The title winner found a new home in Pendle when joining regular Skipton buyer Mac Townsend in Laneshawbridge and will go to work on the family’s commercial cattle herd, predominantly Limousin and British Blue.

The well-regarded sire, who won the best stock bull and progeny class titles in the North East Limousin Breeders Club 2012 herd competition, has been responsible for many high price performers from the Masons’ Oddacres Farm holding, including a 12-month-old junior bull sold at last year’s corresponding fixture for 3,700gns.

Homebyres Dixon also sired the Masons’ first prize March, 2013-born maiden heifer, Oddacres Ivy, which progressed to first become female champion, then overall reserve supreme champion. Ivy, out of a home-bred Saphir-sired dam, Oddacres Adelphi, also earned the top-priced maiden tag when selling for 2,100gns (£2,205) to JL Marks, of Bishopton, Stockton-on-Tees.

The Masons consigned a 15-strong hand, comprising nine bulls and six females, including some top-notch maiden heifers. Three of their April, 2013-born junior bulls were also popular at the ringside, including, at 2,550gns, their Econome son Oddacres Ideal, out of the Ronnick Hawk daughter Harveys Atique, knocked down to C Miller, of Hebden Bridge

The other two, both second prize winners in their respective show classes, were Oddacres Inkeeper, another Homebyres Dixon son of the Monsieur Champeval-bred French cow Favela, which joined the Pikestone herd of Carl and Julia Stephenson of Woodland, Teesdale for 2,300gns after being seen by the purchasers on a previous herd visit, along with a further Econome son, Oddacres Insiginia, for 1,800gns to G Pickersgill, of Hawksworth, Guiseley.

Overall supreme champion was the first prize senior bull and male champion from County Durham’s Cliff and Jackie Moffett, who run their Carlo’s Pride pedigree herd at Backandsides Farm, Hummerbeck.

The title winner, Carlo’s Pride Henry, a June, 2102-born son of the AI bull, Wilodge Cerberus, who has sired bulls to 55,000gns, out of one of the herd’s best cows, Carlo’s Pride Dancer, achieved the day’s second top price of 3,700gns (£3,885) when falling to Andrew Foster, of Markenfield Hall, Ripon. He will be put to immediate work on his herd of 50 Limousin and British Blue suckler commercial cows. Mr Foster also runs an industrial painting business, UK Site Painters.

Carlo’s Pride Henry is already something of a bovine star, having recently appeared on the BBC TV programme, “More Creatures Great and Small,” a series following the lives of rural vets.

Cattle breeding is a passion for the Moffetts, who run a 30-strong herd at the 54-acre holding. Mr Moffatt is a builder by trade, with his firm Moffett & March based in nearby Bishop Auckland. He said he was “absolutely delighted” at his first major championship success and paid tribute to Stan and Nancy Benson, who also look after the herd.

Welsh show judge Chris Jerman, who runs the Glangwden pedigree Limousin herd in Llandidloes, Powys – he also adjudicated at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza – described his chosen supreme champion as being “full of style and hard muscle,” with the reserve supreme also praised for being “sweet and correct.”

The Priestley family - Steven, Ruth and son Richard - who run the former West Yorkshire-based Brontemoor pedigree herd in Cumbria at Kirkambeck, near Brampton, also received good support at the ringside for their quality six-strong pen of entries. Taking the lead was Brontemoor Hawk, a 2012 son of Elite Benn, out of the first-rate stock cow, Brontemoor Vanessa, which sold to R Wood of Asygarth for 3,500gns.

The Nottinghamshire-based Coach House herd of 2013 Craven Limousin Day supreme champions Barry and Gill Heald, who farm with their son Matthew at Home Farm, Grove, Retford, was again prominent at this year’s renewal with the second prize senior bull and reserve male champion, Coachhouse Horatio, a strong 2012 son of Overthwaite Crackerjack, out of Coachhouse Chanel, who joined RO Gilson in Spennymoor, Co Durham, for 3,500gns.

Crackerjack has certainly lived up to his name, having bred bulls to 12,000gns and heifers to 8,500gns. The Healds share the sire with Welsh breeder Brian Jones.

