Henry Savage and sons experienced a dream week as their Limousin outfit secured nearly all of the beef titles on offer at this year’s Balmoral Show. Along with claiming the breed’s supreme and reserve supreme championships, they picked up every title they had an animal competing in. Later in the week, they continued their run to claim overall interbreed champion, as well as the junior interbreed champion, with two separate animals.

Leading the charge for the family was the 20-month-old heifer Trueman Lute. This twin to a female is sired by Haltcliffe Hitec and out of Vantastic-bred dam Trueman Foxtrot.

Having caught judge Michael Massie’s eye from the get-go, Lute collected the title of senior female, overall senior and overall female Limousin before eventually being tapped out as supreme champion ahead of her pen mate Trueman Mozart.

Mozart is the first son of the £147,000 record-priced Trueman Jagger, which the Savages sold October 2015 in Carlisle. Jagger also claimed the reserve overall championship at 12 months old in Balmoral, and the Savages are hoping Mozart follows in his father’s footsteps when he heads to Carlisle in October.

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Fourth championship in five years for Lisglass Simmentals

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Dam of the bull is Trueman Honey, another Wilodge Vantastic daughter who herself was reserve overall champion at the show in 2014. Mozart also took home the title of junior male, overall junior and overall male Limousin champion.

These results paved the path for the interbreed championships on the Friday of the show. The morning kicked off with Mozart being crowned interbreed junior champion, before Lute went on to claim the overall interbreed in the evening.

The Savage family capped off the week by winning the interbreed group of three, interbreed group of five, interbreed performance bull award and interbreed performance heifer award.

Simmental ring

While the Savage family put down a week they won’t forget, they weren’t the only exhibitors to make Balmoral 2017 one to remember. In the Simmental ring, Leslie and Chris Weatherup reigned supreme.

The father and son duo, who run the Lisglass Herd, secured their fourth supreme breed championship in five years. Scottish judge Iain Green awarded the supreme Simmental championship to Lisglass Goddess, a 20-month-old heifer sired by stock bull Dermotstown Delboy. Delboy was purchased privately for a five-figure sum after being crowned national champion at Tullamore Show. Since then, he has claimed the overall breed champion at Balmoral in 2014 and 2015.

Claiming the reserve overall title was the male champion Ashland Humdinger, a 16-month-old bull bred by Pat Kelly and son Frank from Tempo, Co Fermanagh. He too was sired by Dermotstown Delboy, with Humdinger’s grand dam also a former Balmoral champion. This bull is well used to winning ways, having secured the junior championship at the Pedigree Calf Fair last November.

J and EA Elliot also managed to sweep the board in the Salers ring. Claiming the supreme championship was the homebred three-year old-bull Drumlegagh Lucas. This Gladiateur-bred bull is no stranger to success having claimed the overall male and reserve supreme at last year’s Royal Highland Show.

He stood one place better than the Elliot family’s Drumlegagh Galaxy which picked up the reserve supreme championship. Again, this cow is well used to the show ring, having claimed the top spot at the Highland the same day Lucas claimed the reserve. Galaxy, a now five-year-old by Fanfan, was shown with her young bull calf at foot. John and family will again see this year’s Highland Show as their next port of call.

Blonde d’Aquitaine

The Savage brothers and son of Shanvalley also had a day to remember, claiming the supreme and reserve supreme breed championship for Blonde d’Aquitaine.

Shanvalley Jagger was awarded the male championship by judge Phillip Rodgers before later being tapped forward as supreme champion. Jagger is sired by the herd’s stock bull Seaview Barney, a bull who has secured 11 supreme championships to date, along with breeding 33 champions.

This bull was purchased a few weeks earlier for a new five-figure record Blonde price by the Irish partnership of Des Donohoe and Martin Lyons. Jagger’s full sister Shanvalley Lucey then followed hot on his heels to claim the female and reserve supreme championships.

Shorthorns

A strong show of Shorthorns saw two senior cows lead the way. James Porter was awarded the supreme championship with five-year-old Uppermill Gipsy Robyn. This roan-coloured daughter of former Highland Show male champion Ardoyne Bombus ticked all the boxes for Jack Ramsey of the Millerston herd.

