Royal Highland Show: Dairy, beef and sheep results

More than 3,000 sheep and dairy and beef cattle went before judges at the last week’s Royal Highland Show, which saw record attendance of 188,810 people.

After losing out in the final last year, red-and-white Cuthill Towers Classic Ellie scooped the dairy interbreed title.

From A and S Lawrie, Kinross, December 2010-born Cuthill Towers Classic Ellie pipped the Holstein breed champion to the top prize.

The third calver, sired by Poos Stadel Classic and out of Cuthill Towers Ellie 10, last calved in November and has produced 8,369 litres over 203 days.

She was the red-and-white champion at the show last year, but went one better this year.

See also: Royal Highland Show dairy results 2015

“She’s a really good cow, with a really good show presence. Everything just came together when she was in the ring,” said Arthur Lawrie, who manages a herd of 275 Ayrshires and red-and-whites with his wife and two sons.

Judge Edward Crank, of Earls Gift Dairy Shorthorns near Chester, was also impressed with the presence of the winner.

“I like milky cows, and I like good legs and good feet,” said Mr Crank. “She had fantastic ring presence and her udder is fantastically well attached,” he added.

Reserve dairy interbreed

Taking the reserve dairy interbreed title was Blythbridge Goldwin Rosalee EX94.

She was shown by Alistair Laird from Blythbridge Holsteins, who runs a 500-head herd of Holsteins in Peebleshire.

The fourth calver, sired by Braedale Goldwyn and out of Weisenfeld Talent Rosalee, last calved in September and has produced 16,026 litres over 274 days.

Born in April 2009, she was Holstein champion at the 2015 Livestock Event and reserve Holstein champion at Agriscot last year.

Beef champion

In the beef ring, Hereford bull Normanton 1 Laertes did one better than its mother by taking the interbreed beef title at the Royal Highland Show.

The October 2013-born home-bred bull – sired by Romany 1 Distiller and out of 2015 Royal Highland Show breed champion Normanton 1 Jews Ear C21 – fought off stiff competition from just over 1,000 entries to take the title.

Normanton 1 Laertes was shown by Tim and William Livesey, who manage 60 breeding pedigree Herefords at Normanton Manor Farm, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

“It’s a dream come true because we were pipped to the post before at the Royal Highland with its mother,” Mr Livesey told Farmers Weekly.

See also: Royal Highland Show beef results 2015

Normanton 1 Laertes will next be shown at the Royal Welsh Show and perhaps the Great Yorkshire.

Judging the interbreed beef championship, Gerald Smith of Drumsleed Simmentals, Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, said Normanton 1 Laertes was an “absolute delight to behold”.

Mr Smith said he was impressed with “the power of the bull, and his character”.

“He walked well, he has really good legs, great length and fleshiness all the way through.”

Beef reserve

Taking the reserve title was third calver WhinfellPark Glittered from WhinfellPark Limousins, Clifton Moor, Cumbria.

Out of Grange Orleans and sired by Wilodge Ceberus – bought for 50,000gns in 2008 from the Wilodge Limousin herd – the April 2011-born WhinfellPark Glittered is currently in calf to the record-breaking £140,000 Truemans Jagger.

She was shown with April 2016-born heifer calf Whinfellpark Misschief – sired by Foxhillfarm Jasper – at foot.

The Royal Highland Show was only WhinfellPark Glittered’s second showing, having debuted earlier this month at the Cumberland Show, where she was named Limousin champion, interbred beef champion and the overall champion of champions.

She will next be seen at the National Limousin Show in Carlisle in July.

Sheep champion

In the sheep ring, the interbreed sheep title went to North Country Cheviot tup North Synton Ringmaster, from WD Allen, Humbleheugh Farm, Alnwick, Northumberland.

Sired by Wester Sensation, North Synton Ringmaster was bought for the Allens’ flock – managed by Billy and Kate Allen and their children Dallas and Ruth – for £4,000 at Lockerbie in 2014.

Shown by Dallas, he was male champion and reserve park-type North Country Cheviot champion at the Royal Highland Show last year.

“We’re over the moon. We have put a lot of work in, but this makes it all worthwhile,” said Dallas.

See also: Royal Highland Show sheep results 2015

Interbreed judge Jimmy Irving, who farms hill-type North Country Cheviots, South Country Cheviots and Blackfaces in Mountberger, Selkirk, said of the champion: “He’s a good sheep, typical of the breed. He walked well, has good skin and good hair.”

Sheep reserve

Runner-up was Molly, a six-year old hill-type North Country Cheviot ewe from W and J Thomson, Hownam Grange, Kelso, Roxburghshire.

The Thomsons, who manage 800 hill-type and 500 park-type North Country Cheviots, boast five Royal Highland Show interbreed champions and three reserves.

Molly won the ewe class and was named reserve hill-type North Country Cheviot breed champion at the Royal Highland Show last year.

Of the reserve, Mr Irving said: “She is very feminine. She lacked a bit of power, but she’s only six years old.”