Philip Jones, Hallow Holsteins, continued his winning ways at the RUAS winter fair in Balmoral today with Desmond Dundee Embrace securing the supreme interbreed championship.

Topping the over 50,000kg production class the fifth calver went on to claim the overall Holstein championship before securing the prestigious supreme championship.

Owned in partnership with Roy Cromie, this marks the cows second supreme win at the fair having secured the overall back in the 2013 also. Originally bred by Martin O’Sullivan, Dundee Embrace was purchased by the pair as a six-month-old calf for the handsome price of €10,200.

Sired by Regancrest Dundee and out Budjon-JK Durham the Embryo-bred Embrace classed EX94 in her last classification, and comes from eight generations of excellent classified dams.

Calved five months and giving 50l, the eight-year-old milked 12,525kg in her last lactation of 4.62% fat and 3.57% protein. Speaking on his champion, judge Paul Trapp from Wisconsin USA, described it as “a runaway winner with great balance, openness and a perfect udder”.

This marked a great day for the Embrace family line, with Dundee Embraces two-year-old daughter Dalevalley GWY Embrace securing the reserve interbreed heifer championship for Dennis O’Neill and David Boyd also.

Reserve supreme championship

Securing the reserve supreme championship was last year’s overall champion Evergreen Duplex Ebony for Liam Murphy, Co Carlow. This finishes off a great year in the show ring for the Murphy family, with Duplex Ebony also claiming the reserve overall championship at this year’s Baileys cow competition in Virginia. Another fifth calver, she ranked EX 95 in her last classification with eight generations of EX or VG in the back breeding. Mesland Duplex was the sire behind this one with the dam coming in the form of Dalevalley Talent Ebony. Currently giving 48kg, she saw last year’s production hit close to 12,000kg of 3.68% fat and 3.42% protein.

Further championship results will be available online tomorrow on www.famersjournal.ie