A second successive overall supreme championship at the Scottish Simmental National confirmed a second successive ‘major’ double for the February 2020-born Annick Ginger’s Lucia, having won the Royal Highland Show in June for the third year in a row.

Ginger’s Lucia is sired by Wolfstar Gold Digger 15 and is out of Annick Colleen’s Ginger EX 93, a Corskie Callum 11 daughter.

She has been shown this year with her April 2025-born bull calf at foot, Backmuir Sirius 25, sired by Backmuir King 19.

ADVERTISEMENT

For the prolific Backmuir herd, it was another strong team that secured a welter of Scottish Simmental national show prizes, including overall champion, female champion, senior female champion, reserve senior female and four class wins in all.

Placing as reserve senior female champion was Annick Ginger’s Nutmeg, which is of course the same-way bred, being also out of Annick Colleen’s Ginger EX 93 and sired by Wolfstar Gold Digger.

Nutmeg was also a class winner at this year's Royal Highland Show and featured in the herd’s winning group of three.

Irish judge

Judge for the day was Garrett Behan of the noted Clonagh herd, Ballyfin, Co Laois, who was full of praise for his champion: “This is a fantastic Simmental cow and I loved every bit of her.

"She has everything I like in a female, having a great head, being very feminine through the neck and shoulders and carrying herself extremely well when walking out."

Within a quality show of Simmentals and marking a fantastic debut as an exhibitor at the Scottish Simmental National Show, the April 2024 heifer Denizes Melody 62nd from the emerging Goldstar herd of Ayrshire’s James Hodge, Dundonald, took the overall reserve supreme, reserve female and junior champion titles.

Sired by Hiltonstown Lorenzo, Melody 62nd was purchased as a calf at foot along with her mum, the then-nine-year-old Denizes Melody 22nd, for 7,000gns at the production sale of the Denizes Herd of MA Barlow and Sons, Lancashire, held at Stirling in October 2024.

Of his overall reserve, Garrett said: “My reserve is a young female with a great future ahead. At such a young age, she oozed style and shape and is a super Simmental heifer.”

Male champions

Winning the overall male and junior male championship was the February 2024-born calf Grangewood Robert The Bruce from Mr and Mrs Andrew and Yvonne Leedham, Boghead Farm, Tarbolton, Ayrshire.

This bull is by the herd’s noted stock bull Ranfurly Impeccable 14 17 (ET) EX94 and is out of the homebred Grangewood Gretal’s Lyla VG87, a Grangewood Glenlivet daughter.

Standing second in his class to the male champion and following him through to take the reserve male championship and reserve junior male championship was Coltfield Result from regular exhibitor JC MacIver, Wester Coltfield Farm, Forres, Moray. Born in March 2024, this calf is by the AI sire Islavale Guy 15.