IT WAS the show’s Highland cattle champion, the Kennedy family’s yearling bull, Alexander of Goldenberry, which was crowned champion of champions at the annual island show, held at its usual spot off Rothesay’s High Street.

Picked out by each section’s judges, Alexander had previously won the breed section, before being put forward for the supreme championship, on which the sun was beating down.

The McAlister family, of Mid Ascog Farm, were triumphant in the inter-breed dairy section, and that was with their home-bred Ayrshire third calver.

Blackfaces were to the fore in the sheep lines and that was Ossie Wardrop’s ewe lamb, by a Dalchirla sire, which was picked out as the inter-breed sheep champion.

Meanwhile, it was a three-month-old filly foal, Mill Orange Blossom, from the McMillan family’s Mill Clydesdales, which was supreme in that section.

LEADING awards:

Ayrshire (Judge: S Pirie, Campbeltown). Champion and inter-breed dairy champion – R and J McAlister, Mid Ascog, Bute, with a home-bred third calver. She is by Stevenson’s Saltire, and is out of a home-bred dam. Reserve – S Lyon, Little Kilchattan, Bute, with a heifer, Bruchag Memorial Vera, by Bruchag Memorial, out of Bruchag Vera. She is producing a fat content of 5%, and a protein of 3.2%. She was also reserve at Largs. Quey under one-year-old, quey born after Janaury 1, 2017, two-year-old quey, group of three females, heifer in-calf – J McAlister, Bruchag Farm, Bute. Cow to calve after October 1, 2018, aged cow in milk, pair, group of cows or heifers – R and J McAlister. Heifer in milk – S Lyon.

Holstein Friesian (Judge: A Robertson, Palnure). Champion and inter-breed dairy reserve – L Robertson, Ballycurrie, Bute, with a home-bred fifth calver, by Cogent Twist, out of a home-bred mother. Reserve – S Robertson, Ballycurrie, Bute, with a home-bred heifer. Stirk, two-year-old heifer, highest quantity of butter fat protein — H and E Kennedy, Largievrechtan, Bute. Cow in milk aged four-years-old or under, pair — S Lyon, Little Kilchattan, Bute. Cow in milk five-years-old and over, heifer in milk, heifer bred on Bute, group — S Robertson.

Prime cattle (Judge: D Lowrie, Lanark). Champion — R and P McAlister, Langalbuinoch, Bute, with a five-year-old Simmental cow, Bruchag Emma. She is by Omorga Volvo, and is out of Bruchag Tanya. She was continental champion here previously as a heifer, and she was reserve junior female at the Stars of the Future Show previously. Reserve — S Robertson, Ballycurrie, Bute, with a Limousin cross bullock. Beef cow, prime bullock or heifer, butcher’s beast, pure cow, pure continental cow, pure continental heifer under one-year-old, pure continental heifer over one-year-old, group, bred on Bute — R and P McAlister. Calf, bred, opposite sex, beef calf under six-months-old — S Robertson. Bullock or heifer shown by BJAC member, native pure heifer , native, continental or native bull — T McMillan, Eskechraggan Farm. Pair — B Crawford, Stuck Farm. 

Highland cattle (Judge: J Ramsay, Mauchline). Champion and champion of champions — A Kennedy, Goldenberry Highland Cattle, West Kilbride, with Alexander of Goldenberry, a yearling bull. He is by Alexander The Fourth of Mottiston, and is out of Morag The Third of Avondale. He was champion male, reserve champion overall, and junior champion at the Royal Highland Show. Reserve — Blairlogan Highlanders, Greenhead Farm, with Solas Emma The First of Blairlogan. She is by Bono Of Ceanacroic, and is out of Solas Emma The Fourth Of Benmore. She was champion at Dumfries, and she was reserve overall at the Great Yorkshire. Cow in-calf/calf at foot, special — Blairlogan Highlanders. Calf — J McKay, 29 Harris Crescent. Yearling heifer, senior bull, pair, group, bred on Bute — R McMillan, Little Grenach Farm, Bute. Two-year-old heifer, junior bull, special prize — A Kennedy. Three-year-old heifer — B Crawford, Stuck Farm. 

Clydesdale (Judge: W Dunbar, Newhouse). Champion — J McMillan and family, Mill Clydesdales, with a three-month-old filly foal, Mill Orange Blossom. She is by Collessie Whinhill President, and is out of Mill Lady Di. This is her first outing and her mother has had previous successes. Reserve — A Craig and A Jackson, Covinginton Mill, Biggar, with West Glen Rambling Rose, a five-year-old yeld mare by Boat Dillars Commander, out of West Glen Bess. She was reserve at Carnwath and third at Wigtown, totalling three outings overall this year. Brood mare, foal, bred — J McMillan and family. Colt or filly, yearling colt or filly — D Currie, Thistle Dhu. Gelding — H Smith. Yeld mare — A Craig and A Jackson. 

Blackface (Judge: C Toner, Lochgoilhead). Champion and inter-breed sheep champion — Brisbane Glen Estates, with a ewe lamb by the first Dalchirla shearling at the Dalmally sale. It is out of a home-bred mother by a Lurgan tup. Reserve — Brisbane Glen Estates, with a one-crop ewe by a son of a £16,000 Loughash. She is also the mother of the second prize ewe lamb. Tup, confined ewe lamb, confined, bred — J McAlister, Bruchag Farm. Ewe with lamb at foot — McLain. One-crop ewe, gimmer, ewe lamb — Brisbane Glen Estates. Shearling, tup lamb — Mitchell, Killellan Farm. 

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: A Campbell, Loch Lomond). Champion — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock. Reserve — W Robertson. All classes — W Robertson.

Suffolk (Judge: A Johnston, Galston). Champion — W McMillan, Cranslag Vourity, Bute. Reserve — W McMillan. All classes — W McMillan.
Continental (Judge: A Johnston, Galston). Champion — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock, with a Texel gimmer which is home-bred. Reserve —R Currie, Westlands, with a three-crop Texel ewe by Forkins Tangtastic, out of a home-bred ewe. This was her first outing. Ewe, tup lamb — R Currie, Westlands Farm. Shearling — A McNaughton, Salaan-Mara. Gimmer, ewe lamb — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock.

Breeding sheep (Judge: A Campbell, Loch Lomond). Champion — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock. Reserve — W Robertson. All classes — W Robertson.

Native (Judge: A Campbell, Loch Lomond). Champion and inter-breed sheep reserve — J Hill, Plan Farm, Bute. Shown by Mya Zavroni, with a Hampshire Down ewe lamb, by Graylen Romeo, out of a Whitehead ewe. Ms Hill is breed secretary for the Hampshire Down society, and she was champion as a lamb at Stirling. Reserve — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock.

Prime (Judge: A Johnston, Galston). Three Leicester-cross prime lambs, three Blackface ewes — W Robertson, Birgidale Knock. Three Blackface prime lambs — R Kennedy, Edinbeg Farm. Three cross prime lambs — J McVey, Ascog Farm. Three pure-bred lambs — W and M McMillan, Cransagvourity Farm. Three prime ewes — R Sprowl, Eastlands.

For more pictures, see this week's The Scottish Farmer, out on Saturday, August 18, 2018.