BRITISH Charolais once again returned to the Balmoral Show with a multitude of
exceptional Charolais anim-als, judged by Andrew Hornall of the Falleninch herd in Stirling.
Bessiebell Nana was the talk of the event, securing the titles of Supreme Charolais Champion and the Interbreed Beef Champion of Champions. This exceptional four-year-old was exhibited by breeder J Smyth of Newtownstewart, along with her beautiful twin calves.
This wasn’t Nana’s first taste of success at Balmoral – she had also previously achieved the title of Reserve Supreme Champion in 2019. Nana comes from a high-achieving bloodline, with her sire Derryharney Jumbo winning Reserve Intermediate Champion at Stirling in 2015, and her dam Aghyoule Finoula (a Doonally New daughter) securing Reserve Overall Champion at Dungannon in 2012.
Interbreed judge Michael, from Aberdeenshire, said Nana was a “reasonably easy winner” and “she is a great example of the Charolais breed and rearing two calves as well, she’s working hard and doing a good job”.
Standing in reserve to Nana for Supreme Champion was the day’s Junior Champion Brigadoon Sicily, a 13-month-old bull exhibited by breeder W D & J A Connolly of Ballynahinch. Sicily also has an impressive lineage behind him, having been sired by Newhouse Maxamus, who was Reserve Inter-mediate Champion and sold for 15,000gns at Stirling in 2018. Sicily’s dam is Brigadoon Naples, a daughter of 2015 Stirling Reserve Junior Champion Goldies Icon.
The day’s Reserve Junior Champion and Overall Heifer Champion was Sicily’s sister Brigadoon Sunrise, a 13-month-old heifer also from W D & J A Connolly. Like Sicily, Sunrise was also sired by the 15,000gns Newhouse Maxamus, and her dam is Brigadoon Nevada, another Goldies Icon daughter.
Later in the week the Charolais teams selected by Charolais judge Andrew Hornall were put forward for the Interbreed Group Championships. Taking the group-of-three Reserve Interbreed Ch-ampionship were Brigadoon Sicily and Brigadoon Sunrise from W D & J A Connolly, along with Drumlegagh Roxanna, a young Drumlegagh-Oscar-sired heifer bred and exhibited by J & E A Elliott of Newtownstewart.
The same group of three was then joined by two additional heifers to compete in the group-of-five Championships. Joining Sicily,
Sunrise, and Roxanna were Battle-ford Snowball from B Finnegan of Dungannon, and Loughriscouse Sav-
anna from H & H Heron in Newtownards. This young group was an excellent example of the Charolais breed, and secured the title of the group-of-five Reserve Interbreed Champions.
The final competition of the week was the Interbreed Exhibitor-Bred Pair Championship. After an extremely close round of judging on the Saturday, the Championship went to the young Charolais pair bred and exhibited by W D & J A Connolly – Brigadoon Sicily and Brigadoon Sunrise. These Newhouse-Maxamus-sired siblings had taken the titles of Junior Champion and Junior Reserve Champion respectively in the Charolais classes earlier in the week.
The club would like to thank the judge, sponsors and all the exhibitors for putting on such a great show of Charolais cattle, and looks forward to the National NI Championships at Castlewellan Show on Saturday, July 16, for the World Charolais Congress.
RESULTS
COW, born before 1st January 2019, in calf or in milk having had at least one calf – 1st J Smyth, Bessiebell Nana, s. Derryharney Jumbo; 2nd H & H Heron, Thrunton Nefertiti, s. Maerdy Jerusalem.
COW or HEIFER, in milk or in calf, born in 2019 – 1st H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Pippa, s. Harestone Hercules; 2nd H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Persia, s. Whitecliffe James.
HEIFER, born on or after 1st January 2020, and on or before 30th June 2020 – 1st H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Risika, s. Harestone Hercules; 2nd A McCammond, Grangwood Ruby, s. Goldstar Ludwig; 3rd W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Regency, s. Newhouse Maxamus; 4th A McCammond, Culla Rihanna, s. Mogador.
