The Northern Ireland Limousin Cattle Club’s Ladies in Red show and sale turned out to be another record-breaking day, with prices soaring to 25,000gns(€28,344) and 14 lots changing hands for a record average of £8,115 (€9,200) per head.

Surpassing last year’s Ladies in Red record, and setting a new 25,000gns (€28,344) record for a Limousin female sold at an official auction in Northern Ireland, was William Gabbie, whose two-cow herd is based at Crossgar, Co Down.

The first-time exhibitor secured the pre-sale show’s reserve intermediate championship, and all his dreams came true when the home-bred Hollowdene Ulay topped the sale. This 13-month-old heifer was sired by the Ampertaine Foreman and Millbrook Gingerspice son, Claddagh McCabe, and bred from Norman Lacey, which was purchased for 5,500gns (€6,235) at Carlisle seven years ago.

James McKay, who runs 130 pedigree cows at Maghera, claimed the junior championship and supreme overall Ladies in Red plaudits for the second year in succession. The nine-month-old Ampertaine Ujlo ET has F94L and Q204X genes and came under the hammer at 20,000gns, selling to Tony and Jo Smith for the Smithy Herd, based at Jacobstow in Cornwall.

She is by Whinfellpark Lomu and bred from the Ampertaine Elgin daughter, Ampertaine Jlo – maternal sister to the 38,000gns Ampertaine Foreman and full sister to the 20,000gns Ampertaine Jackpot. Ampertaine Jlo also bred Ampertaine Squire who sold for 20,000gns at Carlisle in February 2023.

‘Stylish young heifer’

Judge Stephanie Dick, who runs the 20-cow Stephick Herd alongside her family’s 250-cow Ronick Herd at Stirling, said: “It has been a strong show with a very good top end in every class.