Claremont Angus' even line up attracts large interest

The Woolsthorpe stud offered 49 rising two year-old bulls, and sold 44 to a top price of $8000, and an average price of $4591.

The top-priced bull, Lot 14, by WMR Timeless and out of a New Frontier granddaughter, was snapped up by John Woodward, Moolaboola Pastoral, Stoneyford.

"We bought him for his thickness, positive rib and rump fat, and even spread of figures," Mr Woodward said.

"He will be going over some of our autumn cows to get some bulls for our commercial herd."

The bull was in the top 5 per cent for rib and rump fat, top 10pc for 400-day weight and 600-day weight, and top 20pc for 200-day weight and carcase weight.

He was one that had stood out to the stud, and garnered a lot of interest at the stud's Stock & Land Beef Week open day earlier in the year for his carcase attributes and temperament, according to Claremont stud co-principal Liz Glasgow.

Ms Glasgow was very pleased with the result of the sale and the quality of the bulls that were on offer.

"It was a very even line up of bulls, you would have been safe to buy a bull at the start or end of the sale; a lot of people commented that there were good bulls right through to the end of the catalogue," she said.

"An even line up of bulls produces an even line up of calves."

She credited the quality offering to the strength in the stud's breeding herd.

"We're a very old Angus herd, one of the oldest in the Western District," she said.

"We've been breeding since the 1940s, and we're selecting for uniformity of type, thickness, shape and doing ability."

She said there was no subsoil moisture in the ground due to the dry season, so the stud had relied on feeding to get bulls up to scratch and ready for sale.

"We're very, very strict with what we feed them, we don't give them too much grain, just enough to put a shine in their coats and fatten them up a bit, and the silage helps," she said.

The biggest volume buyer on the day was the Rentsch family, Byaduk, who bought four bulls to a top of $7000 (Lot 17).

Another top buyer was Brian Smith, a return client of 25 years, who paid to $7000.

Ms Glasgow said clients ranged from Ballarat, to Portland, Colac, and the local district.

She said bulls were bred tough enough to go into any climate in Australia, and in the past they had sent them as far north as Broken Hill, NSW.

"It was good to see all of our return clients and some new clients too," she said.

There were 15 bidders registered to buy on AuctionsPlus, which she said opened up her client base.

"People can look at bulls by video and then bid from the comfort of their own lounge room," she said.