Top-price bull at 2025 Pathfinder Angus sale bound for western Sydney

The top-price bull at the 2025 Pathfinder Angus sale is bound for the outer suburbs of Western Sydney after he was snapped up via AuctionsPlus at the Roma Saleyards on Friday, September 19.

Pathfinder Paragon V626 was purchased for $16,000 by Henk van den Heuvel, Greendale Hill Angus, Greendale Hill Estate, Sydney.

With vendors the Moyle family, based in Hamilton, Victoria, the top-price bull will have traversed three states by the time he makes it to his new home.

He was one of 128 bulls offered, with 105 selling for an 82 per cent clearance, $8219 average, and $863,000 gross.

One lot sold post-sale to bring the clearance rate to 83 per cent for an $8198 average and $869,000 gross.

Working primarily as a businessman, as the head of horticultural company Hortraco, top-price buyer Henk van den Heuvel runs his Angus stud from outer Sydney on 52 hectares in the suburb of Greendale.

"I've got about 35 breeders and calves, and about three or four bulls," he said.

He was sired was by Booroomooka Paragon P96 and out of Pathfinder Dream S708.

The 17-month-old bull weighed in at 684kg, had an eye muscle area of 118 square centimetres, and had 6mm of rib fat and 9mm of rump fat.

He was also in the top 18 per cent of the breed for calving ease direct.

When asked what attracted him to the Pathfinder sale, Mr van den Heuvel said he wanted genetics to improve calving ease in his herd.

"I also spotted that this particular bull goes back to fantastic animals," he said.

"One of those is Pathfinder Genesis SMP357; I've actually got a daughter out of her that I acquired by other means.

"This animal that I bought also goes back to a Dream cow, CCVY301.

"So, the pedigree plus the traits he's got, those together made me think I should have a go at this.

"I've already allocated about 22 or 23 females for him to go into the paddock with because I typically join early in October to have calves on the ground in early August."

Bulk buyers at the sale included the Hafey family, Usher Pastoral Company, Truno Station, Tambo, who purchased 11 bulls for an average of $7182.

Ron Hafey has been buying from Pathfinder stud since the Moyle family first brought their sale to Roma 11 years ago, and said the cattle did well on his country.

He turns off 2000-2500 cattle a year on the 100,000 acre [40,469 hectare] property.

"We have grey Brahman cows, and [the Pathfinder bulls] will go over Charbrays," he said.

[Once we take these bulls home], we'll just feed them down on grass until November to get them used to a change in diet, and then they'll go in with the heifers."

Another volume buyer was David Lyons, Lunar Pastoral Company, St George, who purchased nine lots for an average of $8889.

Pathfinder stud principal Nick Moyle said he was happy with the sale results, even though the clearance and average were down from last year.

At the 2024 sale, 104 of 106 bulls sold for a 98 per cent clearance and a $8745 average.

"We put an extra 20 in our sale, and we sold about the same number as last year," Mr Moyle said.

"We had a heap of return buyers, so our cattle have been doing really well out there.

"We've got some really good repeat customers up here, and we've been coming up for over 10 years now, so it's been gradually building."

Mr Moyle said his bulls were mainly off to their usual spread.

"Some went to Tasmania through to North Queensland, so it's a big spread," he said.

• Selling agents: TopX