TOP HONOURS FOR FOXHILLFARM NAOMI AT THE 2019 ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOW

• Foxhillfarm Naomi takes Breed Champion and Reserve Inter-breed honours
• Limousins win Inter-breed Group of Four championship
• Redpaths Nobleman stands overall Continental Beefbreeder Champion with Westpit Orion also winning his Beefbreeder class
• Three of four commercial cattle titles secured by Limousin-sired entries

Females were to the fore of the Limousin judging at the Royal Highland Show on Thursday, 20^th June, where, despite a cold wind and the occasional downpour of rain, a stellar show of stock was paraded in front of the judge, Chris Jerman, of the Glangwden herd of 100 cows near Caersws, Powys.

Mr Jerman was looking for an animal with size, power and shape, and he certainly found that in his Supreme Limousin Champion, Foxhillfarm Naomi from Mike and Melanie Alford’s herd of 20 pedigree Limousins near Cullompton, Devon.  At the top of her game, Naomi then went on later in the week to take the overall Reserve Interbreed title.   Out of the record-priced 140,000gns Trueman Jagger she had only just turned two a month prior and has been unbeaten in her class in the show ring, most recently standing Inter-breed Champion at Devon and the Royal Cornwall shows. Following on from her junior championship honours at the Royal Welsh Show last year, she secured the Alfords their fourth supreme title at Ingliston, having previously won with Foxhillfarm Mammamia, Foxhillfarm Jasper and Foxhillfarm Gracie. Naomi’s dam, Foxhillfarm Isla, has a strong pedigree behind her too as the former show heifer is by Wilodge Vantastic and out of the prolific Bankdale Alice.

“The champion has everything you need in a Limousin – power, shape, size and femininity,” said Mr Jerman, adding that the Reserve Supreme Champion was ‘something else as well’ and it was a close-run contest between the two.

That was the Reserve Female Champion in the shape of Gareth Small’s Strathearnred Oopsadaisy, just the second pedigree bred by Gareth and the first shown by him at the Highland having previously welcomed success with Limousin-sired commercial entries. Another Trueman Jagger daughter, this time born in January 2018, she also added the Supreme Junior honours to her haul and was echoing her success at Balmoral where she also stood Reserve Female and Reserve Overall on her only other outing. Her dam is Claragh Layla, a Vantastic daughter bought by Gareth for 18,000gns at Carlisle and one of only two breeding cows owned in Kilkeel, County Down, by Gareth.

The Whinfellpark team had plenty to celebrate when they claimed the Male Champion, Reserve Junior Female and Reserve Overall Junior titles. Their male leader, which also stood Junior Male and Reserve Overall Junior, was Whinfellpark Oz, a 16-month-old bull which is among the first crop of calves by the 22,000gns Gunnerfleet Lion bought at Carlisle. Bred out of Whinfellpark Elite, a Wilodge Cerberus daughter, Oz was Reserve Supreme Champion at Ayr Show and Reserve Male at Northumberland.

Adding to the Whinfellpark kist-full of prizes was the Reserve Junior Female, Whinfellpark Olga, again by Gunnerfleet Lion and born in April 2018, this time out of another Cerberus daughter in the shape of Whinfellpark Flair. She also did well at Ayr and Northumberland shows, standing second at the former at first at the latter.

Landing a best result at the Highland were Jim and Andrew Gammie, whose Westpit Oban was reserve to Whinfellpark Oz in both the Male and Junior Male contests, and also claimed the prize for best animal bred by a member of the Scottish Limousin Club. He nearly followed in the footsteps of his sire, Jalex Itsallgood, which the duo purchased privately when he stood junior champion at the Highland and which has since gone on to sire bulls to 17,500gns. On his show debut from the herd near Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, Oban is out of Westpit Harmony, by Netherhall Doubleoseven.

Aileen Ritchie’s home-bred Ritchies Meryl was awarded the Best Cow ticket. This home-bred three-year-old is out of one of Aileen’s foundation females, Emslies Ieryl, and sired by Sympa.

The Tweeddale herd of Redhead and Watson had success in the Limousin Team of Three which features three cattle drawn from different classes in the ownership of one exhibitor

Limousins features strongly in the Continental Beefbreeder section by winning both classes before Redpaths Nobleman from Redpath Farms, Kelso, went on to stand Supreme Beefbreeder Champion. The 26-month-old Dinmore Jollygood son was junior male champion at last year’s Highland Show as well as Intermediate Champion at Carlisle in October. Also featuring in that class were Jim and Andrew Gammie’s Wespit Omaha in fourth, and Richard and Kathleen Davidson’s Corsairtly Ollie in fifth. Jim and Andrew Gammie’s Westpit Orion – a 14-month-old Jalex Itsallgood son bred from Brockhurst Holly – stood at the top of the line in the second Continental Beefbreeder class.

