Baldry’s champion bull sells for record-breaking $72,500

TWO months after making history in the show ring, Illabo’s Baldry family have achieved another major milestone, with their champion sire Tennysonvale Verge selling for a record-breaking $72,500 at the family’s on-property sale.

The sale price sets a new Australian benchmark for the Fleckvieh breed, adding another chapter to what has already been a remarkable year for the well-known Riverina stud.

Held at the Baldry family’s ‘Ivanhoe’ property near Illabo on May 29, the Tennysonvale Simmental Fleckvieh sale attracted strong competition from repeat buyers and new bidders alike, with Verge emerging as the undisputed headline act.

The 21-month-old bull was eventually knocked down to respected breeder Max Dench, of Wondenia-Denmire, near Gilgandra.

The result follows Verge’s extraordinary run through the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show, where he became the first Fleckvieh to claim supreme honours in the Simmental-Fleckvieh ring before going on to secure interbreed success against some of the nation’s top beef cattle.

Tennysonvale Verge pictured after his historic performance at the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show | Photo: Facebook/Studstocksales.com

The young sire, by Koopa Creek Red Dog and out of Rivulet Marge, had already etched his name into the record books through the show circuit.

Now, with a national breed price record attached, the 860-kilogram bull has cemented his place as one of the most significant animals ever produced by the Illabo operation.

He also impressed on paper, recording a 136-square-centimetre eye muscle area, a 37cm scrotal circumference and an intramuscular fat score of 5.6 per cent.

READ MORE: Baldry family makes history at Sydney Royal

Tennysonvale co-principal Carl Baldry admitted parting with the bull had not been easy.

“I think Dad and I both didn’t really want to sell the bull at all in the end,” Mr Baldry told The Land.

“But when they’re paying that sort of money, it happens quite naturally. You just say, yes, don’t you?”

Mr Baldry said the family had jokingly reflected on the whirlwind season.

“Dad and I kind of said, ‘We might retire, we might not ever get as good results as we’ve had this year!'”

(Left to Right) Nicole Baldry, Cheryl Baldry, Carl Baldry, Ian Baldry, Max Dench, Colin Baldry, Joe Wilks, Angus Baldry with Tennysonvale Verge | Image: Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

For buyer Max Dench, the purchase was years in the making.

A long-time friend of the Baldry family, Mr Dench told The Land he had first identified Verge as a standout during the Canberra Royal Show and planned to utilise the bull through an artificial insemination program.

Verge was not the only standout to emerge from the sale.

The second top-priced bull of the day, Tennysonvale Valiant, sold for $24,000, further highlighting the strength of the offering presented by the Baldry family.

Meanwhile, the top-priced female, Tennysonvale Volvo, secured $16,000 after attracting strong interest following her own successful show-ring campaign.

(Left to right) Ian Baldry, Colin Baldry, Carl Baldry and Nicole Baldry with top-priced female, Tennysonvale Volvo | Image: Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

Overall, the sale produced a near-complete clearance, with 29 of 30 bulls selling to average just over $11,000, while all 42 females offered changed hands, selling at an average of $5,915.

The Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia praised the Baldry family’s result, describing it as further recognition of the stud’s long-standing commitment to the breed and its continued success on the national stage.