Date: 19 August 2023 | Dairy Cattle
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THEATRE OF DREAMS SALE IS A RECORD BREAKER FOR RIVERDANE HOLSTEINS
Riverdane Holsteins achieved a UK record average for a single vendor in its Theatre of Dreams sale and equalled the Holstein breed record in Cheshire recently.
Owned by Mark and Susan Nutsford, along with their daughter, Jodie, the tightknit family auctioned 148 elite Holstein lots on their Ravenscroft Hall Farm at Middlewich, near Manchester on August 19.
The offering included a smorgasbord of All-Britain, All-Canadian, All-American, or All-World matriarchs – alongside the best of Riverdane’s homebred stars – including two national champions. The sale averaged £5543.12 – a solid £1000 ahead of any other UK sale for a single breeder with the top seller equalling the UK Holstein breed record at 90,000gns.
More than 2000 people from around the globe viewed the sale online through Marteye, and a crowd of close to 1000 attended the sale. Bidding came from across Europe, England, Canada, the United States – with one live lot selling to Switzerland.
TOP SELLER
The early headliner Riverdane KD Hannah (Lot 90) was the top price at 90,000gns, selling to John Sherratt, from Pankymoor, Hope Valley Holsteins (Rob Evans), and Heatherleigh Holsteins (Neale Evans).
She was the talk of the sale, long before she stepped into the center of the ring, because when people started talking heavy-hitting global families with head-turning genomics, Riverdane KD Hannah is a juggernaut in the making. She sold as the No.1 GTPI Kingdoc female in Europe (10th in the world), and the No.2 female (>2900 GTPI & >3.00 PTAT) in the UK (7th in Europe).
Born in September 2022, Hannah sold backed by not one, but three Global Cows of the Year (2020, 2019, and 2005) – going back to her famous foundation (and 10th) dam: Snow-N Denises Dellia, EX95.
There are 11 generations of VG or EX in Hannah’s pedigree – culminating with two EX94-point cows in Hannah’s dam and granddam, and an EX95 in Dellia. Hannah’s fourth dam (and the 2019 Global Cow of the Year), Cookiecutter MOM Halo has written her own memoirs with 18 sons in AI, 21 daughters classified EX and more than 51 daughters classified VG.
Halo is also notably the third dam of S-S-I Doc Have Not 8784-ET EX94, who sold for US$1.925million in June 2022. Have Not 8784 has already entered the haloed territory of being addressed by her household name “Doc”, and she’s in the hunt for World Dairy Expo 2023 as a four-year-old.
SECOND AND THIRD BUY
Mr Sherratt’s syndicate also bought one of the high style heifers at Lot 30, Riverdane Altitude Tequila-Red for 21,000gns. This balanced February 2023-born heifer is cut from the same cloth as her maternal sister Milksource Tantrum EX92 – the 2022 World Dairy Expo Intermediate Red &White Champion – and her highly decorated EX96-2E dam, Stans-Jen-D Tequila-Red EX96-2E. Mr Sherratt paid the same money for another Red &White with a big profile already established, Lot 42, Riverdane Miss Awesome Strawberry-Red EX92.
Strawberry was the 2022 Red & White Grand and Supreme Champion at the 2022 UK Dairy Expo. She is also the reigning Grand Champion Red & White and Reserve Supreme from this year's UK Dairy Expo. She sold back in-calf to Swissbec Power (sexed) – giving her a chance to achieve the treble in successive years.
Mr Sherratt said those were the three animals he came for, and he wouldn’t have stopped until he got them.
IMPORTANT ON SEVERAL LEVELS
Auctioneer Glyn Lucas said the day and the result was important on several levels.
“From an industry point of view, it was just a phenomenal day,” he said. “This amazing sale highlights the importance and value of pedigree cattle and the superb return on investment that is possible in the premier division of the dairy business.
“There was a great atmosphere, and it was great to see the support for Mark and Susan from all over the UK, Ireland, and Europe. From start to finish, people came here to really support the family, because they do so much for the industry and for other people.”
The second-top price was also unsurprising as Lot 35, Riverdane Crushtime Atlee VG89 (EX90MS) 3YRS, sold to Matthew Weaver (Staffordshire) for 32,000gns.
