ONE of the best known show cows in the country was back to claim the prestigious overall champion of champions award at an even bigger and better Borderway UK Dairy Expo, at Carlisle.
The two-day event which attracted a record breaking entry of just shy of 370 head – up 40 on the year – from no fewer than six breeds, saw Yasmin Bradbury’s 10-year-old Holstein, Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody crowned supreme.
“She is such a beautifully balanced cow with fantastic dairyness,” said the overall judge, Paul Harrison from Northumberland.
“She’s outstanding for being a senior cow, full of milk and able to carry her udder high and wide. She’s an easy winner,” he added pointing out that such was the quality of six other breed winners, that choosing a runner-up would not have been easy if he had been asked to select one.
Holstein judge, Roger Turner, Wisconsin, USA, was also in awe of his choice of champion – Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody, an Ex96 classified cow that has given almost 100 tonnes of milk in six lactations.
“My champion is a really well balanced cow with strength and quality throughout and for having had six calves, she can still put on her wedding dress beautifully. She has tremendous capacity and mammary system for having calved 14 months ago, and she came from what was a really great group of senior cows,” said Mr Turner who was equally impressed by the quality of the overall show.
Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody
“I don’t know of another show that has come on in as many leaps and bounds over the the past six years than this event. You guys should be proud of yourselves as you are on the worldstage. Congratulations.”
Star of the show was a massive black and white cow – better known as The Tank – from Yasmin Bradbury’s Peak herd from Derbyshire, which runs alongside her partner, Bill Nadin’s Sterndale herd. No stranger to the show circuit, this show cow by Braedale Goldwyn and out of Peak Shottle Rhapsody, picked up the exact same award here in 2014 and stood reserve breed champion the following year.
Bred from 12 successive generations of Excellent classified cows, she also stood grand champion and best udder at AgriScot in 2014. Not just a pretty face – or udder either as she also secured the champion Holstein udder at the Expo – Rhapsody produced in excess of 15,600litres at 4.3%BF and 3.4%P in her fifth 305-day lactation.
Calved 14 months ago and still giving 42litres per day, she is due in November with sexed semen to Midnight Detor.
And, a breeder too, her daughter, Milliedale Dusk Rhapsody Ex93, a six-year-old, owned by Yasmin’s grand-daughter, Millie Wardle, stood third in her class to her.
Reserve overall in the Holstein section which attracted no fewer than 123 milking entries was the winner of the senior section, Warnelview Winners Silverwings, from Wayne Stead who works for Evening Holsteins, Thursby, Carlisle, and Sarah Sutton, dairy manager at Newton Rigg College, Penrith.
Bred by Kevin Wilson of Warnelview Holsteins and bought as a three-year-old, Silverwings is by Gillette Winners, out of Warnelview Guard Silverwings and was shown giving 45litres having calved her third last June. Another top show winner that classified Ex93 in her last, she stood champion at Penrith and first in her class at the UK Dairy Day in 2015. She was paraded in calf to sexed Atwood and due in July.
The Laird family from Blyth Bridge, West Linton, who produced the overall champion winner here last year was again to the fore with two red tickets amongst the Holsteins.
Alister and son Colin also brought out the intermediate champion which went on to secure honourable mention overall. This was the French-bred cow, La Croisiere Infinity, a second calver from the Goldwyn family that was bought privately in January. Bred from La Croisiere Gipsy and sired by Comestar Lauthority, she calved in October and is giving 49litres per day.
Colin’s wife Izzy was also starring amongst the Jerseys, winning the reserve breed honours with Fourcrosses Anthony Carroza, bred by Izzy’s family. Runner-up here last year, and second in her class at the Highland, this second calver which classified VG86-2yr, is backed by home-bred genetics on both sides being bred from Fourcrosses May Carroza and sired by Fourcrosses Allstar Anthony. She calved at Christmas and as well as giving 45litres, also boasts a good heifer calf by Joel at home.
Jonny Lochhead’s Kedar Brown Swiss herd from Dumfries again came up with the goods too, winning the top awards in the milking and the junior sections.
