- Trueman Jagger wins Junior Interbreed Overall & Reserve Overall Limousin
- Limousin Team of Three Wins Interbreed
- Limousins Place Reserve in Interbreed Pairs
- Carnew Jackpot wins Beef Performance Interbreed
- Limousin wins Commercial Championship & places Second Reserve in Junior Interbreed
The two-year-old heifer Bailey Iceprincess from John & Karl Connell, Newcastle, Oldcastle, Co. Meath, came through a Limousin section high on quality to win the breed’s Overall Supreme Championship on the opening day of the 2015 Balmoral Show in Belfast.
With strength in depth through the classes in both the male and female sections it proved to be very much a day for the young stock. Bailey Iceprincess emerged from the fourth female class of the day for heifers in-calf born on or between October 2012 and 30th June 2013. From there she moved on to secure the Female Championship before being given the final tap as Overall Supreme Champion by the judge Mary Cormack who, along with Richard Bartle, runs the Absolute pedigree herd at Upper Dinmore, Hereford. Further success was to follow with Bailey Iceprincess being part of the winning Limousin Team of Three in the Linden Foods Beef Group Interbreed Championship and standing Reserve Supreme in the Marks & Spencer Beef Pairs Interbreed.
Having enjoyed a great day, and just pipped into the Overall Reserve Supreme position, was the Trueman team of Henry Savage & Sons, 70 Skerriff Road, Altnamackin, Newry, Co Down, with their fine young bull Trueman Jagger who along the way had also won the Male Championship, Junior Male Championship, and Junior Overall titles! The titles kept coming with the bull also winning the highly prestigious Junior Overall Interbreed title on day two in front of the judge Jim Barber and then being part of the winning Group of Three on the Friday.
It was an all-round strong start to the 2015 summer show season by the Limousin breed at Balmoral Show. In the Interbreed competitions over the three days, Limousin cattle secured the Team of Three; Junior Interbreed & Second Reserve; the Beef Performance Interbreed; Reserve in the Interbreed Pairs; and the Supreme Championship in the Commercial Cattle section.
The Limousin Overall Supreme Champion, Bailey Iceprincess, is April 2013 born and was originally bred by Tom Bailey, Culcommon, Batterstown, Co. Meath. She is by Baileys Darwin, a bull that goes back to Grahams Samson, and is out of Roundhill Vgoyuse who goes back to Nenuphar. In 2014, Bailey Iceprincess had placed Champion at the Premier Heifer Sale held in Roscrea. Having been unsold Karl & John Connell managed thereafter to secure the heifer privately for their pedigree Carrickmore herd which presently consists of ten pedigree cows. With a track record behind her in 2014 Bailey Iceprincess has been the Junior Female Champion at the National Limousin Show in Tullamore and had also won the Irish Limousin Junior Female Champion of the Year. The plan is that she will now be shown for the rest of the summer in Ireland. Following on from the success of William Smith in recent years the win here for the Connell Brothers saw the Overall Supreme Championship once again go to a breeder from Southern Ireland. Bailey Iceprincess was shown in-calf to the famous Ronick Hawk. No strangers to showing at Balmoral the Connell Brothers have previously picked up the Senior Male Championship. Speaking afterwards John Connell said that this Championship was probably their biggest win to date and that it was ‘a great honour’ to win such a prestigious title and having gone up against some quality cattle.
The judge Mary Cormack was full of praise for her Champion and said: “This heifer came into the ring with her head up and just carried tremendous presence and style. She’s just full of class, has a terrific top line, outstanding shape and is very correct. With great femininity and that bit of sparkle she is a very worthy Champion on the day.”
Commenting generally, Mary Cormack continued: “There was some real quality throughout the classes with at least a star or two in every class and my congratulations go to the exhibitors. Having been involved with Limousin cattle from a young age to now judge at a premier ‘Royal’ Show has been an enormous honour and one that I have greatly enjoyed.”
Come the Interbreeds judged over the second and third days, Bailey Iceprincess was very much to the fore. Teaming up with the Limousin Overall Reserve Supreme Champion, the young bull Trueman Jagger, and the Limousin Reserve Female Champion, Poolehall Isabelle, the Linden Foods Beef Group Championship was duly secured in front of the judge Richard Rettie. The same judge also placed Bailey Iceprincess and the Limousin Reserve Male Champion, Scotchtown Iceberg, Reserve Supreme Champions in the Marks & Spencer Interbreed Pairs.
