Ardcairnie sale sizzles to $9000 top

Everything was up at the Ardcairnie Angus bull sale last week - top price up $1000 and the average up $777, compared with last year.

A splendid result for Jim and Pam McGregor at their sale with a difference, where bulls are penned in groups for prospective buyers who walk among them to make their selections - and where there are reserve prices in the catalogue.

A total of 40 bulls were sold on the day - seven after the fall of hammer.

It was the bull in pen two which fetched the $9000 top price at the sale, with Elders in charge and Gary Preston in fine form as the auctioneer at Maybenup, the McGregors' property south of Kojonup.

The $9000 top price was just $100 short of the best price ever for Ardcairnie - in 2006 Te Mania paid $9100, Pam McGregor said.

Last week's $9000 April 2012-born bull - Ardcairnie H46 (AI) and a son of Lawson's Novak E313 - was bought by the Sudlow family's Kapari stud which is based at Northampton.

Elders stud stock manager Tim Spicer was phone-bidding on behalf of Tony Sudlow, who is a client of Gary Preston.

"Tony wanted a bull with high EMA figures and good muscle in general," Gary said after the sale.

"He was also after a moderately-framed bull - and he is structurally sound."

Ardcairnie H46 certainly starred in the EMA department - his EMA figure was 9, the highest in the catalogue - a big jump on the Angus breed average of 4.2.

His long-fed CAAB index figure was $126 where the breed average is $104. And his good 600, 400 and 200-day growth rates were 47, 85 and 110 respectively. The breed averages are 40, 75 and 95.

Other Angus studs to buy Ardcairnie bulls were Allegria Park at Esperance and Cookalabi at Coomberdale.

Allegria Park bought Ardcairnie H23 (AI) - sired by Sydgen Trust 6338 - for $4700, while Cookalabi bought Ardcairnie H134 (AI) - sired by Te Mania Berkley B1 - for $6400.

The second-top price at $8200 was paid for Ardcairnie H96 (AI) and bought by Bullrush Farm of Gingin. Bullrush also bought the first-offered bull Ardcairnie H2 (AI) at $4600.

The two third top-priced bulls fetched $7600 each and were bought by Trevelys Pty Ltd of Denmark.

A volume buyer was Blendon Downs of Albany who bought four bulls from the McGregors after the fall of hammer, while Stoney Enterprises of Gnowellen bought three bulls at $6200, $3400 (2).

Elders stud stock manager Tim Spicer said the sale was very strong.

"There were quite a few more potential buyers, with the quality being similar to last year," he said.

"The better bulls sold very well."

Ardcairnie bull sale *

_Under the hammer results _

Offered *55

Sold *33

Top price *$9000

Average *$4827