6,400gns outfit top call and total clearance at CCM Skipton Beautry Beef Shorthorn sale

A top call of 6,400gns, another at 5,200gns, plus five more from 4,100-4,800gns – all for cow and calf outfits – were the highlights of a much-anticipated production sale at Skipton Auction Mart from Stuart and Gail Currie’s Beautry pedigree Beef Shorthorn herd in Rathmell. The 44-strong turnout achieved total clearance. (Sat, Sept 16)

Top of the shop on price was Beautry Desiree Portia, a three-year-old daughter of Stonehills Jackpot, the herd’s third stock bull, out of Beautry Hibiscus, herself a daughter of the first-ever stock bull, Beautry Excalibur.

He was being carried by one of two in-calf heifers purchased to establish the herd at the inaugural Beef Shorthorn Society sale at Skipton in 2010. The mighty Excalibur went on to stand first prize male at Agri Expo 2011 and five years later supreme male champion at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Portia, herself a prize winner at this year’s Great Yorkshire and Royal Lancashire Shows, is a full sister to the Poyntington Himself son, Beautry Malfoy EX 93 – two further stock bulls that have served the herd extremely well.

Sold with her first heifer calf at foot, a January-born Fearn Godfather daughter, and since run with Jodame Nobleman, a 2020 purchase and the latest up-and-coming young gun at Beautry, the top price 6,400gns outfit joined online bidder Mark Day, of Ingelby Greenhow, Middlesborough.

Next best at 5,2000gns was the Beautry Tessa Mandolin, a 2018 daughter of Poyntington Himself, stock bull number two acquired when standing champion at Stirling in 2015, with the subsequent cross onto Excalibur females producing some top quality calves, many selling well into four figures.

The third generation EX dam, Beautry Tessa Jaleika, is just such a daughter, with her own mother, Beautry Tessa Flute, said to be one of the best-ever cows at Beautry. Already a mother of three and sold with her fourth March-born Nobleman heifer calf, Mandolin and her youngster were plucked from the sale ring when returning to their roots with Rathmell’s JD&JA Holgate

A brace of 4,800gns sales fell to two further Jackpot daughters. First up was the 2019 Beautry Shuna Narnia, reserve champion female Agri Expo 2019, whose sisters have sold to 11,000gns. Out of a Croxton Park dam, she sold with her third calf, an April-born Malfoy daughter, this outfit also joining the Holgates.

Next up at the same price was the 2019 Beautry Blythesome Nutmeg, whose own Croxton Park dam was the herd’s original Shorthorn purchase. Champion female at Agri Expo 2019, Nutmeg sold locally with her third calf, an April-born Malfoy son, to Michael Daggett, who runs the Hartlington herd in the Yorkshire Dales village of the same name.

Making 4,500gns was one of the herd’s favourite cows, Beautry Tessa Mildred, a 2018 Himself daughter who finished runner-up at the Great Yorkshire and was a member of the Group of 3 Champions at the 2019 Royal Highland Show. Also out of a home-bred Excalibur daughter, she sold with her fourth Nobleman-sired bull calf at foot to JC Bellerby, of Weeton, Harrogate.

Away at 4,300gns was Beautry Dewdrop Renaissance, a 2021 Malfoy daughter, out of a Jackpot-sired dam, sold with her first heifer April-born calf, again by Jackpot, to MJ Atkinson, of Burnley.

Renaissance’s own 2019 dam, a further third generation EX Jackpot daughter, Beautry Dewdrop Nightshade, out of a home-bred cow by Trojan of Craigeassie, offered with her third April-born Nobleman-sired heifer calf, made 4,200gns when joining Scottish buyers GS&GI Pettit, of Fochabers in Morayshire.

Among other two-year-old heifers with calves at foot selling well was, at 4,100gns, the all-white Highlee Milo daughter, Beautry Blythesome Rosehip, out of another Croxton Park-bred dam, sold with her first April-born Nobleman heifer calf, also all-white, to Steve Swales in Cliviger, Burnley. Cow and calf outfits averaged £3,911.

Four bulls in the catalogue, among them the prolific Nobleman and Malfoy, were also successfully sold, the former claiming 3,000gns joint top when joining J&H Gibson, in Appleton-le-Moors, on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, the latter at 2,600gns to I&S Clough in nearby Pickering.

Two younger 2022 bulls, the Malfoy son, Beautry Sentinel, also made 3,000gns when selling locally to A Wilson & Son in Malham, with the Nobleman son, Beauty Severus, going to Cumbria with Kendal’s W Benson. The bull average was £2,992.

The Skipton catalogue comprised young animals from now well-established families going back to foundation purchases from the Croxton Park, Shawhill, Upsall, Rowanlee and Bradshaw herds, with the majority of cows on offer rated EX, their calves having major show potential. Females from all five families have also been retained in the Beautry herd.

Looking ahead, CCM Skipton’s annual autumn show and sale of pedigree Shorthorn bulls and females on behalf of The Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8.

The 6,400gns top price outfit at CCM Skipton’s Beautry Beef Shorthorn sale. Adrian Legge Photography

5200gns Beautry Tessa Mandolin

4800gns Beautry Shuna Narnia

4800gns Beautry Blythesome Nutmeg

4500gns Beautry Tessa Mildred

4300gns Beautry Dewdrop Renaissance