Limousin breed sparkles in the mud at a rain swept Ingliston.
- Hafodlas Domino wins Limousin Supreme Championship and Overall Royal Highland Individual Interbreed Title
- Limousins win the Team of Four Interbreed for the Sixth Time in Eight Years.
- Ironstone Floribunda wins Limousin Junior Championship and Overall Royal Highland Junior Interbreed Title.
- Alfords Lead the Way in Limousin Championship One-Two in Commercial Championships
A high quality show of Limousin cattle sparkled in the wet and muddy conditions at the 2012 Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, Edinburgh, to dominate the beef championships and lift the three premier Interbreed awards.
Leading the way on the opening day on Thursday 21st June was the Senior Bull, Hafodlas Domino, from owner WJ & M Mash Ltd, Torrington Farm, Grove Lane, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. October 2008 born, Hafodlas Domino was bred by AH & GW Roberts, Hafod Las, Ysbyty Ifan, Betws Y Coed, Gwynedd and was part of the Hafodlas herd of 30 head purchased by Mr Mash in a private deal concluded in February this year.
Sired by the 22,500gns Bailea Spunkie, the Champion bull is out of Hafodlas Shona, a Hafodlas Llion daughter. Coming through a strong show of junior and senior bulls, Hafodlas Domino picked up the Limousin breed Male Championship before powering through to the breed’s Supreme Championship title in front of judge for the day, and present BLCS Chairman, Peter Kirton, Severn Lodge Farm, Buttonbridge Lane, Kinlet, Bewdley, Worcs.
It proved to be a memorable show in more ways than one for owner Doug Mash, who runs the noted 100 breeding female Brockhust herd, when on the Saturday Hafodlas Domino went on to scoop the Overall Supreme Individual Interbreed Title, and was a part of the winning Interbreed Team of Four. Commenting on his Champion, Judge Peter Kirton said: “This is a typical and really outstanding Limousin bull. He has natural power, a great top, has tremendous hindquarters, and showed himself perfectly on the day. He’s a very modern Limousin bull that would suit any pedigree breeder.” Both the Individual Interbreed, and the Team of Four Interbreed, were placed by well-known judge Jimmy McMillan, Brechin.
No stranger to the show ring, and a strong supporter of the Limousin breed, the Champion win was Doug Mash’s fifth ‘Royal’ Limousin Overall Championship. This second win at the Highland, following his first in 2008 with Brockhurst Batik, sits alongside two Championship titles at the Royal Welsh and a Royal Show title at Stoneleigh, Warks. Already used in the Brockhurst herd with ten cows in calf to him, Hafodlas Domino will now take aim at further summer shows including the East of England, Great Yorkshire, and Royal Welsh.
In close pursuit of the Champion, in what was a strong day for the English exhibitors, was the Female Champion and Overall Reserve Supreme, Ironstone Dumandy, from Oxfordshire breeders Smiths of Bloxham, Newlands Farm, Milton Road, Bloxham, Banbury. Again, prolific show exhibitors around the United Kingdom, this was the first time the herd had shown at the Royal Highland in some sixteen years. It proved a memorable return with a host of titles secured including Female Champion, Overall Reserve, Junior Limousin Champion, Junior Overall Interbreed Champion, Best Animal Exhibitor Bred, and Reserve Male Champion. Ironstone Dumandy also featured in the winning Interbreed Team of Four. Ironstone’s Female Champion, Reserve Male Champion, and Junior Champion were all homebred and all were sired by the herd’s prolific 42,000gns stock bull Wilodge Vantastic.
The September 2008 born Ironstone Dumandy continues to be a regular winner of county, Royal and Interbreed titles and is presently the reigning Royal Welsh Supreme Interbreed Champion. Sired by Wilodge Vantastic, she is out of the 50,000gns Bailea Umandy and was shown at the Highland with her Teddy-sired bull calf at foot. Of his Female Champion, judge Peter Kirton said: “We have seen Dumandy as a heifer and how she has grown on. She is now a tremendous cow and you just can’t get away from the presence of her in size, power and width but whilst retaining femininity.” In an interesting side bar, both the Champion and Reserve Champion featured breeding of MT Jones’ Bailea herd at Sennybridge, Powys.
