at last…
Archie,
By Jeremy Hunt
TRY, try, try again – after breeding three Smithfield supreme champions for other exhibitors justice was duly done at the 200th anniversary show when Archie MacGregor finally scooped the title with the Limousin steer Clansman.
This one-year-old steer, weighing 480kg, certainly had the lineage fit for a Smithfield champion. He is sired by Shatton Pedro, a bull that has produced innumerable primestock winners. And his dam, which once won the baby heifer championship at Earls Court, is by that other legendary sire of primestock victors, the late Allanfauld Vagabond.
Clansman went one better than his reserve title taken at last months Scottish Winter Fair. "I knew he had it in him to go all the way here, so I decided not to sell him, and to bring him to Smithfield. It paid off," said Mr MacGregor, who runs about 120 beef cows including pedigree Limousin and Charolais cows on his farm near Glasgow.
And a new accolade for top Limousin sire Greensons Gigolo, the bull that has produced so many top-priced pedigree sons for mid-Wales breeder Brian Jones. This time it was one of Gigolos crossbred daughters, Fancy That, which took the reserve supreme championship for the Sellers family from Derbyshire.
"We attend about 40 shows a year, but this is the greatest win of all," said Sharon Sellers, who handled the winning heifer.
The pair of Texel-cross lambs from Brian and Janice MacTaggart at Douganhill Farms, Castle Douglas looked better every time they came into the ring on their way to taking the supreme championship.
"Not only prime lambs of the highest standard but a beautifully matched pair expertly shown and handled," said judge Andrew Hamilton, Dumfries. The lambs, which weighed 93kg as a pair, were by Annan Billionaire.
Although Texel and Beltex featured prominently in many awards, the natives came through to take the reserve overall title with a striking pair of Suffolk lambs by a 4000gns Meikelson tup from Colin and John Campbell, Alnwick, Northumberland.
at last…