Britain’s oldest herd of Aberdeen-Angus won its second bull calf championship in a week at the Black Beauty Bonanza show at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie.
Ballindalloch Home Farm, owned by Banffshire Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Clare Russell and husband Oliver, won the championship at the Aberdeen-Angus breed’s leading show of calves and yearlings to cap the herd’s success the previous week at the Stars of the Future at Stirling where their nine-month-old bull, Ballindalloch Earl N397, was native breed junior champion.
The Ballindalloch herd was founded by Mrs Russell’s great grandfather, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, in 1860.
Their winner, which is to be retained at Ballindalloch as a stock bull, also had a successful summer winning calf championships at the Nairn, Black Isle, Keith and Grantown shows.
“This is a calf with tremendous potential which led a very strong show of bull calves,” said judge Victor Wallace, owner of the 110-cow Baronagh herd in Northern Ireland, who was full of praise for the overall quality of the show.
Organised by the North East Aberdeen-Angus Club, it attracted 98 entries ranging from Orkney to Middlesbrough.
It was a day of mixed emotions for Ballindalloch farm manager David Johnstone and wife Susan, who faced the disappointment earlier this year of having to put down their champion’s sire when he was bitten by a birch fly after siring only six calves.
The sire, Ardoyne Munro Prince K191, was bred by Henk Rennie and his late wife Helen, Westerton of Ardoyne, Insch, and sold privately for five-figures to Ballindalloch last year.
Mr Rennie was close to tears at the ringside as he watched the son of the bull which he considers the best he has ever bred carry off the top award.
“I’m delighted for Ballindalloch and the success demonstrates what the sire might have achieved for the herd and for the breed had he lived,” said Mr Rennie.
Neil Wattie, Mains of Tonley, Alford, came close to repeating his success at the national Aberdeen-Angus calf show at Agri Expo held at Carlisle earlier in the month where he won the bull calf and male championships.
Tonley Jose Enrique N957, a seven-month-old son of Blelack Kanasta Lad G191, had to be content with the reserve bull calf championship this time.
The bull was bought in uterus when Mr Wattie acquired his dam for 5,500 gns at the Blelack reduction sale last year.
Top award in a small show of yearling bulls went to M Bruce & Partners, Logie, Ellon, with a 21-month-old bull shown for the first time Logie Expire M197, by Blelack Lord Hildalgo H972.
Reserve was 20-month-old Cairnton Phillanderer M333, by Kitewood Kingdom out of Cairnton Peg H241, shown by Ken and Margaret Howie, Cairnton, Lumphanan.
The show was open for the first time to exhibitors outwith the North-east and Highland club areas, which resulted in the heifer calf championship going to the leading show team of Richard and Carol Rettie of 3 Aberdona Mains, Alloa, with their seven-month-old heifer calf Retties Lady Ruth N228, by Rawburn Elysium F547.
The heifer was winning her first championship after standing calf and reserve female championship at Carlisle and reserve junior champion at Stirling.
The second-prize winner in the same class followed through to take the reserve award for Neil and Graeme Massie, Blelack, Dinnet, whose heifer, Blelack Princess Charlotte N092, by Blelack Equity J127, was paraded by Graeme’s daughter Hayley.
The McCombie family, Auchincrieve, Rothiemay, took three first-prize tickets and went on to win the yearling heifer championship with 20-month-old Auchincrieve Etna M526, by the home-bred Auchincrieve Ethanol J148. This heifer was heifer calf champion at the show last year and junior champion at the Royal Highland Show and reserve and female champion at the National Aberdeen-Angus Show at Perth Show during the summer.
The Retties’ son Jamie, 21, who won the senior section of the junior showmanship competition and captained the UK team which was fifth at the World Aberdeen-Angus Forum in New Zealand, took the reserve yearling heifer championship with 21-month-old Hillfoots Tidy Bee M175, by Blelack Evor H929. This was yearling champion at Carlisle.