Now in its second year, the Designer Genes Hereford sale organised by Josh Dowbiggin has quickly gained a phenomenal reputation.

Held at Shrewsbury Mart, 19 lots sold at the select sale to average a massive £5,062, making it the highest-averaging Hereford sale in UK history. This year’s sale also broke the record twice for the highest priced Hereford female sold at auction in the UK at 11,000gns and 10,200gns respectively.

Smashing the breed record was 16-month-old heifer Sky High 1 Lancome Lucy from Birch and Brindley. Lancome Lucy was supreme champion at the 2017 National Hereford Calf Show in Cirencester and also intermediate female champion at the National Poll Show in September.

One of the first Dendor 1 Murdock daughters to sell at auction, she was knocked down at 11,000gns to Irish partners Gouldingpoll Herefords and Intelagri. The Gouldingpoll Hereford herd is owned and managed by Matthew Goulding and family while the Intelagri herd is owned by Roy Beattie.

Speaking after the sale, Matthew Goulding said: “She is the best Hereford heifer I have ever seen, with a pedigree to match. I am passionate and determined to have one of the best polled Hereford herds in the world and I felt Lancome Lucy was a must to have in our breeding programme.”

The dynamic Irish partnership wasn’t finished there, as they also secured the pick of globally renowned Romany herd for 6,000gns. This offers the successful bidders the chance to pick from any of the heifer calves born at Romany from August 2017 to March 2018.

Another Sky High female was not far behind her record-breaking stable mate. Sky High 1 Danish Dream, another 16-month-old daughter of Dendor 1 Murdock, also breached the five-figure barrier when she sold for 10,200gns to the Bowendu Hereford herd of L and L Bowen.

The third and final Sky High female offered at the event was Sky High 1 Dainty Duchess. This October 2015-born heifer is no stranger to the Hereford world, being supreme champion at Shropshire County Show, reserve female champion at the Royal Welsh and third overall Hereford female of the year in 2017. Sold in calf to SMH Kingsize, she was knocked down to the Spartan herd of SC Hartwright for 7,500gns.

The only female offered from the famous Moralee herd of T and D Harrison was Moralee 1 Kate 2nd. Kate 2nd was junior female champion at both the Royal Highland and Great Yorkshire shows in 2017 and is sired by Romany 1 Frisky A84 F57.

Sold in-calf to the renowned Knightrider bull, whose progeny have averaged over 4,000gns at auction, Kate 2nd was sold to young Hereford breeder William Awan for 6,200gns.

The highest-priced horned female of the sale was Pulham Blossom 20th from PRJ and LR Vincent, Norfolk. Earlier in the day, Blossom 20th was crowned reserve female champion at the Hereford Cattle Breed Association’s Christmas calf show. Her pedigree genetics, combined from the UK and Australia, made her very popular on sale day. She was knocked down to S Taylor and D Marsh, Lancashire, for 5,200gns.

A pregnancy from the current Hereford female of the year Dendor 1 Jennefer 15th was also offered from the Sky High herd. The pedigree pregnant recipient carrying an embryo from this world-renowned female was knocked down to M Barber for 2,600gns.