Going one better than her reserve win last year to take the 2017 breed championship for the 150-cow herd was Kedar Rhapsody, a VG89-2yr cow that gave 7800litres as a heifer at 4.0%BF and 3.7%P. Honourable mention at the national show at Nantwich, she is by the Swiss bull Vetsch’s Nesta Calvin and bred from the top show cow, Kedar TD Reia Ex93 that boasts two breed titles here. Rhapsody calved her second in January and is giving 38lires.
Kedar Rhapsody
Runner-up was Mr Lochhead’s usual ‘bridesmaid,’ Pedrini Top TI Jet Minogue Ex93, a fourth-calver bought privately in Switzerland as a maiden. She is by Jolahoffs Denver Jet and out of Madonna.
Kedar’s top two winners amongst the juniors were Kedar Wonderment Juliet, an 11-month-old by Top Acres C Wonderment, bred from the show cow, GS Alliance Glenn Jady, and the 14-month-old heifer, Kedar Red Rose, by Scherma Glenn Blooming, respectively.
There was more success to come for the Scots in the Ayrshire section when Mungo Bryson and sons Alistair and Callum, produced their best result here, when Changue Martha 45 took the tri-colour for this small herd which runs alongside 185 Holsteins at Whiteflat, Catrine. Their fifth calver bred by Robert Stevenson was bought privately two years ago and last year went on to stand reserve at AgriScot. Calved in October and giving 45litres, she is projected at 11,200litres.
Ayrshire champion from Mungo Bryson
Cogent AI technician, Andrew Rimmer from Cronton also enjoyed his best ever Expo, lifting the reserve Ayrshire trophy with his home-bred second calver, Holmeswood Elegant Bella VG88, which is giving 38lires having calved down in October. First in her class as an in-calf heifer at the Great Yorkshire, she is by Haresfoot Elegant and bred from the Ex93-classified Haresfoot Napier Bella.
It was a case of as you were in the Jersey lines, with Bluegrass Vindications Harp picking up her third consecutive breed championship here for Northern Ireland breeders, Ashley and Lyndsey Fleming, John Henning and Keith Agnew. Classified VG89 in her second, this third calver by Vindication CJCC and out of Bluegrass Barbers Harpist, was also champion at the Highland and was paraded 10 days calved giving 36litres. She was nevertheless purchased at the Red Ribbons sale in 2015 for 11,000gns.
Champion Jersey
An added feature of the Red and White champion – Wilton Chipper Rosie Red from David and Claire Jones’ herd from Magor, Monmouthshire – is the fact that she is homozygous polled. The couple who run just a handful of Red and Whites alongside 120 Holsteins, led this section with a previously unshown second calver by Sandy-Valley Chipper out of Hollysprings Mighty Lawnrae Polled Red, that was imported from America as an embryo. Classified VG89, she gave more than 7000litres as a heifer and since calving in December is now yielding 45litres per day.
Another on her show debut scooped the runner up Red and White ticket for Mark Nutsford, Riverdane Holsteins, Middlewich, Cheshire, and Sarah Liddle of Heatherleigh. This was Heatherleigh Maryrose Red, a heifer in milk by Mr Apples Armani bred from the German cow, Mox Ma 175.
Both the champion and reserve awards amongst the Dairy Shorthorns went south of the Border, with the Collins Family from Church Farm, Dewbury, West Yorkshire, bagging the red, white and blue sash with Churchroyd Bronte Wildeyes 39, a third calver that classified VG89 in her second. Breed leader here last year, she is by Churchroyd Pluto, out of a previous home-bred Wildeyes cow and gave 8600litres in her second at 4.0%BF and 3.5%P. She calved at the end of January and is giving 42litres.
Shaunlea Geri 6, a former junior winner here and champion heifer at last year’s UK Dairy Day, took silver for Shaun Dixon, Wolsingham, Co Durham. Calved at 23months in July and due again in July, this home-bred heifer in milk is by Hylite Barbwire Red and out of Strickley Geri 15.
Flying the flag for the Scots amongst the juniors, Brian and Michael Yates’ Logan Integral Jodie Red, a Blondin Integral-sired heifer out of Sterndale Sterling Jodie Red, was champion Red and White. This in-calf heifer from East Logan, Castle Douglas, was second at the South-west calf show and fourth at the National.
Standing reserve to her was Willie Templeton’s Syke Apple Roxy Red, an 11-month-old heifer by Apples Absolute Red from Syke, Mauchline.
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