Brangus ladies lift $1700 at BLING sale as elite lineage produces top seller
The 2026 GDL Brangus Ladies Invitational Notable Genetics Sale saw a strong lift across the board even with an increase in catalogue numbers, with fierce interstate competition.
Held at CQLX's Austadium at Gracemere on Friday night, May 15, the fourth annual female showcase achieved 100 per cent clearance, selling all 30 catalogued females to average $14,233 and gross $427,000.
Compared to last year's sale, the 2026 result represented both a lift in volume and overall gross.
In 2025, the third annual BLING sale offered 24 lots from 14 invited vendors to gross $288,000, averaging $12,521, with all but one female selling under the hammer.
Last year, three females shared equal top honours at $26,000.
But while the figures painted a strong commercial picture for the Brangus breed, it was the confidence behind elite paternal genetics and donor-backed females that arguably stole the spotlight this year.
Leading the charge was Earlwood Vera, which sold midway through the catalogue for the night's top price of $29,000 to Western Australian buyer Ben Wright, Munda Blacks.
The 18-month-old female was by renowned sire Tannyfoil P79, a bull credited with more than $1 million worth of progeny sales, and out of Earlwood 3624.
Daniel Ford, who purchased both Earlwood females on behalf of Mr Wright, said he was building an Ultrablack and Brangus stud operation in Western Australia and had targeted the Tannyfoil P79 daughters from the outset.
"He's come to BLING because it's one of the breed's biggest female sales," he said.
"We were fortunate enough to secure the two heifers we really wanted tonight.
"We were chasing those genetics in those females."
Momentum in the room barely eased before the second top price followed three lots later, when Kulkyne Written Legacy sold for $28,000 to Arizona Brangus, Dingo.
The nine-month-old heifer entered the sale with significant momentum behind her after being awarded interbreed female calf champion at the Roma Show one week earlier.
She was sired by Kulkyne Tacoma T28 and was out of donor female Kulkyne Signature S16.
For first-time vendor Henry Sinnamon, the result marked a milestone moment after 15 years of retaining the top end of his breeding program.
"I picked her because she was a calf out of one of my donor females, so she was out of a female that was proven," he said.
"I just wanted to offer something that I believed was going to breed on.
"She was probably the best out of that entire year drop, so we picked the best one."
Mr Sinnamon said the female had been earmarked for the sale well before her recent show ring success.
"We'd wanted to be involved in the sale for a couple of years, but we wanted to respect the sale for what it was and offer something we thought was notable," Mr Sinnamon said.
The result capped what he described as an "unbelievable" first offering at the sale.
"It's the first heifer I've ever sold," he said.
"I've been breeding them for 15 years and I've kept everything that was worth keeping.
"To get to a stage where I could offer something off the top end of a drop... something I never thought I'd get to... it's unbelievable."
Mr Sinnamon said while the heifer's recent interbreed success had further validated her quality, the decision to offer her had always been based on her long-term breeding potential rather than show ring appeal alone.
"That was just an added bonus," he said.
The sale also highlighted increasing buyer depth across northern Australia, with Townsville's Mike Needham among the volume buyers of the evening.
Operating through Needco Pty Ltd, Mr Needham secured 10 stud females to average $11,900.
- Selling agents: GDL, interfaced with AuctionsPlus
