Bidding at Allendale and Days Whiteface stud's 23rd annual sale on Monday at Bordertown hit top gear mid way through the catalogue with an exceptional carcase bull making $40,000.
Steve and Debbie Reid, Talbalba stud, made the long trip from Millmerran in southern Qld worthwhile securing lot 34, Days Kingswood Q139, offered by sale hosts Lachy and Lou Day, Days Whiteface stud.
This was the equal highest price for a bull of any breed sold at a SA on-property sale this year.
Mr Reid said they recognised Kingswood as a "stud sire prospect" from the online video and in the flesh they had found him to be just as special, a very correct bull with a lot of muscularity.
Adding to the June 2019 drop's appeal was the indexes all in the top 10 per cent of the breed and an exceptional eye muscle figure of +7.4- in the top 1pc of the breed.
"We have had good success with bulls that we have had from here including Days Executive we bought for $45,000 in Dubbo five years ago and another couple of semen sires so we were confident he will do a job for us," he said.
Pushing the Reids all the way was underbidder Tom Honner, Minlacowie stud, Brentwood.
Kingswood Q139 was a son of Days Godfather N22 sold at the 2019 sale for $16,000.
It was just one of the highs in an outstanding result where 83 of 85 Poll Hereford bulls offered by Lachy and Lou, along with Alastair and Jayne Day from the Allendale stu found homes in for a $10,627 average.
Days Whiteface stud sold 46 of its 47 bulls for a $10,978 average, while Allendale sold 37 of 38 bulls for a $10,189 average.
With a huge crowd at the sale and an onslaught of bids from AuctionsPlus it was no surprise the sale was a success with the average lifting more than $3000 on 2020's sale and an extra 27 bulls sold.
The flurry of bidding continued late into the sale with lot 87, Days Indicator Q212, another Godfather son selling for the sale's $24,000 second highest price.
It was bought by the England family, The Snuggery, Kingston SE.
A few lots later, Coryule Pastoral Co, Willowvale, Vic, bought lot 89, Days Kilimanjaro Q214 for $20,000 to add to lot 19 for the same money earlier in the sale.
In a sign of the two studs' standing in the whiteface breed the buyers' list included several of the nation's most respected studs.
Among these Injemira stud, Book Book, NSW,, secured lot 36, Days Q195 for $18,000 and Glendan Park, Barfold, Vic, outlaid $15,000 for lot 10, Days Kenya Q106.
Two sons of Allendale Chisel L3 shared the limelight for Allendale stud's $18,000 top price honours in a very even draft from the stud.
Herefords Australia chairwoman Trish Worth, Kilkerrin stud, Mt Jagged, secured the first of these lot 2, Allendale Gallipoli Q003, with fellow Adelaide Hills stud, Monterey.
Ms Worth said it was the first stud sire she had bought sight unseen but trusted the high praise of several breeders who had inspected the bull prior to the sale for her.
"We were looking for a bull that could be used over heifers but not a heifer bull and one we could use later over stud cows too," she said.
"We liked his pedigree and his figures were very good.
"The prices are good (for cattle) these days and I have often said if you are breeding them you might as well be breeding good ones."
Scott and Fleur Harlock, Harlock Pastoral, Bool Lagoon, also went to $18,000 for their pick, lot 42, Allendale Imperial Q113.
Imperial Q113 had a low birth weight in the top 10 per cent of the breed and was out of a female who bred one of the reference sires in the sale.
Central Australian buyers made their presence felt with 23 bulls headed to stations around Alice Springs.
Lachie and Paddy Weir, Todd River Pastoral, who were in the stands secured 10 bulls between $5000 and $8000, while Mount Doreen Station and Undoolya Station both operated online.
Mount Doreen bought nine bulls for a $6889 average and Undoolya secured four bulls to a $13,000 high, averaging for $8500 their buys.
Heading south, Avon Park Oakley, Dartmoor, Vic, secured seven bulls to $12,000 three times, averaging $9143 and GA Young &Sons, Kalangadoo, bought five bulls to $9000, averaging $7400.
Lachy Day was "thrilled" with the result, especially the return of strong NT support which had been missing for the last couple of years due to a run of dry seasons.
"There were some new clients but most were existing clients, it is great to have their continued support and see cattle with good data selling well," he said.
When you walk in here the first thing you notice is the evenness of the bulls from both studs which is a good sign if you are a purchaser.
- Ross Milne, Elders
Alastair Day agreed it was a great sale with strong prices continuing well into the catalogue.
He noted that the Chisel L3 sons from his offering had again sold well after one topped last year's Allendale draft too.
Elders stud stock auctioneer Ross Milne said it was a pleasing to see a big lift in average at the sale but buyers still received good value.
"When you walk in here the first thing you notice is the evenness of the bulls from both studs which is a good sign if you are a purchaser," he said.
Nutrien SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood - who shared the auctioneering duties - said it was a "fantastic result" with a huge geographical spread of buyers from the high rainfall but also the arid zones.
"With only two bulls left out of 85 that is the most bulls we have sold here at Allendale, Days Whiteface so that is comforting and an endorsement in the program that what the guys are doing here is working," he said.
Mr Wood said the two studs' emphasis on performance data had translated into many of the bulls on offer in the top 10pc and even top 1pc of the breed for traits. This was an added attraction for many buyers.
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