A PEDIGREE Salers herd from Yarm took the breed’s top prices and places at Stirling this week.

The Pye family’s Rigel herd had a number of successes in the pre-sale show including reserve male championship with Rigel Popeye, bred by Rigel Duncan out of Rigel Pascal Pollo, who was herself sired by the well known Rigel Othello Poll.

Judge Ian Bell from Hallbankgate, Cumbria, went on to award the female championship to Rigel Teal their in-calf heifer.

Teal is sired by the imported bull Amazonien out of Rigel Tessa Poll, a Sagitaire sired cow.

The Pyes also took the reserve female championship with another Amazonien heifer, Rigel Penny who is out of a Crocodile Dundee cow.

Rigel Teal went on to achieve the top price of 2,600 guineas in the female section, selling to Mr Gauld from Aberdeen. In the bull section, the Pyes shared the honours for the top price of 5,500 guineas with the male champion, when their bull Rigel Conqueror was sold to Messrs Black and Budge who farm on the Shetland Isles.

Conqueror’s sire was Rigel Othello Poll, who in a 15- year life was twice male champion at the Great Yorkshire Show and bred many champions at shows and sales.

Mr Pye said: “Othello was a marvellous quiet bull, and prolific breeder of quality stock. We have exported his bulls and heifers to France, Germany and Ireland, and of course all over the UK, but this is the furthest north that we have sent a bull.”

The breed is noted for ease of calving and its growing popularity was reflected in a strong turnout of bulls and buyers at the Striling bull sales. Trade peaked at 5,500gns twice, with a high clearance rate achieving an average of £3,990 for the bulls.