Kilbride Farm Dragoon was purchased privately by Garret and Lyndsey Behan of the Clonagh herd, based in Ballyfin, Co Laois.

Bred by Billy Robson and sons, Kilbride Farm, Ballyclare, Co Antrim, the May 2012-born bull is by Crugmelyn Brenin and is out of Kilbride Farm Dora 41B.

Dragoon is an exceptional clean-bodied bull with extreme muscle.

His sire Crugmelyn Brenin was purchased privately by the Robsons after winning his class at the English National Show in 2011. Sired by Raceview King, he produces fast-growing, long, correct, well-muscled cattle with excellent feet and legs.

Dora 41B is full sister to Dora 34A, reserve champion at the Northern Ireland elite female sale and sold for 6,000gns to the Atlow herd in England where she has been shown very successfully.

Dora’s sire, the 15,000gns Cairnview Snazzy, is one of the most successful bulls at Kilbride Farm, siring two supreme champions in Stirling, as well as numerous other champions and high-priced animals. Six sons from five different breeders sold in Stirling October 2012 to average a little more than 11,000gns.

Along with Snazzy in her pedigree, she carries the noted Seaview Prince Charming, who is the sire of one Perth champion and grandsire of two Stirling champions, with seven sons at one Stirling sale averaging 7,000gns.

Top of the charts

Dragoon topped the sire charts this year, selling four animals at the premier autumn sale in October to average €9,175.

This was led by a top call of €18,000 for Clonagh Jubliant Fabulous. Not even two years of age, this price set a new society sale female price record. Jubliant Fabulous came to the sale having been crowned overall national female champion in Tullamore last August.

Her pen mate Clonagh Krystal Rubystar, also sired by Dragoon, sold for the second-top price of €10,000. This means Dragoon sired two of the six cattle which hit five figures across all breeds in 2019.

Dragoon has produced numerous champions and sale-toppers over the last number of years for both the Clonagh herd and the many herds he was made available to through AI. These include four animals to hit five figures, as well as over a dozen more which sold for €5,000 or more.

Top price achieved by a son of Dragoon was for Clonagh Just A Dream, which stood junior male champion at the March premier 2019 and went on to sell for €12,500.

Of course, this progeny sales record is matched by numerous national titles across both male and female sections.