Santa sires bound for Qld

The Bassingthwaighte family's Yarrawonga Waco Santa Gertrudis stud, Wallumbilla, Qld, kicked off the sale with a winning bid of $9000 for the first bull offered.

Sale hosts the Tiller family sold Goolagong Horror H050, the reserve senior champion Santa Gertrudis bull at last year's Royal Adelaide Show, to one of Australia's top Santa studs.

By Yarrawonga Youtube and from a Goolagong Supreme daughter, the 932-kilogram bull impressed buyer Andrew Bassingthwaighte with its "overall complete package".

"I really admire his muscle, depth and body capacity, his excellent character and clean sheath - he's the overall package, you really can't fault him," he said.

"He's also got adequate growth rate, reproductively sound and comes from a good breeding background."

Horror H050 measured a sizable 44 centimetre scrotal circumference, with an eye muscle area of 118 square centimetres and rump and rib fat measurements of nine and five millimetres respectively, and a daily weight gain of 1.093kg.

Yarrawonga also secured another stud sire for $4500 in the 680kg, 15-month-old Walmona Valgard, which had a 1.372kg DWG, 101sqcm EMA and 41cm scrotal, as well as another bull for commercial use at $3000.

The second highest priced bull again came from the Goolagong stable, with TLC Pastoral, Alice Springs, securing supplementary bull Goolagong Jag J16 for $6500.

Jag J16 - by Yarrawonga Youtube from a Waco Madagascar daughter - hit the scales at 820kg with a 122sqcm EMA, 41cm scrotal and 1.404kg DWG.

TLC Pastoral bought two sires averaging $4750.

Volume buyer Phil Reid, Newenham Pty Ltd, Balhannah, paid $6000 for Goolagong Hurricane H044, another Youtube son, in a draft of six bulls which averaged $3500.

Ernie Pty Ltd, through Quality Livestock Kimba, took five bulls averaging $3800 and GB&CJ Crouch, Crystal Brook, took four at $3000.

While the clearance was back on last year's sale due to a shortage of station orders, this year's average jumped by $971 to $3900 for 20 bulls sold from 48 offered.

In the breakdown of stud offerings, the Tiller family's Goolagong stud sold seven of 10 bulls offered to average $4786; the Doering family's Walmona stud, Truro, sold 12 of 28 bulls to average $3458; and the Lintern family's Seymour Vale stud, Tungkillo, sold one of 10 bulls offered at $3000.

Yarrawonga's Andrew Bassingthwaighte commented that the sale catalogue was a "wonderful" line up of bulls which just lacked a strong buying gallery.

"Some of these bulls would sell really well in Qld," he said.

Landmark auctioneer Gordon Wood said the sale was undoubtedly a "buyer's market".

"With 10 registered bidders, to clear the number of bulls we did was a still a good result," he said.

"We just need the extra buyers; plenty of people north of here have ben going east to get their bulls, but the calibre of bulls here are just as good and value buying."

Elders auctioneer Tony Wetherall said the standard of the bulls was "very, very good" from all vendors.

"Particularly some of the young bulls had very good growth-for-age, easy doers with good shape, able to service any commercial herd from inside or outside country," he said.

"The clearance didn't reflect the quality; the stud enquiry shows the standard of bulls is here, as do the return buyers who know the bulls perform."

The sale was conducted by Landmark and Elders.