Records are made to be broken, and last year's average of $13,730 was left well behind with a new average of $19,304 for 69 bulls and a top of $50,000 at Booragul Angus on Thursday.
The Vincent family welcomed at least 76 registered bidders to their Piallaway property, where all 69 Angus sires were sold by auctioneer Paul Dooley.
He sold 49 two-year-old bulls for an average of $20,816 and 20 yearling bulls to an average of $15,600 with a gallery of determined buyers who knew what they wanted and needed to do to get their choices on the truck home.
Booragul principal Tim Vincent said this year's draft of bulls included progeny of three bulls chosen for their maternal traits: Karoo K12 Realist, Pathfinder Magnum M778 and Inglebrae Farms Nobleman N6.
"We had been focussing on carcase traits in previous years, but I wanted to include more of the fertility and milk traits," Mr Vincent said.
"It was evident today this was what the buyers were chasing.
Bob Jamieson Agency, Inverell account Una Denham, Tingha, placed the successful $50,000 bid for a 24 -month-old Booragul Realist R133, son of Karoo K12 Realist N278, that tipped the scales at 854 kilograms.
Mr Vincent said the bull was another tremendous young carcase sire, which had been used as a backup sire in the Booragul Spring joining program.
"He is in the top 20 per cent of the breed for carcase weight (CWA), eye muscle area (EMA) and intramuscular fat (IMF)," he said.
Mr Vincent said the Realist R133 is a full embryo transfer brother to four other bulls in the sale, which averaged $18,500.
Bob Jamieson Agency's Keiran te Velde, who accompanied Mrs Denham, said the bull's figures made it a compelling choice.
"His EMA, IMF, 200 and 400-day figures were fantastic.
"Physically, the bull stood out with a great topline, rump, and he is a very long bull," Mr de Velde said.
He said Mrs Denham sold most of her cattle through Auctions Plus and her last sale draft weighed an average of 275kg selling for more than 800 cents a/kg to return $2270.
Mr Vincent said the following enjoyed by Booragul over 23 sales was also evident.
"We had people on the seats who were here 23 years go," he said
Three bulls sold for the second top price of $30,000.
G and M Avendano, Towri, Boggabri bought another of the Realist sons, Booragul Realist R122, for $30,000.
Realist R122 weighed 830kg, had 200-day EBvs of +48, 400-day at +85 and milk figures of +17. The Avendanos also paid $24,000 for a son of Dulverton Nothin Leica Dane N3.
Mr Vincent said Realist R122 is an excellent example of structural correctness and balance.
Two-year-old Booragul Magnum R99, weighing 806kg, also sold for the equal second top price of $30,000 to Gunnedah agents Ray White Fleming and Ross, account MA and LL Latham, Goodwood, Curlewis.
Sired by Pathfinder Magnum M778, the bull was described as being suitable for heifers and fell within the top 10pc of all calving ease traits. It was also in the top four pc for milk and was well above the breed average for EMA, +9.1. The Lathams also bought Booragul Nobleman R73 for $22,000.
Coffin Creek Angus, Havilah North, Mudgee also paid $30,000 for a 16-month-old son of Realist in Booragul Realist S14. This younger bull had +15 EBVs for milk, +51 for 200-day weight, +88 for 400-day and an EMA of +8.5.
Boambee Angus, East Seaham, was another stud looking for a sire and paid$18,000 for an Inglebrae Farms Nobleman son, Booragul Nobleman S6.
Garvin and Cousens' Phil Hetherington, acting for Vicki and Phillip Dempsey, Dempsey Pastoral Company, Koobah, Nundle, was a volume buyer with six bulls to $24,000, averaging $21,000. At the 2021 Dempsey Pastoral Company bought four bulls.
Another repeat buyer bidding through AuctionsPlus was Consolidated Pastoral Company's (CPC), Newcastle Waters, with four bulls to $28,000 for a $22,500 average.
Elders Stud Stock's Brian Kennedy said CPC's Chief Executive Officer, Troy Setter, had closely inspected the Booragul sale draft about three weeks ago and had made his selection.
Mr Vincent said CPC had been buying at Booragul since 2017.
He said the bulls are trucked to CPC's Biloela district property, Allawah, where they are joined to produce about "400 to 500" bulls a year for the other properties in the CPC chain.
"They even go up to Newcastle Waters," Mr Vincent said.
Newcastle Waters is a 1,033,101 hectare breeding property in the west Barkly region of the NT.
Kickerbell, Pty Ltd, Quirindi bought four bulls averaging $18,000, while McGlashan Ag, Cheriton, Bugaldie bought three bulls averaging $17,333.
Best Partnership, Baroone, Gulargambone bought three bulls to $20,000, averaging $16,000 while Garvin and Cousens account Roger Grant, Grant Family Pastoral Company Nundle bought four bulls averaging $16,000.
Ken Jarrett Livestock, account Joan Elsey, Inverness, Spring Ridge bought two bulls for $22,000 and $20,000, while brother Phil Jarrett, Spring Grove, Spring Ridge, bought one bull for $18,000.
Elders conducted the sale, Paul Dooley, the auctioneer, with AuctionsPlus providing the online interface.