FEMALES were to the fore of an impressive line-up of future stars during the Baby Beef championship at the Agri-Expo, on Friday.

Tapped in to the top spot was a Limousin cross heifer from regular exhibitor, Welshman Tecwyn Jones, who had won numerous awards at the Expo but scooped his first ever Baby Beef title with Little Mix. This home-bred, January-born heifer is an AI daughter of Powerhouse Elite, while the dam is a previous Royal Welsh champion in the shape of Black Beauty. Little Mix has already made her mark on the show circuit by winning the Baby Beef championship at Anglesey Show as well as the reserve honours at Eglwysbach Show, and will next compete at the Welsh Winter Fair.

"She has great thickness all the way through but it was her style and showiness that set her apart," said the judge, Sarah Wareham, of her champion. Sarah, along with husband James, are well known for producing show cattle in their 100-strong commercial herd at Little Tottingworth Farm, in East Sussex, where they also run herd of British Blue and Galloway cattle, alongside a highly successful farm shop.

The reserve, said Mrs Wareham, was of a very similar type to the champion. That was a pure Limmy heifer named Grahams Nova from Robert and Jean Graham, Airthrey Kerse, Stirling, and brought out by Drew Hyslop. This April-born lass was bred by ET and offers the best of Limousin genetics, being by the 28,000gns Kilcor Iceman that sired sons to 14,000gns at Carlisle, while the dam is the Millington Vascular-sired Grahams Coffee which has bred sons to 40,000gns as well as heifers to 32,000gns. This was Nova's show debut but she will be up for grabs at the weaned calf sale held alongside the Red Ladies derby in December.

LEADING awards:

(Judge: Mrs Sarah Wareham, Little Tottingworth, Broadoak, East Sussex).

Continental bullock (split by weight) – A (lightest) – 1, JW Smith-Jackson’s Rooney, Lim X; 2, L Hughes’ Redbull, Lim X; 3, RDS Cattle Services’ Benny, Lim X. B – 1, Miss S Dunn and C Jackson’s Buckfast, Lim X; 2, J Hyslop’s Fernando, Lim X; 3, C Ferguson’s The Bamboozler, Lim X. C – 1, J Hyslop’s Sexy and I Know it, Lim X; 2, JW Smith-Jackson’s Dancing Queen, Lim X; 3, Messrs Harryman and Warriner’s Natasha, Lim.

Continental heifer – A – 1, Messrs Simpson and McNamee’s Revolution, Char X; 2, Messrs Simson and McNamee’s Bambi, Char X; 3, HW Timm’s Gingerbread Latte, Lim X. B – 1 and reserve, R and J Graham’s Grahams Nova, Lim; 2, TA and LC Lyon and Son’s Ayana, BB X; 3, R and E Roberts’ Tap My Bum, Char X. C – 1 and champion, T Jones’ Little Mix, Lim X; 2, G and JA Sedgewick’s Luna, Lim X.

Native bullock or heifer – 1, Miss R Leach’s Dolce, Sho; 2, Firm of Saughland’s Pandamonium 2, Her X; 3, Harvey Cattle’s Harvey Bros 1 Paulo, Her.