The Limousin Overall Reserve Supreme Champion, Trueman Jagger is an April 2014 born embryo calf by Ampertaine Gigolo and out of the herd’s noted cow Trueman Grazia. Trueman Grazia is by the 100,000gns Haltcliffe Vermount and is out of Cookstown B1425, an animal bought from a dispersal sale in Southern Ireland. Amongst a string of show and sale titles, Trueman Grazia had placed as Reserve Overall Supreme at the 2012 Royal Ulster Show to Millbrook Gingerspice, and is a previous Champion at the Northern Ireland Heifer Derby. In 2012 she was also Champion at the Red Ladies Show & Sale at Carlisle before going on to sell for the day’s top price of 14,000gns to the Dutch based Cowporation herd. The sire, Ampertaine Gigolo, also has a Dutch connection with a half share of the bull having been sold privately also to Cowporation who went on to show him successfully at the 2014 Dutch National Show. Ampertaine Crystal, the dam of Gigolo, is out of the noted Ronick Gains. A very classy young bull, Trueman Jagger will now be aimed at the British Limousin Cattle Society’s October Bull Sale in Carlisle.
With two quality young bulls forward the Savage family also picked up the Reserve Junior Male title, behind their Champion, with the January 2014 born Trueman Jukebox. Jukebox is an AI son of the 32,000gns Ampertaine Elgin (by Glenrock Ventura) and is a heifer’s calf out of Trueman Gabrielle (by Nenuphar). Earlier this year this bull won the Overall Supreme Championship at the Young Limousin Breeders Northern Ireland (YLBNI) Calf Spectacular held at Ballymena Mart in January. Again, Trueman Jukebox will also be heading to Carlisle in October.
The October 2013 born heifer Poolehall Isabelle shown jointly by Martin Davis, Ballinenee, Co. Longford, Republic of Ireland and Stirling’s Robert Graham, took the Reserve Overall Female Championship behind the Overall Supreme. An embryo calf, Poolehall Isabelle was bred by Mr & Mrs N Matthews, Applecross Farm, Alveley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. By the Sympa son Haltcliffe Ben and out of the 27,000gns Wilodge Flawless, she was purchased by Martin Davis for 7000gns at the 2014 Red Ladies Sale at Carlisle where she had stood as Overall Reserve. Poolehall Isabelle now heads across the water to compete at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh.
Ampertaine Elgin breeding featured throughout the day and was the sire of the Junior Female Champion & Reserve Junior Overall, Pointhouse Jewel from Michael Diamond, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry along with his son Kile aged 10. June 2014 born this homebred heifer placed first in the day’s opening class for heifers born after 1st April 2014. A heifer described as having ‘a great top, and very level’, Pointhouse Jewel is out of the Kype Orkney daughter Pointhouse Apple. The 2015 Balmoral Show was the first big show that Michael Diamond had ever entered. Pointhouse Jewel is actually his “wee lad” Kile’s heifer. Kile had been ‘given’ the heifer as he wanted to learn how to groom up, handle and eventually show cattle. The intention is to carry on showing Jewel this summer at local shows at Antrim, Ballymena.
Standing second in the same class and placing Reserve Junior Female was Millgate Jem from Michael Loughran, Dungate Dunamore, Cookstown, Co Tyrone. This June 2014 born heifer is by the Attirant son Carmorn Greencastle and is out of Millgate Jemma.
Back in the bulls Scotchtown Iceberg from the Rodgers family, Hillhead, Dromara, Co Down took the Overall Reserve Male Championship. This rising two-year-old bull is another by Ampertaine Elgin and is out of Scotchtown Foxy. This bull was bred by Leslie Allison, 45 Scotchtown Road, Limavady, Co Derry.
A further Interbreed title was picked up when the 5th March 2014 born Carnew Jackpot from Messrs J&J Aiken, 82 Corbally Road, Dromara, Dromore, Co Down took the Beef Bull Performance Interbreed Championship in front of the judge Jim Barber. This bull who had stood second in his class to the Reserve Junior Male Champion is by Swarland Eddie and is out of the Wilodge Vantastic daughter Carnew Erica.
The Sauvignon sired steer ‘Black Magic’, out of a Limousin cross cow, took the Commercial Championship for Gareth Corrie & Jonathan Neill , Newtownards, before going on to place a very creditable Second Reserve Champion in the Junior Interbreed. Born in March 2014 this calf was purchased at Ballymena suckled calf sale for £1280 and weighed in at 560kgs. Judging the Commercial Cattle section was Ayrshire’s James Nisbet, Mauchline.
