SAMMY Sugden, from Laycock, took first prize with her homebred newly-calved pedigree heifer in Gisburn Auction Mart's monthly show with Dugdale Nutrition.

Nine days calved and pushing 30 litres, the victor sold for £1,680.

The heifer's dam was Sammy’s first purchase from her father and kickstarted her own 45-strong Holstein Friesian herd, Brontemoor, nearly five years ago with the support of husband Adam, of Sugden Contractors, and their two little boys, aged two-and-half-years and eight months.

JG Hall and Son, of Gargrave, took first and second prizes in the best newly-calved heifer class, with the red rosette winner selling for £1,590 and the runner-up for £1,700.

Chris Bellerby, of Leeds, had a fantastic turnout of prize-winning newly calved cows, taking first, second and third in the cow class and third in the pedigree heifer class.

His winning cow secured top price of the day at £1,800.

Full results were: newly-calved heifer - 1 JG Hall & Son, Gargrave, £1,590, 2 JG Hall & Son, Gargrave, £1,700, 3 P Knowles, Kendal, £1,700; newly-calved pedigree heifer - 1 Sammy Sugden, Keighley, £1,680, 2 JD Taylor & Son, Broughton, £1,710, 3 JC Bellerby, Leeds, £1,560; newly-calved cow - 1 JC Bellerby, Leeds, £1,800, 2 JC Bellerby, Leeds, £1,440, 3 JC Bellerby, Leeds, £1,550; in-calf animal - 1 B Bretton & Sons, Brighouse, £920, 2 B Bretton & Sons, Brighouse. £1,000, 3 EH North & Son, Pudsey, £420.

Meanwhile, there was exceptionally good trade for the 147 calves and four stirks put forward for sale.

Doug Graves’ journey down from Carlisle was worth the trip – he sold blue heifers at £468, £400, £398, £385, £370 and £335 and bulls at £440, £398 and £340.

Topping the blue bulls were Paul and John Cowgill, who made £458 and £450, and Brian Blezard was next at £445 - a price matched by Gerald and Margaret Dakin’s Charolais bull calf.

The 54 continental heifers forward were the trade of the day. Simmentals and Blues regularly sold in the £380 to £420 bracket, with the younger and sweeter calves doing particularly well.