On Monday 20 February, the Northern Ireland Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Club and its members gathered at Clogher Valley Mart, Co Tyrone, for its 2023 young stars show and sale.

The show was judged by the very well-known Gareth Corrie from Newtownards, Co Down, who is no stranger to the commercial cattle show ring.

Corrie selected Chris Johnston’s Johnstown Sapphire as the overall champion on the evening before she went on to sell for £13,000 (€14,762.15).

The October 2022-born pedigree Belgian Blue calf that weighed 260kg on the night sold to the UK after an opening bid of £6,000 (€6,813.30) and flew up in increments of £1,000 (€1,135.55) all the way to £13,000.

Empire cow

The Mountjoy Utopia heifer was bred from an Empire cow by Johnston from Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone. Johnstown Sapphire came from the same stable as the £36,000 (€40,879.80) Sassy Girl, which was sold at the 2022 Welsh Winter Fair.

She was purchased as an embryo by Emma Allen for her husband Allen Shortt and was co-owned with James and Katriona Little.

Second-highest priced animal and third-prizewinner, exhibited by Nathan Harvey, sold for £4,500 (€5109.98) to John Killen.

The second-highest price of the evening was a third-prizewinning four-month-old black Limousin heifer calf bred by Nathan Harvey and was purchased by John Killen for £4,500 (€5,109.98).

The November 2022-born calf was sired by Trueman Idol and was a full ET sister to last year's champion and a full ET sister to the 2019 Borderway Agri Expo baby beef champion.

Selling for the third-highest price of £4,400 (€4,996.42) was the first-prizewinning Limousin-cross heifer born in July 2022.

Following suit, her stable mate, which was selected by judge Gareth Corrie as the champion breeding heifer on the night, a July 2022-born Limousin-cross heifer sired by Jaegerbomb sold for £4,400 (€4,996.42) and was purchased by Anne Leonard.

She was out of an Empire dam, which was bred by Pearse McNamee and had an impressive sire stack, with Fury Action and EPI in the mix.

Reserve overall champion, exhibited by Dara Walker, sold for £4,350 (€4,939.64) to Dessie O’Hanlon.

Sired by CF52 (Doonally New) and bred from a red and white Belgian Blue cow, the next-highest price of the evening was secured for the reserve overall champion, a three-month-old calf weighing 225kg, when Dara Walker sold his Charolais-cross heifer for £4,350 (€4,939.64).

Following on, the next-highest price of the evening was £3,750 (€4,258.31) for a July 2022-born Limousin-cross heifer weighing 355kg.

Reserve champion breeding heifer, exhibited by Marcus Reynolds, sold for £2,450 (€2,782.10).

The reserve breeding heifer on the night exhibited by Marcus Reynolds sold for £2,450 (€2,782.10). The Limousin-cross July 2022-born heifer weighed 390kg on the night.