James also managed to secure the overall Angus championship with his mature bull Carlhurlie Epic, a bull purchased for 5,000gns at the Carlhurlie dispersal sale late last year. The three-year-old Epic was sired by Skaill Dido. Later in the week, Epic went on to be awarded the reserve interbreed champion behind Trueman Lute.

Picking up the reserve sash in the Shorthorns was Creaga Heidi from Irish exhibitors Noel and Lisa Dowd. This five-year-old daughter of homebred Creaga Flash is no stranger to winning, having secured all-Ireland titles as a calf, yearling and two-year-old heifer.

Animals carrying the Creaga prefix also secured a further two red rosettes in the senior and junior bull classes for new owner Stephen Williamson.

Charolais

Top spot in the Charolais ring was secured by William Short for his nearly two-year-old Woodpark Lottie. Sired by Irish-born Deeside Gulliver, Lottie is out of homebred dam Woodpark Hattie who goes back to the 19,000gns Doune and Dunblane champion Corrie Alan.

Reserve championship honours went to the Feeney brothers of Bostonia, Co Sligo, for their new stock bull Gretnahouse Lord. This bull is not long in the country, having been purchased for the top price of 25,000gns at this year’s February sales in Stirling. Lord is sired by the 17,000gns Balthayock Gladiator.

Commercial cattle

Commercial cattle took centre stage on the Thursday with the female champion Valentine from Keith Williamson going on to claim the overall commercial championship. This February 2016-born black Limousin heifer is sired by NCBC bull Elite Forever Brill.

Having placed second to her in the class, Strathearn Livestock’s Fizzy Orange followed Valentine all the way to the end, claiming reserve female and reserve overall championships on the way. This golden Charolais heifer was out of Anside Foreman, while the dam is a Limousin-cross-Charolais cow.

Dairy

Coming out trumps in the dairy section to claim the supreme interbreed championship was Jersey cow Potterswalls Action Daisybelle from the Fleming family. Having secured the overall breed championship earlier in the day under judge Izzy Laird, Daisybelle went one step further to claim the interbreed, holding off stiff competition from the Holstein and Ayrshire breeds.

This five-year-old is no stranger to the show ring, having also come out on top of the interbreed championship at last year’s show, along with claiming the McLarens Northern Ireland cow of the year.

Sired by Forest Glen Avery Action, Daisybelle is out of homebred Potterwalls Jamica Daisybelle. Now in her fifth lactation, the EX96 classified cow is currently giving 40 litres with a projected yield of 10,000kg.

It was the Ayrshire breed champion Sandyford Honest Blizzard who went on to claim the reserve interbreed championship under judge Eddie Griffiths. Exhibited by John Hunter, this six-year-old was purchased at the tail end of last year at the Sandyford dispersal for £3,600.

Sired by Heydale Blizzard, Honest is again no stranger to the show ring, having picked up the breed championship and honourable mention at last year’s RUAS winter fair. Classified as EX94, this stylish cow has a projected milk yield for the year of 11,000kg.

Top spot in the Holstein ring was secured by Steven Robinson for his five-year-old Ortongrange Snowman Alysia. This was Mr Robinson’s first time exhibiting at Balmoral and what a start it was. Having calved on Christmas Eve, Snowman Alysia is currently giving 55kg with a projected yield of 12,000kg. A former all-Britain heifer winner, she was purchased at the Passion for Pedigree sale last year for the top price of £10,000. Sired by Flevo Genetics Snowman, she is a granddaughter of the all-Canadian champion Stanlee Storm Allison.

Claiming the reserve championship in the Holstein ring was the McLean family with Priestland 5235 PS James Rose. Calved at the start of February, this daughter of the renowned Picston Shottle is currently giving 55 litres.

Sheep

A Suffolk ewe from Alfred and Norman Robinson held off 22 breeds to be crowned supreme interbreed champion at this year’s show. Purchased by the Robinsons last year at Stirling, this ewe is sired by Cairness Ignition, with the dam sired by the 2012 English champion Cairness Diamond Geezer.

Sixteen-year-old Jack Gault picked up the reserve interbreed title with his Texel ewe champion. A daughter of Duncryne Uber Cool, this marked the ewe’s first show outing but caps a very successful stint for the family, who have secured four of the past six Balmoral Texel championship titles.