They also stepped forward with a nice crop of 2013-born maiden heifers, which took second and third prizes in their show class, both finding favour with R Barnard of High Ackworth, near Pontefract, who secured a notable high when paying 2,000gns for the runner-up, Coachhouse Iviola, a Coachhouse Eebygum-sired daughter of the Haltcliffe Picasso cow Coachouse Tivoli. Mr Barnard also paid 1,800gns for the third prize winner, another Eebygum daughter, out of Coachhouse Virgil, again by Haltcliffe Picasso.

Another 3,500gns performer was Gallaber Handsome, a two-year-old senior bull from Ian and Glen Sedgwick, whose pedigree herd of the same name is based at Burton-in-Lonsdale. Handsome, a full brother to Freddie, sold for 4,800gns at Skipton’s 2012 sale, is a son of Melbreak Chariot, out of the Ronick Parachute daughter, Gallaber Umist. He was selected by farm manager Jonathan Coates for the suckler herd at Bank House Farm, Cowan Bridge.

The Toftgate holding of Nidderdale’s Chris and Caroline Prince, based at Greenhow, above Pateley Bridge, led the junior bulls on price when their red rosette-winning March, 2013-born Toftgate Ivan, by the AI sire Millbrook Dartangan, out of the home-bred Toftgate Fan, sold to Grantley’s Colin Nelson for 2,850gns.

The Princes were also responsible for another third prize junior bull, the April, 2013-born Homebyres Cutler son Tofttgate Icarus, which sold for 1,650gns to John Shorrock, of Cliviger, Burnley.

Cows and calves also met a good trade, with the Millerscotenook herd reduction on behalf of Rossendale’s J Miller causing significant interest. Leading the way on price at 3,200gns was the 2009 Mas du Clo daughter Millerscotenook Endora, sold with a smart February-born bull calf by Fieldson Alfy. The buyer was Craven Cattle Marts’ West Yorkshire fieldsperson Janet Sheard, who runs Low Common Farm Pedigree Limousins in Almondbury, Huddersfield.

The High Birks herd of Philip Summers Agriculture in Clayton, Bradford, presented the first prize in-calf cow, the 2007-born Temeside Unicorn daughter, Temeside Confettim, who sold carrying a calf by High Birks Herbert for 1,100gns to S Greenwood, of Shibden, Halifax.

Terry and Elaine Priestley’s Prietec herd in Mewith, Bentham, made a clean sweep of the prizes in the senior maiden heifers show class, all by the Cumbrian-bred sire Norman David. The red rosette winner, Prietec Hotchocolate, out of Prietec Cindy – a real home favourite regularly shown by the couple’s daughter Mya, 15, who attends Settle College – sold for 1,400gns to JP Barnes, of Sawley, Clitheroe, while the second and third prize winners each made 1,450gns on joining the same buyers, Stephen Pickard and his daughter Melissa, of Bolton-by-Bowland.

Also selling well at 2,500gns was the third prize intermediate bull, the December, 2012-born Copperhurst Highway, from A Howarth, of Whitefield, Manchester. The son of Carmorn Dauphin, out of the home-bred Copperhurst Fawn, joined D Robinson in Heywood, Oldham

The remaining red rosette winner, Cheadlewood Independence, a junior bull from the Cheshire-based Cheadle herd of Craig Schofield, returned home and will no doubt get another chance in the sale ring.

Craven Limousin Day continues to be Skipton Auction Mart’s premier breed highlight of the year, drawing in a wide audience, with year-on-year improvement in quality ensuring choice for premium beef produces and dairymen.

This year’s 64-strong entry sold to the following top prices and averages: Senior bulls to 3,500gns (av £3,080), intermediate bulls to 5,400gns (£3,105, junior bulls to 2,850gns (£2,342), senior maidens to 1,450gns (£1,318), junior maidens to 2,100gns (£1,632), cows in-calf to 1,100gns, cows with bull calves to 3,200gns (£2,747)

The fixture - full results and prices are posted at www.ccmauctions.com - was again supported by North East Limousin Breeders Club and sponsored by JACS Trade & DIY, of Skipton, and NSF Agriculture.