Borderway Mart in Carlisle was the place to be on Friday for the British Limousin Cattle Society red ladies and weaned calf show and sale.

The red ladies sale consisted of 44 breeding females, comprising three in-calf heifers and 41 maiden heifers.

This was followed by the sale of 58 weaned calves, made up of 13 bulls and 45 heifers.

Trade was on fire, with an overall clearance of 91% achieved.

Auctioneers Harrison and Hetherington reported an average of £5,600 for the three in-calf heifers, 30 maiden heifers averaged £5,930, seven bull calves averaged £3,870, while 38 heifer calves averaged out at £3,480.

Unique lady

Strutting her way to the highest price of 18,000gns was Ladybowers Unique, brought out by L J Whyte from Bamford in Hopevalley.

Born in January 2023, Unique is a daughter of the homebred sire Ladybowers Ohio, while her dam is the Ampertaine Foreman daughter Grahams Marjorie, which was purchased at the red ladies sale in 2017 for 10,000gns. She will now join Messrs Campbell's herd in Cairndow.

Mereside Unicorn, overall champion, which sold for 12,000gns. \ MacGregor Photography

Unique stood second in her class to the overall champion Mereside Unicorn, exhibited by R M Hazard and sons from Lincolnshire.

Sired by Jalex Superman, this January 2023-born heifer goes back to a homebred dam by Ampertaine Jamboree. She was knocked down at 12,000gns to Messrs Cairns from Nottinghamshire.

Irish genetics

Selling at 15,000gns was the stylish Glenrock Vesuvius, which claimed the heifer calf championship for breeders S and T Illingworth from Dumfries.

This rising one-year-old heifer calf is a daughter of the Irish-bred Powerful Irish and the Ampertaine Foreman-bred cow Eagleside Lafayette.

A single carrier of the F94L and NT419 myostatin genes, Vesuvius is a maternal sister to Glenrock Upstanding, the reserve supreme champion from Stirling in October.

Glenrock Vesuvius, heifer calf champion, which sold for 15,000gns. \ MacGregor Photography

Bred in Co Down by William Gabbie, Hollowdene Ulay, exhibited by Mary Cormack from Herefordshire traded, at 14,000gns.

This Claddagh McCabe-bred heifer is out of a Claragh Franco-bred cow and went to auction having secured a red ticket at the Stars of the Future show in November.

Once again, she stood top of the line in her class to take the red rosette before finding a new home in the sale ring.

Pick up a copy of this week’s Irish Farmers Journal to read all about it.