Grossing over £212,000 and breaking records for both the highest-priced polled Hereford female ever sold at auction in the UK and the highest-priced Hereford bull calf, the Rempstone 20th Anniversary Sale held at Scotsgrove Farm, Thame, on 19 September 2026 proved to be an outstanding success for the Ludgate family, whose hard work in preparing the highly anticipated event was rewarded with a full clearance and exceptional average of 6,400gns (£6,700) across the 30 live lots sold.
Sale-topper Rempstone 1 Sara P745 with the sale team and purchasers George & Ionwy Thorne (middle of back row)
Topping the sale in extraordinary style at 14,200gns was the January 2025-born maiden heifer Rempstone 1 Sara P745 which, after a heated run of bids in the room and online, was knocked down to the Thorne family, Pembrokeshire. Sired by Fisher 1 Prospect, this heifer’s dam Glenvale 1 Sara 798 was originally bought by Rempstone from the Thorne family at 5,200gns in the HCS Autumn Sale at Shrewsbury in 2023, and has bred consistently well at Scotsgrove Farm since her arrival.
Remsptone 1 Sara P745 breaks UK polled Hereford heifer auction record at 14,200gns
Commenting on the purchase, Non Thorne said: “We wanted to show that we have confidence and faith in our breeding, and when we do take females to a Society sale, we only take our very best. Buying this heifer from the Rempstone production sale was an opportunity to prove that confidence, and to invest back into our herd with breeding we believe in.”
Click here to watch the full video of Rempstone 1 Sara P745 selling for 14,200gns
Rempstone 1 Dynamite sells for 11,500gns to S & E Walker, Hoghton View Herefords
Specially selected by the Rempstone team as a standout sire prospect and rounding off the sale as the final lot of the day was the seven-month-old bull calf Rempstone 1 Dynamite SA784, sired by the herd’s latest star stock bull Solpoll 1 Ace. Bidding leapt up rapidly with strong interest, the eventual winning bid coming in at 11,500gns from Steven & Lizzie Walker of the Hoghton View herd, Preston.
This calf’s dam, Blakesley 1 Myrtle, has now produced two standout sons sold at auction, having also bred the sale-topping Rempstone 1 Virus N598 sold for 11,000gns at Shrewsbury in April 2022, as well as a daughter, the January 2025-born heifer Rempstone 1 Myrtle P744 sold earlier in the day for 6,000gns to H Weston & Sons, Ledbury.
Rempstone 1 Fashion SA770 sold to Mr J Hodge’s Fellowhills herd for 10,200gns
At 10,200gns it was the September 2025-born heifer calf Rempstone 1 Fashion SA770 which caught the eye of purchaser Mr J Hodge, Berwick-upon-Tweed, for his Fellowhills herd. Another sired by Solpoll 1 Ace, this heifer’s maternal granddam is Rempstone 1 Fashion N584, a daughter of the female which founded this well-known and successful line at Rempstone, Kinglee 1 Fashion 304 bred by P Cobley.
Rempstone 1 Chucky P736 went to the Dendor herd of DE, ED & AL Jones for 10,000gns
Back to the bulls and it was the 20-month-old Rempstone 1 Chucky P736 which became the pick of the working-age bulls on offer, knocked down to the Jones family’s Dendor herd, Caersws, at 10,000gns. Sired by Fisher 1 Prospect P464 and out of Rempstone 1 Tessa N553, this bull’s full sister Rempstone 1 Tessa P667 is a former National Poll Show Reserve Senior Female Champion and is celebrated by the Ludgate family as “one of the best-uddered cows on the farm”.
PRJ & LR Vincent purchased Rempstone 1 Luna P741 for their Pulham herd at 8,500gns
The winning bid of 8,500gns for Rempstone 1 Luna P741 came in online from PRJ & LR Vincent of the Pulham herd, Diss, who had eyed up this Fisher 1 Prospect P464 daughter at a pre-sale viewing. Awarded the Junior Female Championship at the HCBA Shrewsbury Calf Show back in December, Luna P741 was born in January 2025 and is out of Rempstone 1 Luna D588, a Gouldingpoll 1 Double Decker daughter.
Rempstone 1 Tuna N720 sells to the Cox family, Wykeham Herefords, at 7,800gns
Picking up the in-calf heifer Rempstone 1 Tuna N720 at 7,800gns and the September 2025-born heifer calf Rempstone 1 Tuna SA769 at 7,000gns were local breeders the Cox family of Wykeham Fields Farm, Banbury. Sold in-calf to Solpoll 1 Ace to calve in the spring of 2027, the March 2024-born Tuna N720 is sired by Dendor 1 Nairobi and out of Rempstone 1 Tuna V447, a Hawkesbury 1 Vespa daughter, and the heifer calf Tuna SA769 is by Solpoll 1 Ace and out of Rempstone 1 Tuna N682.
