Bulls peaked at €9,000 twice while heifers peaked at €6,900 at the Irish Limousin Cattle Society’s autumn premier sale held in Roscrea Mart on Saturday.

With farmers often tending to prefer younger bulls in Ireland, it was two of the most senior bulls in the yard that achieved top honours in the pre-sale show and again under the hammer of the renowned George Candler.

Lot 1 Creegagh Rocko, a rising two-year-old bull, won his class and strove on to be awarded senior champion.

The Meredside Goldolphin-bred bull from a Grahams Unbeatable dam was later knocked down for the joint top price of €9,000 to an undisclosed buyer.

The bull is no stranger to success in the show ring, having been shown by owner Gareth McGuinness, Drogheda, Co Louth, in the Limousin National Show held at Tullamore earlier in the summer, where he collected the sash for national senior male champion.

Standing second in his class to the senior champion, Killcastle Saturno ET was so admired by judge Chris Neale of the UK-based Nealeford herd that he tapped him out as reserve to his senior champion.

Saturno was exhibited by Messrs A & P Kelly of Maymount farm, with the brothers seeing Saturno, a Ronick Hawk son from an Ampertaine Elgin dam, clinch joint-top price of the day when the hammer fell at €9,000.

A smaller showing of females did not lead to reduced quality.

Neale’s quality judging was again seen in the sales ring when his female champion of the day Templequain Sheeba topped the female section when she sold for €6,900.

Bred by Thomas O’Shea, Portlaoise, Co Offaly, the sweet Ampertaine Foreman heifer, with maternal grandsire being Grangeford Jojo ET, saw a flurry of bids both online and around the ring before the 14-month-old heifer was sold.

@martinmerrick3 Irish Limousin Autumn Premier 2022 with @IrishFarmersJournal #limousin #pedigreecattle #farmersjournal ? original sound - morgan

A full report including prices and pictures will be found in the Pedigree section of this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.