By Julie Hazelton
A three-year-old cow caught the eye of English judge Andrew Haste to secure the female and supreme overall championship honours in
the British Blue showring at the 153rd Balmoral Show.
The winning entry was Solway View Oki Doki, an Empire D’Ochain daughter exhibited by Robert and Joshua Arrell from Artlone Livestock, Randalstown. Bred by Kevin Watret, she is out of Solway View Elegance and was purchased privately two years ago. Flushed twice, she is in-calf to the AI sire Bedgebury Kent.
The Arrell family owns three pedigree British Blue cows, and was delighted to win its first-ever Balmoral championship. Solway View Oki Doki was the first prize senior heifer at the 2021 show, postponed until September last year due to the pandemic.
Mr Haste, owner of the Stoneleigh herd based in Devon, thanked the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society for inviting him to judge, and praised the quality of British Blue cattle on parade. “The champion stood out. She is a strong and powerful young cow, and very correct for her age.”
Winning the reserve female and reserve supreme championship ribbons was the second placed cow Boroside Lemon, bred and exhibited by Melvin Masterson, who had made the journey from Enniscorthy in County Wexford. Sired by Dafydd D’au Chene, this December 2017 entry is one of 10 British Blue cows in the herd, which is managed alongside the 120-cow Boroside Holstein herd.
She has produced a heifer calf, completed an ET programme, and is back in-calf.
Claiming the junior championship was the January 2021 heifer Knockagh Rihanna ET, bred by Jim Ervine and daughter Laura, from Newtownabbey.
“This is a phenomenal junior heifer. She is something special and is certain to have another day in the showring,” added the judge.
Sired by Empire D’Ochain, her
dam is the home-bred show cow Knockagh Lass – one of six pedigree and 50 commercial cows in the herd.
This eye-catching heifer made her showring debut at the inaugural Four-Breed Calf Show in Dungannon last November, winning the female and supreme overall championship awards.
The Ervine duo exhibited three full ET sisters from the same mating in the senior heifer class, winning first, second and third rosettes. Knockagh Paloma and Knockagh Pixie went on to win first prize in the class for the best pair of animals owned by exhibitor.
Jack Smyth, from Newtown-stewart, won the male and reserve junior championships with the home-bred bull Smyths Rodger ET. This 15-month-old bull was sired by Solway View Dynamite ET, and his dam is the Empire D’Ochain daughter Droit Isadora ET, bred by Richard Mowbray.
Droit Isadora has been flushed to produce pedigree and commercial progeny. She was the dam of the commercial calf champion Jo Jo at the 2021 Ulster Beef and Lamb Championships. The 275kgs calf sold at £5,600 for Chris Johnston from Fivemiletown.
The reserve male champion was Jim and Laura Ervine’s Knockagh Paddy. This November 2020 bull was sired by Joker Du Point, and is a son of Knockagh Lass.
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