FOXHILLFARM IVY CROWNED SUPREME CHAMPION AT GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW

• Millington Highlight placed as Reserve Overall Champion
• Foxhillfarm Jasper claims Male Championship
• Glenrock Jewel wins Junior Championship
• Limousin takes the Interbreed Team of Four
• Breed stands Reserve in Blythewood Continental Pairs

The Alford family continued their tremendous run of form on the year’s summer show circuit, when taking the Limousin Overall Supreme Championship at the 2015 Great Yorkshire Show with their heifer Foxhillfarm Ivy.

This January 2013 born embryo calf is a Wilodge Vantastic daughter from Michael, Melanie and Charlotte Alford, Cullompton, Devon and is out of the prolific Bankdale Alice, herself a Sympa daughter.  She was tapped forward by as Female Champion before going on to lift the Overall Breed Championship. Judging the Limousin classes was Mark Quick of the noted Loosebeare herd at Zeal Monachorum, Crediton, Devon.

Ivy has had a strong season so far, having been Female and Reserve Overall Champion at the Royal Highland, as well as being part of the Burke Trophy winning pair at the Royal Cornwall, and racking up further awards at the Royal Bath & West and Devon County shows.   For the Alfords this was a second ‘major’ in 2015 following hard on the heels of Foxhillfarm Jasper’s win at the Royal Highland.

Standing Reserve Overall Champion at the Great Yorkshire was the Reserve Female Champion, Millington Highlight from the local herd Millington Limousins, The Grange, Millington, York. This 2012-born cow is another by Wilodge Vantastic and is out of Brockhurst Option. She was shown with her calf at foot Millington Juliet by the imported sire Ecran.  This was the second year in succession that Millington Highlight had stood as Reserve Overall and Reserve Female Champion at the Great Yorkshire.  Highlight is a full sister to Millington Hawk who was previously a part of the 2013 winning Blytheswood Pairs Interbreed at the Great Yorkshire.

Completing her haul of titles Millington Highlight also collected the award for the Best Animal from a North East Limousin Club member. Reserve for this award was Jamie Cooper with Tomschoice Jasper, a Tomschoice Hurricane daughter out of Tomschoice Diva, a Ronick Member daughter.  Tomshoice Jasper also stood Reserve in the Best Junior Exhibitor Bred Male to Foxhillfarm Jasper.

The Alfords team were on winning form in the male classes too, taking the Male Championship, Reserve Junior Champion, and Best Junior Exhibitor Bred Male with the aforementioned Foxhillfarm Jasper, the Loosebeare Fantastic son out of Bankdale Alice.

As noted, Foxhillfarm Jasper was Overall Champion at the Royal Highland Highland in June and was the other half of the Burke Trophy winning pair at Royal Cornwall.  In May he was the Overall Champion and sale topper at the Society’s bull sale at Carlisle when he sold for 35,000gns to Messrs Jenkinsons, Whinfellpark, Penrith.  As announced at the time of sale the Alfords would continue to show the bull through the summer.

Taking the Reserve Male Championship were the Gascoines Group, Newark, with their Heathmount Trojan son Gascoines James. This one, January 2014 born, was Junior Champion and Reserve Male Champion at Nottinghamshire County Show in May and is out of Cockleshell Daisy, a Winnington Trumps daughter.

Leading the Junior Championship was the classy Glenrock Jewel from the Eagleside herd of Tom Illingworth, Howgillside, Eaglesfield, Lockerbie.   January 2014 born, Jewel is a Bremore Artist daughter out of the Illingworth family’s exceptional breeding cow Glenock Spangle. Again, Glenrock Jewel had a strong Royal Highland Show behind her where she had won Reserve Female Overall, Junior Female Championship, and Reserve Junior Overall.

Glenrock breeding was again to the fore when Glenrock Jadore won the award for the Best Junior Exhibitor Bred Female for Stephen Illingworth.  Glenrock Jadore, another Bremore Artist daughter, is out of the noted Glenrock Fantastic, herself a daughter of Glenrock Spangle.

The Limousin breed was then on winning form in the Interbreed Team of Four competition, with the team lifting the Overall Championship under Judge Angus Stovold.  The victorious team consisted of Doug Mash’s senior bull Brookhurst Elvis;  Millington Grange’s Millington Highlight;  the Supreme Champion Foxhillfarm Ivy from the Alfords and Tom Illingworth’s Junior Breed Champion Glenrock Jewel.

In the Blythewood Continental Pairs Interbreed the Limousin pair of Foxhillfarm Ivy & Jasper took the Reserve title.

In the hotly contested commercial cattle classes it was a Limousin cross which secured the Reserve Steer Championship under judge Jason Wareham, Heathfield, Sussex.

This was Trevor Lyon and family’s bullock Midnight Black. Weighing 622kg, this one is by former stock bull Ironstone Enigma and out of the same dam as the successful show heifer Temptation.

His show career to date has included a first at English Winter Fair and homebred calf champion, as well as being a class winner at East of England Smithfield Festival last December. This summer has seen him win at Hertfordshire County, take reserve steer at Lincoln and win his class at Norfolk. He next heads to the Royal Welsh.

Class Results 

Senior Bull

1. W J and M Mash                  Brockhurst Elvis
2. E J Penty                            Espoir

Intermediate Bull

1. M Alford                               Foxhillfarm Jasper
2. Gascoines Group                  Gascoines James
3. C W and J E Johnston          Crajan Jester

Junior Bull

1. J M and S P Cooper             Tomschoice Jasper
2. I Nimmo                              Maraiscote Jura
3. Gascoines Group                 Birdies Jim

Cow in calf or in milk or heifer in calf

1. Millington Limousins           Millington Highlight
2. W J and M Mash                Brockhurst Howzat
3. W J and M Mash                Brockhurst Heavenly

Senior heifer

1. M Alford                            Foxhillfarm Ivy
2. C Alford                             Foxhillfarm Isla
3. J L Marks                          Oddacres Ivy

Intermediate heifer

1. D McBeath and S J Jessop Poolehall Iris
2. Hampshire Livestock          Keadyview Iamlovely
3. J M and S P Cooper           Tomschoice Imagination

Junior heifer

1. T Illingworth                        Glenrock Jewel
2. S D Illingworth                    Glenrock Jadore
3. W J and M Mash                 Brockhurst Jade

Group of Three

1. M Alford
2. W J and M Mash
3. Gascoines Group

Pair by the same sire

1. M Alford
2. W J and M Mash
3. P Summers