Rempstone 1 Duchess P703 sells for 7,500gns to the Jackson-Carr family
The Jackson-Carr family from Carle Cotes near Sheffield took home Rempstone 1 Duchess P703 at 7,500gns. Scanned in-calf to Auckvale 1 Avatar 2238A, this heifer is out of Gouldingpoll 1 Duchess 911, purchased from the Goulding Opportunities sale in 2019 and sister to the incredibly successful breeding cow Gouldingpoll 1 Duchess 591, dam of both the Rempstone stock bull Solpoll 1 Ace, and the 2023 joint HCS Bull of the Year Coley 1 Vincent shown under the ownership of the Jackson-Carr family themselves.
Rempstone 1 Chaos A738 joins the Bosbury herd of S Hawkins for 7,200gns
The January 2025-born bull Rempstone 1 Chaos A738 was purchased by S Hawkins for the Bosbury herd, Ledbury, at 7,200gns. A firm favourite of the 2025 calf crop, James Ludgate emphasized the tremendous carcase and calving ease figures of this bull on the rostrum, being sired by Auckvale 1 Avatar 2238A and out of Fisher 1 Cherry N431, the dam of the 8,000gns 2024 HCS Spring Show & Sale Champion Rempstone 1 Woody S658.
Kinsham herd of acquires Rempstone 1 Orange N706 for 7,000gns
Rempstone 1 Orange N706 sold to S Chilman of the Kinsham herd, Presteigne, for 7,000gns. This Dendor 1 Nairobi daughter was sold scanned in-calf to Solpoll 1 Ace, and is out of Fisher 1 Orange T524 by Fisher 1 Prospect P464.
Rempstone 1 Bertha D710 joins the Benacre herd at 6,800gns
The Benacre Company, Beccles, added to the establishment of their Hereford enterprise under stockman Robert Clarke with the purchase of the Gouldingpoll 1 Duncan-sired Rempstone 1 Bertha D710 for 6,800gns. A powerful female also in-calf to Solpoll 1 Ace, this February 2024-born heifer’s dam is Rempstone 1 Bertha H311, a former Senior Female Champion of the Royal Highland Show sired by Solpoll 1 Hollywood.
Rempstone 1 Curly P700 sells to N Williams for 6,500gns
Securing a total of four heifers were N Williams & Sons, Monmouth, taking home Rempstone 1 Curly P700 at 6,500gns, Rempstone 1 Sara K698 (maternal sister to the top-priced heifer) and Rempstone 1 Cherry A470 both at 5,000gns, and the 2025 HCBA Calf Show Reserve Junior Female Champion Rempstone 1 Tessa A768, at 4,800gns.
WP & K Wason pick up Rempstone 1 Orange A743 for 6,200gns
A pair of maiden heifers sired by Auckvale 1 Avatar 2238A went to WP & K Wason of Saltire Herefords, Fife, for 6,200gns apiece. January 2025-born Rempstone 1 Orange is out of Fisher 1 Orange T524, and March 2025-born Rempstone 1 Tuna A757 is out of Rempstone 1 Tuna D656 by Gouldingpoll 1 Double Decker.
Rempstone 1 Careful P733 sold for 6,000gns to Darby & Daughters
Five smart lots went to Darby & Daughters, the top of which were two in-calf heifers sired by Fisher 1 Prospect; Rempstone 1 Careful P733 out of Rempstone 1 Careful H313 at 6,000gns, and Rempstone 1 Lily P731 out of Romany 1 Lily BL R40, the first lot in the sale and knocked down at 5,000gns. Darby & Daughters also managed to secure the only lot in the sale offered from herdsman Joe Clark’s own Gallowscourt prefix, the sweet March 2025-born heifer Gallowscourt 1 Duchess A756, at 4,500gns.
Of the semen packages on offer, it was the four lots of five straws each of Solpoll 1 Ace which got the attention of online buyer I Skea of Bennachie Herefords, Inverurie, purchasing all 20 straws available at an average of 167gns/straw, to a total of 3,350gns. A final chance was offered for four packages of ten straws of Dendor 1 Nairobi, which were picked up by RA Mitchell of Lanscombe Herefords at 150gns/straw, R Williams at 140gns/straw, B & M Birch at 140gns/straw, and D & C Farms at 130gns/straw, totalling 5,600gns paid for the 40 straws.
Commenting at the close of the sale, James Ludgate thanked the huge crowd in attendance for supporting the event that had made their “dreams come true”, and that the family felt “truly humbled” at the recognition they had received. Thanks were paid to herdsman Joe Clark for his expertise in presenting a stellar lineup of animals forward for sale and to the team of stockmen involved in their preparation, as well as to Johnny Dymond and his team at Halls Livestock Auctions for their running of the on-farm sale.
Sale statistics
26 females sold to average 6,100gns (£6,400)
4 bulls sold to average 8,300gns (£8,700)
Total of 30 live lots averaged 6,400gns (£6,700)
90 semen straws averaged 108gns/straw (£113)
Total grossed 202,350gns (£212,467)
Words: Sarah Cook
Pre-sale photos: MacGregor Photography
Sale-day videography: Hereford Cattle Society