Beef Shorthorn bull takes supreme

Thrasher, part of his herd at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, has had an illustrious show career, taking the breed championships at the Royal Highland and Royal Shows this year. It was shown by Carol and Richard Rettie.

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The Beef Shorthorn and beef inter-breed champion, Cairnsmore Thrasher.

Bred by Jane and John Landers, this six-year-old bull, sired by Cairnsmore Nike Sportsman, was bought by Mr Holmes earlier this year in a private deal.

Following his show success Thrasher, which also took the native inter-breed title, will return to work on Mr Holmes’s Holmeere herd of Beef Shorthorns.

Taking reserve spot was Millington Tangerine, a rising six-year-old Limousin cow from John Weatherill, of Millington, York.

Tangerine, shown by Mark Phillips, was inter-breed champion at the Royal Highland and Royal Welsh shows two years ago and this was her first outing since then.

She was shown with her third calf, a heifer, at foot.

The 100-strong Millington herd was again in the rosettes in the junior inter-breed judging with the championship going to January 2007-born heifer, Millington Choice, sired by Mas du Clo.

Third place in the inter-breed line-up went to the Simmental champion, Jaegergard Uniq, a five-year-old cow from Thomas Hill, of Wafworth, Doncaster.

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Limousin and reserve inter-breed champion, Millington Tangerine, from John Weatherill,of Millington, North Yorkshire.

Uniq, sired by Lykke Sirius, was imported from Denmark by Mr Hill’s granddad three years ago following a private deal. She is part of the Scotland Hill herd and it was her first trip out this season.

Among the native breeds the Hereford title went to bull, Aldersley I Dwight, from Jack Henry, of the Blakelaw herd at Brighouse, Yorkshire. It was the ninth time Mr Henry has won the breed championship at the show and his winner this year was an April 2001-born Clipston Krespian son.

It was the second time out for the bull which won the championship at Otley.

Two-year-old heifer, Brailes Butterfly, took top honours in the Charolais judging. From Rachael Wyllie and Richard Hassell’s Brailles Livestock herd at Banbury, Oxfordshire, it is by top Australian sire, Seawell Offshore. Butterfly, was second in her class at last week’s Royal and beat the Royal Show female breed champion into reserve place.

The Wyllie and Hassell team has two Charolais and four commercial cattle and is hoping to travel to the Royal Welsh Show.

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Champion Simmental, Jaegergard Uniq, from T. Hill, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

The females also dominated in the British Blonde judging with the championship going to Burghwallis Star, a home-bred seven-year-old cow from William and Michael Seels, of Hooton Pagnell, Doncaster.

This was only the second time out for Star, part of the 25-strong herd of Blondes. Shown in-calf, it was by Tawthorpe Edward, originally bought as a sweeper bull and no longer in the herd. The Seels were also showing British Blues and crossbreds.

British Blue champion was Ballygrange Alex from Danny and Jane Wyllie, of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Alex is a Woodview Solo son and took the breed championship at the Royal.

It was championship number two for Kevin Ludgate, who took the overall commercial championship with Wilemina, champion at the Royal Show. From Mr Ludgate’s herd at Leyton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, it is a March 2007-born heifer sired by a British Blue and out of a Limousin dam.