Record price of $9500 at national Dorset sale

Press, 26 January 1984, Page 10

Record price of $9500 at national Dorset sale

A record price of $9500 for a Poll Dorset stud ram was paid by a syndicate of North Otago breeders at the eleventh National Poll Dorset and Dorset Horn Sale in Christchurch yesterday. Another ram made $9200 and a third $B2OO — all three top-priced rams easily beating the previous record for a Poll Dorset ram of $7500 set two years ago. The vendor of the top-priced ram was R. H. Potter and Sons, of Gore; the ram had earlier won the judging section of the sale. Poll Dorset vendors had an excellent sale, realising about twice the total amount of money compared with last year’s sale. From the 50 rams offered 29 were sold for a total of $66,600 ($33,400 last year) and an aver-

age of $2296 (compared with $1590 last year). The remainder of 21 were passed in. In a separate sale yesterday 24 Southdown rams brought a total of $26,600 for an average of $llOB. The figures from this year’s South Eland Southdown Stud Ram Fair compared with 23 sales, $26,000 total and $1135 average in last year’s sale. Top price among the Southdown rams was $4200 twice; paid by Wrightson NMA Export (acting for a client in the United States) and a syndicate of Mr John Macaulay, of Timaru, and Mr Bill Medlicott, of Waimate, for two two-tooth rams bred by Mr D. A. Wyllie, of Ashburton, from his Gatton Park 300/81 sire. Interests in the United States also bought a ram from

Mr Macaulay for $2200. a follow-up to last year's record sale of a Macaulav ram to the U.S. for $5OOO. But it was the turn of the Poll Dorsets to set a national record price at this year s combined sale. The purchasers of the $9500 ram were in a syndicate comprising the Punchbowl Stud of Oamaru (H. J. Andrew). A. J. and D. A. Brown, of Oamaru, and B. W. Rae, Oamaru. The ram was one of a limited number bred during the first mating year of the very well-regarded Ohio 58/81 on the Potter stud at Gore. Ohio 58/81 was champion ram hogget at the Invercargill Show last year and left five stud rams in his first mating with only 20 ewes in 1982.

Three of these were offered in the sale yesterday and made $9500. $B2OO and $2400. The $B2OO ram was bought by G. G. and B. M. Gilbert, of Southbridge. . , The second highest priced ram (at $9200) was sold by Mr R M Pratt, of Feilding. and will go back to the North Island. L , , 4mong other notable sales was one bv Mr N. C. Greenwood. of Ellesmere, at $6BOO The purchaser was the vendor of the highest priced ram. R. H. Potter and Sons. Seven ewes were sold in the sponsored female class for an average of $437 and a further nine sold in the stud ewe section for an average of $l6l. There were no Southdown ewes offered in the sale.