In a grand finale to the pedigree section, the Limousin team of four scooped the top spot lifting the United Auctions Interbreed Team championship.   A smart-looking team they consisted of bull Redpaths Nobleman (above), cow Whinfellpark Jeansjiggle and two heifers Whinfellpark Nerissa and Springsett Nancy; all prize-winners in their classes.

Cattle by Limousin sires did well in the commercial section, taking three of the top four accolades. Best of these was the Male Champion and Reserve Overall Champion, Blair Duffton and Rebecca Stuart’s Dancer, an August 2017-born bullock which has secured 14 red tickets at his 14 previous shows, including LiveScot and the Welsh Winter Fair. Bred by Emily Jones, he is sired by Haltcliffe Chico.

Reserve Male was Suzie Dunn’s Haggis Bomb, a Craigatoke Jameson son bred by JS Baillie And Co which had already lifted a number of tri-colour tickets earlier in the season. Craig and Katreen Malone’s She’s a Belter was Reserve Female Champion. Bred by DB Erskine, she won the continental calf section at LiveScot and was reserve calf at the Welsh Winter Fair.

Limousin prize list

Female born on or after 1 April 2018

1^st           Whinfellpark Olga                            Messrs Jenkinson
2^nd          Maraiscote Ohlala                            Mr J Nimmo
3^rd           Annanview Olala                              Mr K Watret

Female born on or between 1 January and 31 March 2018

1^st           Strathearnred Oopsadaisy                 Mr G Small
2^nd          Springsett Orchid                             Messrs McBeath & Jessop
3^rd           Brockhurst Oprah                             WJ & M Mash

Female in-calf or maiden born between 1 July and 31 December 2018

1^st           Springsett Nancy                           Messrs McBeath & Jessop
2^nd          Meadowrig Naranja                        Renton & Redden Partners
3^rd           Tweeddale Nikhita                         Redhead & Watson

Female in-calf or maiden born between 1 August 2016 and 30 June 2017

1^st           Foxhillfarm Naomi                           Mr & Mrs MJ Alford
2^nd          Whinfellpark Nerissa                        Messrs Jenkinson
3^rd           Tweeddale Nocomparison                Redhead & Watson

Female in-milk or with calf born before 31 December 2015
1^st           Whinfellpark Jeansjiggle                 Messrs Jenkinson
2^nd          Brockhurst Littlegem                      WJ & M Mash

Bull born on or after 1 June 2018

1^st           Fairywater Officer                            Mr A Ewing

Bull born on or between 1 April and 31 Nay 2018

1^st           Whinfellpark Oz                                 Messrs Jenkinson
2^nd          Westpit Orion                                    A & J Gammie

Bull born on or between 1 January and 31 March 2018

1^st           Westpit Oban                                    A & J Gammie
2^nd          Maraiscote Ocean                              Mr J Nimmo
3^rd           Drumhilla Oscar                                Drumhilla Farm

Bull born on or between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017

1^st           Redpaths Nobleman                       Redpath Farms

Best Female                       Foxhillfarm Naomi                           Mr & Mrs MJ Alford

Reserve Female                 Strathearnred Oopsadaisy                Mr G Small

Best Cow                           Ritchies Meryl                                  Miss A Ritchie

Best Junior Female           Strathearnred Oopsadaisy                 Mr G Small

Reserve Junior Female     Whinfellpark Olga                             Messrs Jenkinson

Best Bull                           Whinfellpark Oz                                Messrs Jenkinson

Reserve Bull                     Westpit Oban                                    A & J Gammie

Best Junior Bull                Whinfellpark Oz                                Messrs Jenkinson

Reserve Junior Bull         Westpit Oban                                    A & J Gammie

Champion                        Foxhillfarm Naomi                             Mr & Mrs MJ Alford

Reserve Champion          Strathearnred Oopsadaisy                  Mr G Small

Junior Champion             Strathearnred Oopsadaisy                  Mr G Small

Reserve Junior Champion           Whinfellpark Oz              Messrs Jenkinson

Best Animal Bred by Exhibitor   Foxhillfarm Naomi           Mr & Mrs MJ Alford

Best Animal Bred by Exhibitor who is a member of the Scottish Limousin Club   Westpit Oban

A & J Gammie

Best Group of Three

Tweeddale Nikhita, Tweeddale Olwen, Tweeddale Nocomparison                                                             Redhead & Watson