HEIFER, born on or after 1st July 2020, and on or before 31st December 2020 – 1st J & E A Elliott, Drumlegagh Roxanna, s. Drumlegagh Oscar; 2nd L Ruddy, Goldstar Rosette, s. Goldstar Hugo2; 3rd Keadyview Livestock, Carnview Rose, s. Oldstone Egbert.
HEIFER, born on or after 1st January 2021 – 1st W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sunrise, s. Newhouse Maxamus; 2nd Elite Pedigree Genetics, Battleford Snowball, s. Mornity Nero; 3rd H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Savanna, s. Harestone Hercules; 4th W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Saffron, s. Newhouse Maxamus; 5th H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Savina, s. Thrunton Fairfax; 6th R McWilliams, Stranagone Siobhan, s. Stranagone Jones.
BULL, born on or after 1st January 2021, and on or before 31st March 2021 – 1st W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sorrento, s. Goldies Icon; 2nd W Short & R McWilliams, Stranagone Saphir, s. Ocean; 3rd M McConville, Drumcullen Seamus, s. Drumcullen JJ; 4th A McCammond, Cloughanduff SJ, s. Mountain Landmark.
BULL, born on or after 1st April 2021 – 1st W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily, s. Newhouse Maxamus; 2nd Keadyview Livestock, Keadyview Samsmyman, s. Maer-dy Obama; 3rd R McWilliams, Stranagone Sonny, s. Stranagone Jones; 4th R McWilliams, Stranagone Signature, s. Dundas Einstein; 5th R McWilliams, Stranagone Super, s. Lochend Apache; 6th R McWilliams, Stranagone Starboy, s. Lochend Apache.
EXHIBITOR-BRED PAIRS – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily and Brigadoon Sunrise.
GROUP OF THREE ANIMALS – 1st H & H Heron – Loughrisouce Pippa, Loughriscouse Persia, Loughriscouse Risika; 2nd W D & J A Connolly – Brigadoon Sicily, Brigadoon Sunrise, Brigadoon Sorrento
THE ORAGE PERPETUAL CHAL-LENGE CUP for the best Charolais cow or heifer – J Smyth, Bessiebell Nana; Reserve: H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Pippa.
JOHN K CURRIE PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP for the best Charolais heifer – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sunrise; Reserve: H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Risika.
SPECIAL PRIZES for the best and reserve best junior Charolais female – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sunrise; Reserve: Elite Pedigree Genetics, Battleford Snowball.
THE H A CURRY PERPETUAL TROPHY for the best junior Charolais Bull – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily; Reserve: Keady-view Livestock, Keadyview Sams-myman.
JUNIOR BREED CHAMPION – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily; Reserve: W D & J A Connolly – Brigadoon Sunrise.
THE BREEDERS PERPETUAL CHALLENGE TROPHY for the best Charolais bull exhibited by a club member – W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily; Reserve: Keadyview Livestock, Keadyview Samsmyman.
THE BARDIN PERPETUAL CHAL-LENGE TROPHY for the best Charolais animal exhibited by a club member – J Smyth, Bessiebell Nana; Reserve: W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily.
CHAMPION PRIZES for the Champion and Reserve Champion Charolais – J Smyth, Bessiebell Nana. Reserve: W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily.
PRESIDENT’S TROPHY & SPECIAL PRIZE for the overall beef breed Champion of Champions – J Smyth, Bessiebell Nana.
SPECIAL PRIZE for the best group in the beef group competition (Continental Breed) – Reserves: W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily and Brigadoon Sunrise; J & E A Elliott, Drumlegagh Roxanna.
SPECIAL PRIZE for best team in the beef team competition (Continental Breed) – Reserves: W D & J A Connolly, Brigadoon Sicily and Brigadoon Sunrise; J & E A Elliott, Drumlegagh Roxanna; Elite Pedigree Genetics, Battleford Snowball; H & H Heron, Loughriscouse Savanna.
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