These two outstanding Champions, Hafodlas Domino and Ironstone Dumandy, then proved to be the platform for the Limousin ‘dream team’ that won the blue riband Interbreed Team of Four on the Saturday. This fantastic quartet, generally acknowledged as one of the strongest teams seen in recent years with a balance of power, shape and style, was completed with two maiden heifers from the Glenrock herd of Mr & Mrs SD Illingworth, Howgillside, Eaglesfield, Lockerbie. Glenrock Fantastic is November 2010 born and is by the 100,000gns Haltcliffe Vermount and is out of the prolific breeding cow Glenrock Spangle, a Kype Interrogate daughter, whose progeny have sold up to 20,000gns and also includes most recently the 16,000gns Glenrock Fortune sold at Carlisle in May this year. This heifer stood second in her class to the eventual Limousin Junior Champion and Junior Interbreed Champion, Ironstone Floribunda, and was herself Reserve Junior Female and Reserve Junior Overall. The November 2009 Glenrock Elusive was the final piece that fitted in the team of four. This heifer is another by Wilodge Vantastic and is out of Glenrock Caprice who also features Kype Interrogate in the back pedigree and on the sire line.
A short video clip of the Judging of the Limousin Team can be viewed here.
Early on Saturday morning and getting the Limousin day off to a flying start, the Junior Overall Interbreed title was secured by Ironstone Floribunda from Smiths of Bloxham. This November 2010 born heifer had picked up the Junior female and Junior Limousin titles before completing her own personal hat-trick in winning the Junior Interbreed title in front of judge Bruce Goldie, Townfoot, Mouswald, Dumfries. Floribunda is another heifer by Wilodge Vantastic and is out of the 12,000gns Jockey sired Kendrom Betty. A ‘clear winner’ in the judges eyes Bruce Goldie said: “The Champion was an outstanding heifer, very modern she was well balanced and displayed a combination of both femininity and muscling.”
In the Limousin judging on the Thursday morning Smiths of Bloxham remained firmly to the fore when they picked up the Reserve Male Championship with another homebred animal, Ironstone Executive. This three-year-old bull, used as a stock bull in the herd last year, is another son of Wilodge Vantastic and is out of the Ronick Member-sired Greenwell Sasha.
Ian Nimmo of Bogside Farm, Newmains, Wishaw, continued his fine form at the Royal Highland Show when he picked up the Junior Male Championship with Maraiscote Gigolo. This is the third year in a row that Ian Nimmo has won this award with the previous two winners then going on to sell for 15,000gns and 30,000gns respectively. Maraiscote Gigolo is himself aimed at the sales for the backend of this year. June 2011 born, Gigolo is by the 23,000gns stock bull Goldies Comet and is out of Maraiscote Annabell. In addition to the Junior Male title, the Maraiscote team picked up two first prizes and a second in the classes, and won the Limousin Team of Three with Maraiscote Gigolo, Maraiscote Gucci, and Maraiscote Gus. All were sired by Goldies Comet.
Reserve Junior Male went to the red-coated McLarens Black Glenogil from Messrs William McLaren, Muirhouses, Kirriemuir, Angus. This January 2011 born calf is the first bull calf by the herd’s 14,000gns stock sire Hudscales Darren. It is out of McLarens Black Duty whose pedigree features Greenwood Poll Homerun. This was a first section title at the Highland for the McLarens whose herd comprises of 12 pedigree breeding females, and sits alongside 70 commercials.
Standing as Reserve Senior Female and Reserve Overall Female was Ronick Evette from the prolific herd of Mr R Dick, Mains of Throsk, Stirling. January 2009 born, Ronick Evette is by Grahams Bonzo, himself a past Interbreed winner at the Highland, and is out of the Ronick Janita daughter, Ronick Viveur.
Continuing their strangle-hold of recent years at the Royal Highland, Limousin-sired cattle completely dominated the high profile Commercial Championships. Taking Supreme Championship on the Thursday afternoon were Mike & Melanie Alford, Foxhill Farm, Cullompton, Devon with their Limousin-cross heifer Smarty Pants. A prolific winner this year already at Devon, Bath and West, and Royal Cornwall, Smarty Pants was bred by Gordon Hendry and was purchased for £3,000 at Thainstone in September last year.
Taking the Reserve Championship was Jennifer Hyslop, Balluskie, Girvan and Andrew Richardson, Low Bank End Appleby with their pedigree Limousin heifer Hightown Fantasy. This Brontemoor Andover daughter, weighing 626kgs, is out of Newsham Nina and was bred by John Smith-Jackson. Hightown Fantasy was bought for £2,100 at Hexham in August last year and featured in the winning Group of Three in the Duke of Norfolk Trophy at the East of England Smithfield Festival in December 2011.
Judging the Commercial Championships was Mr Donald MacPherson, Berwick Upon Tweed.
The video of the Limousin Judging can be viewed HERE
A selection of photographs can be viewed HERE of the Judging Day at the RHAS
