STUD breeders dominated the buying competition in the 53rd Herefords Australia National Sale at Dubbo last week where a clearance rate of 81 per cent was achieved, despite the absence of a main volume buyer.
And while the top prices were a far cry from last year's $90,000 record, the vendor remained the same and so did much of the top-priced bulls' genetics.
Poll Hereford bulls sold to a top of $30,000 twice, both offered by South Australian studs run by the Day families, with lots from five States selling to five States, 104 of the 130 offered finding new homes, and averaging $6812.
This was only a small dip from last year's $7016 average and 89pc clearance, made less noteworthy given the impact the record-priced bull would have had on results at the 2013 sale.
Vendors of the 2013 record-priced $90,000 Days Calibre G74 Lachy and Lou Day, Days Whiteface, Border- town, South Australia, continued their success at Dubbo, selling Days Destiny H151 at the equal-top price of $30,000.
Like Calibre before him, Destiny was an Allendale Waterhouse D1 son and out of a granddaughter of Allendale National W168 - the previous Dubbo Poll Hereford sale record holder before Calibre.
Destiny was purchased by Currabubula stud breeders Cascade Poll Herefords and Bobanken Poll Herefords and will be on display at Cascade during the upcoming Ausmectin Northern Beef Week.
The bull turned 24 months old the day after sale, weighed 940 kilograms and had an estimated breeding value (EBV) of +4.5 for eye muscle area (EMA).
Days Destiny also had impressive $index values, scoring more than $10 above breed average in each of the markets, including a +$93 for the European Union (EU) index.
Days Whiteface offered and sold four bulls on the day, averaging $17,500, including their reserve senior champion bull Days Patrick H37 at $24,000
Days Patrick H37, by South Bukalong Wallace and out of Allendale Fancy A7 - also an Allendale National W168 daughter - was purchased by Chester and Quamby Plains Poll Hereford studs, of Westwood and Hagley, Tasmania.
Also brothers, Chester principal Bruce Archer and Quamby Plains principal Richard Archer bought the bull in partnership, and said the bull's performance figures and structure attracted them to him.
South Australian Alastair Day, along with wife Jayne, Allendale Poll Herefords, Bordertown, also claimed top-price honours at Dubbo, selling Allendale Anzac H187 for $30,000.
By Debarry Calgary C58 and out of Allendale Dawn B22, another progeny of Allendale National W168, Anzac was purchased by the Nixon family's studs, Devon Court and Wallan Creek Herefords, Drillham, Queensland.
The bull will be introduced into Tom Nixon's 1000-head Devon Court herd and Bob Nixon's 250 head Wallan Creek herd.
Anzac was sashed reserve intermediate champion during the previous days judging and had outstanding $index values, including a +$129 for grain fed - nearly double the breed average.
Another Debarry Calgary C58 son offered by Alastair Day, Allendale Anzac H182, sold for $18,000 to Pearl and Trevor Saal, Kalm stud, Pittsworth, Queensland, who run their stud with daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Ivan Burcher, Goondiwindi.
In total, Allendale offered and sold six bulls to average $14,666.
JWR Poll Herefords, Goulburn, was a first-time vendor at the sale and sold the second highest priced bull in lot 50, Kidman Biography H008, at $26,000 to Guilford Poll Herefords, Ouse, Tasmania.
JWR's Jemma Welsh-Robertson and Tim Reid purchased Biography H008 as a calf-at-foot with dam Kidman Shamrock E254 from the Kidman Poll Hereford stud.
The bull will join the Davie family's 180-head herd of stud cows at Tasmania, along with their 380 commercial breeders.
Tasmanian vendors Andrew and Caroline McLaughlan, Valma Poll Herefords, Whitemore, only sent two lots to the mainland for sale, but reaped the rewards when they sold to a top of $21,000, averaging $14,500.
Winner of the youngest bull class Valma Hailstone sold for $21,000 to Chris Lisle, Tummel Herefords, Walcha, and Greg James, Lindendale Herefords, Garoo, after being prepared by Andrew Green, Greens Cattle Services, Uranquinty.
Mr James, who runs 100 stud breeders and a large commercial herd, said Hailstone was "a beautifully long bull for his age" with plenty of growth.
Mark and Andrew Wilson, Kerlson Pines, Keith, SA, sold Kerlson Pines Carrieton H118 at $14,000 to Jessie Purseglove-Roberts and daughter Julie Cronin for their Fernaig Poll Hereford stud, Trangie.
Ravensdale Elliott, the intermediate and grand champion bull from the event, was purchased by Jim Gunn's Sevenbardot stud, recently relocated from Bylong to Hamilton, Victoria, at $12,000.
The July 2012-drop sire was by Debarry Elliott and out of Merawah Irish Rose B1, offered by Ravensdale Poll Herefords, Duri.
Mr Gunn said Sevenbardot had 290 cows at its new Hamilton base being prepared for the stud's mature cow dispersal sale in spring, and some of these would be pregnancy-tested in-calf to Ravensdale Elliott by then.
Sevenbardot also took home lot 140 Wynella King Kong, sold by Wynella stud, Goulburn, at $5000.