.
Blelack Princess Carina U902 made 32,000gns and her five-month-old heifer calf made 30,000gns © Tim Scrivener
See also: Breconside outfit makes 23,000gns at Carlisle
Next at 28,000gns was the April 2017-born Blelack Princess Caroline T867, whose grandsire is also Warrenho Emperor M425.
This cow was sired by Weeton Evolution R447 and is the dam of the top-priced bull that made 24,000gns earlier in the day.
She sold having been served to Eriskay. She also headed back to Foxhill Farm, Devon, with a fourth lot, this time another Eriskay-sired heifer, Blelack Evora W014 (Lot 186), at 16,000gns.
Males
Bulls from the Blelack stud also dominated male trade.
Leading the Blelack pack when selling for the breed’s top price of 24,000gns was their April 2020-born Blelack Prince Cartier W035, sired by Blelack Dual Mine U913 and out of the Weeton Evolution R447 daughter Blelack Princess Caroline T867.
Blelack Prince Cartier W035 made 24,000gns © Tim Scrivener
This bull is within the top 1% of the breed, boasting a self-replacing index of 69. He was snapped up by G Fraser, Forfar, Angus.
Next best at 17,000gns was his stablemate, Blelack Bright Lad W025. This 18-month-old was sired by Tonley Jester Eric S318 and out of Blelack Beautiful Lady T883. The buyer was Henry Duncan, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries.
Blelack Bright Lad W025 made 24,000gns © Tim Scrivener
Selling for 11,000gns was the homebred 18-month-old Blelack Kasper W044, another by Blelack Dual Mine U913, but this time out of Blelack Karisma T850. He headed home with D Strachan and Son, Strathaven, Lanarkshire.
Next in the price stakes at 10,500gns was the 18-month-old Gordon Eton W533 from the late Gordon R Brooke, Earlston, Berwickshire.
Sired by Rawburn Joe Eric S249, he is out of Linton Gilbertines Ella P875 and is the highest-index bull ever sold by the herd with a terminal sire index (TSI) of +64 and self-replacing index (SRI) of +76, both within the top 1%. This one went to D Lindsay, By Kirriemuir, Angus.
At the same money, bidding was back with the Blelack herd when Blelack Earthquake W083 sold to 10,500gns.
Another Blelack Dual Mine U913 son, he is out of the Te Mania Berkley B1 daughter Blelack Evora R538 and is within the top 5% based on his TSI and SRI. The successful bidder was Seafield Pedigrees, Redditch.
Altogether the Massies sold four bulls to average £16,406 and grossed £65,625.
Averages: 42 bulls, £6,413 (+£1,362 on 2020) with a 68% clearance. Tonley: Five cows with calves at foot, £5,502; 17 cows, £5,114; seven bull calves, £3,525; six heifer calves, £2,800; five heifers, £2,856. Blelack dispersal: 26 cows with calves at foot, £6,344; 48 cows, £9,115; 26 bull calves, £4,592; 23 heifer calves, £6,656; 38 heifers, £6,853.