Starting from the Crushtime’s sixth and seventh dams respectively – who are both EX94 – there are four out of five generations All-American (and the one that wasn’t had a Lee sister who was nominated). Those four cows include All-American Aitkenbrae Starbuck Ada (seventh dam), MS Kingstead Chief Adeen (sixth dam and member of the All-American produce of dam 2000), MD-Delight Strm Amberlee (fifth dam, who didn’t achieve All-American status, but her Lee sister was nominated), then comes her fourth dam, MD-Delight Durham Atlee (who achieved her All-American status as a milking yearling).
SEVEN ATLEES GROSS 57,700GNS
That’s not to downplay the Crushtime Atlee’s 3rd dam – Ridgefield Gold Atlee VG89 32*, which is the chapter where Riverdane first signed in to write their own Atlee story.
Mark and Susan snapped up the then 14-month-old Gold Atlee for the second-top price of 20,000gns at the 2008 Ridgefield Holstein dispersal of John and Valerie Barker, from Loughborough. Mark said he knew immediately that day that he wasn’t going home without the Goldwyn heifer, which he considered to be the “opportunity of a lifetime”. That investment has well and truly paid off, with seven Atlees grossing $57,700gns.
Close in behind the Crushtime Atlee was lot 134, Riverdane Awesome Ambrosia VG89 MAX 3YR. The exciting young cow is set for Dairy Day for her new owners, Arwyn Wilson, Kev Rickard and Sulwyn Richards. Her dam, Sahara Sanchez Ambrosia 4 EX94-3E was herself Supreme Grand Champion at the 2019 UK Dairy Expo and Honourable Mention All-Britain Mature Cow in 2019.
Another hotly contested lot isn’t born yet. The first-choice heifer calf sired by Dropbox and out of Duckett Parfect Heidi. Heidi’s famous five-year-old dam, S-S-I Doc Have Not 8784 EX96-4E (EX96-MS), is in the hunt for glory at WDE 2023 and with less than a month until the calves are on the ground, they will be the first Have Nots to be born in the UK, offering a valuable “in” on the Have Not family. The choice was bought by Willsbro Holsteins at Cornwall, for 15,000gns.
A fancy Jimtown daughter from the Rosabel family sold for 12,000gns to MP and BJ Hollins & Son at lot 83. Riverdane Jimtown Rosabel is a direct daughter of one of four EX97-pointed cows which have called Riverdane home, Riverdane EX Rosabel EX97-5E SP.
Lot 22 and Lot 23 included two February 2023-born Farnear Delta-Lambda granddaughters of the 2022 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion Oakfield Solom Footloose EX96-2E. Both sold for 11,000gns – one to Willsbro in Cornwall, and one to Ian Smith, in Scotland.
Marteye was the online medium for the sale, and 42 lots were sold that way (28% of the offering). In all, 81% of the sale lots received online bids.
Averages
27 cows in milk £6537.22
18 heifers in milk £5903.33
17 In calf heifers £4854.71
20 yearling heifers £3223.50
53 heifer calves £6628.87
5 bulls £2457.00
7 embryo packages (28 embryos) £967.50
148 Holsteins £5543.72
Leading Prices
Lot Animal Price Purchaser
90 Riverdane KD Hannah 90,000gns John Sherratt, Hope Valley Holsteins and Heatherleigh Holsteins
35 Riverdane Crushtime Atlee 32,000gns M Weaver Ltd, Staffordshire
134 Riverdane Awesome Ambrosia 25,000gns Arwyn Wilson, Kev Rickard and Selwyn Richards Wales
30 Riverdane Altitude Tequila-Red 21,000gns John Sherratt, Hope Valley Holsteins and Heatherleigh Holsteins
42 Riverdane Strawberry Red 21,000gns John Sherratt, Hope Valley Holsteins and Heatherleigh Holsteins
108 First Choice heifer 15,000gns Willsbro Holsteins, Cornwall
83 Riverdane Jimtown Rosabel 12,000gns MP & BJ Hollins & Son , Staffordshire
22 Riverdane Lambdas Footloose 11,000gns Ian Smith ,Scotland
23 Riverdane F-D-L Footloose 11,000gns Willsbro Holstein, Cornwall
95 Riverdane Tatoo Cheerleader 10,000gns Matthew Norman , Devon
123 Riverdane Gchip Ashlyn 10,000gns Kevin Lawrie , Scotland
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