SALE SUMMARY
2018 2017
Offered 131 130
Sold 126 130
Top $15,500 $17,000
Av $7369 $7588
South Australian buyers made an interstate raid at Coolana Angus stud’s final autumn bull sale at Chatsworth, Vic, last Thursday, buying more than 60 per cent of the offering.
In the breakdown stud principals Mark, Anna and Mark Gubbins sold 126 of 131 autumn and spring 2016 drops for a sensational $7369 average.
This was down just $219 on 2017’s record-breaking sale, held just after the largest dispersal sale in the Angus breed’s history.
Princess Royal Station, Burra, and Benara Props, Mount Gambier, led the volume buyers’ list, snapping up 37 bulls between them.
This included 14 of 27 bulls to make $10,000 or more.
Princess Royal’s Jack Rowe and livestock manager Luke Bavistock led the action with the $15,500 top price bull.
The aptly named Coolana Revenue M176, sired by Connealy Revenue 7392, was the first of the spring 2016-drops through the ring.
The Lot 56 bull had excellent performance, weighing 826 kilograms at 18.5 months and had well balanced Breedplan figures including 600 day weight of +107, an eye muscle area of +4.2 and intramuscular fat of +2.2.
Overall Princess Royal bought 21 bulls for a $8786 average.
Legh and Scott Winser, Benara Props, were also a dominant force.
They opened their buying account at $7000 on the first bull to be offered and completed their 26 bull tally at Lot 116 for $4000.
In between the Winsers paid up to the sale’s third top of $13,500 and averaged $7923.
Their highest price bull was 19-month-old Coolana Franklin M105, sired by Wattletop Franklin G188.
The second top price of $14,000 was bid by MA&AL Howard, Beeac, Vic for Coolana Te Mania 11 465 M008.
A bull had a terrific carcase and terrific hindquarter and boasted an EMA figure of +7.4.
Four bulls made $13,000, with two to Princess Royal, one to Benara and the other to CD Baker, Avenue Range who bought Coolana Big Sky M735.
It was one of 24 sons in the catalogue by Musgrave Big Sky which averaged 9pc above the sale average.
Deb Macdonald, Moonee Hills Pty Ltd, Meningie paid to $12,000, averaging $9417, for six top bulls.
Her top purchase was for Coolana Conversion M060, sired by Coolana Conversion K026.
McCarthy Livestock, Lucindale, were one of the strongest bidders all day, underbidders on many before winning five bulls for a $7500 average.
Leading the Vic buyers was Antony Baillieu and Jeremy Upton, Yarram Park, Willaura, who bought seven bulls to $6500, averaging $5214.
The draft will go to Mr Baillieu’s Broadlands property at Lucindale.
“We are ecstatic and to be honest a little blown away with such an exceptional result in the circumstances of leaving the stud industry,” Mr Gubbins said, after the sale.
“ We were certainly very pleased with the quality we were able to put up, but the loyalty and strength of bidding from our clients was something special.”
Coolana will hold its final spring bull sale on September 6 with 100 Angus bulls on offer.
“Everyone who has supported us over the many years is invited to that one, which will be an end of an era in one way, but also the beginning of a new chapter for us at Gubbins of Coolana; and we could just see a big party after that one,” Mr Gubbins said in his closing remarks.
The remaining black Simmentals from their XSimm stud are available by private treaty.
Elders and Spence Dix&Co conducted the sale with Ross Milne and Jono Spence officiating the bidding.
