A boyhood dream came true for Drew Hyslop, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, when he scooped the overall cattle championship at the East of England Smithfield Festival, Peterborough.
Mr Hyslop’s overall champion, which came through as cross-bred Continental heifer champion and then overall heifer champion, before being tapped out as the show’s supreme champion beast, is a Charolais cross, Bang Tidy.
Bred at Holehouse, Cumnock, by Hugh and Lynn Dunlop, Bang Tidy is a daughter of 8,000 gns Charolais sire Glenrock Eiger and out of a Limousin cross dam.
Weighing in at 602kg, Bang Tidy has previously been a first-prize winner at the Scottish Winter Fair.
Cattle judge Archie MacGregor, Kilsyth, Glasgow, said Bang Tidy was an ultimate show beast. “She handles exceptionally well, has a great loin and length to her, and has that all-important added sparkle needed in the showring.”
He added: “She was without question the best beast here today and a worthy Smithfield champion.”
Standing reserve overall were the Harryman family, Cumbria, with their reserve heifer champion Keskadale Gamel. This June 2011-born heifer is by Sarkley Volvo and weighed 724kg.
This is the first time the same animal has won this championship two years in a row.
She took the red ticket at Agri-Expo and stood second at the English Winter Fair as well as numerous championships throughout the summer.
The Harrymans added to their championship tally when collecting the King’s Cup for best beast bred by the exhibitor.
Taking the overall steer championship were the Alford family Mike, Melanie and Charlotte with their Limousin cross steer Harlem Shake.
Bred by OJ Kendall, this one is by Cawfields Dazzler and was steer champion at the Royal Welsh Show in the summer, as well as the Great Yorkshire and Royal Highland Show, and has been a first- prize winner on the winter circuit as well as claiming the steer championship and reserve overall at the Scottish Winter Fair last week.
Reserve to him was another Scottish-bred beast, with Neil Lloyd at the halter of Elfed Williams’ Limousin cross steer Dynamite Dougie.
This one was reserve overall champion at the Welsh Winter Fair and went on to sell for £6,500 to Ireland.
This Normande Adventurer son is out of a Limousin cross female and former show heifer and was originally purchased at the Cally Calf Sale for £4,500 from Wilson Peters after standing overall champion in the pre-sale show.
Cumnock’s Ian Lammie also had a good show, taking the reserve overall title in the Continental heifer championship behind the eventual overall champion.
Mr Lammie’s winner was the winner of the heavyweight British-Blue-sired heifer class, Sweet Cheeks at 698kg, and bred by Andy Woodburn.
Also getting a score on the board for Scotland was Matt Currie. He won the first championship of the day, the pure-bred native, with his Aberdeen-Angus steer Base Jumper.
This 712kg Catrionas MacAllan son stood Aberdeen-Angus champion at the Scottish Winter Fair.
This is the best result to date for Matt, who started his Angus herd in 2003 and stood reserve champion that year.
Across in the sheep lines Malcolm Stewart, Brotherstone, Melrose, led the charge for Scottish exhibitors when he picked up a brace of red rosettes with his Suffolk-sired lambs, winning both the untrimmed and trimmed classes for the breed.
Mr Stewart also conquered the native-sired carcass class too, with a U3L graded carcass sired by a home-bred tup.