IT WOULD be a rare Royal Highland Show Dairy Goat competition that did not feature Guilden bloodlines in its headline results, but more than most, 2019 was a dominant year for the prefix's creators, Gordon Webster and Gordon Smith of Guildy Den Farm, Monikie, with no less than four of the top tickets.

Their veteran show goat Guilden Erin took the Highland overall championship for the third time, having previously ruled supreme in 2016 and 2018. By Guilden Blue out of Toddbrook Elentari, this British goat is now well over five-years-old, having been born early in 2014, and it is Messrs Webster and Smith's intention to take her out one more time this summer for the Gt Yorkshire before her well-deserved retiral.

Standing in reserve overall was another Guildy Den alumni, Guilden Topaz, a comparatively youthful three-year-old second kidder by Cheswell Chyanne out of Maybourne Tilly, that is currently giving seven kilos of milk a day. On her only other time out, Topaz was best in show at the Scottish Goatkeepers event in Forfar.

Brown and white British goat Guilden Honeybee took the kid championship for Messrs Webster and Smith, who noted that she was a granddaughter of the overall champion's dam, Elentari, via Guilden Hilary, who herself was held as somewhat exceptional for consistently yielding six kilos a day from just one teat, having lost the other to an abrupt bout of mastitis.

Stood in the reserve kid spot was Guilden Elm, a first-time-shown British Saanen, by Mineshop Melborn out of, once again, that mother of champions Toddbrook Elentari.

Valerie Wood, of Loud Farm, Greencroft, Stanley, made her Treval prefix's presence felt in the goatling section, taking the championship with with Treval Alison, which was shown under 'any other breed' – although clearly of the British Alpine type, she is not in that herdbook. By Leatland Ashbee out of Treval Aliola, Valerie said that Alison was 'just beginning to blossom', and she was very happy with her progress, despite having originally 'expected her to be white'.

Loud Farm also supplied the reserve goatling, in the shape of Treval Zena, a British Saanen, by Guilden Matt out of Treval Zilla, building on the show promise she had shown as a kid.

For the third year, the RHS also featured a section for Boer goats, topped for the second time by Maureen and Malcolm Ross, of Balmedie Farm, Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire. Although the breed is known for its meat, it was their big white-and-red milker Balmedie Dancer, by Topknot Roger out of Balmedie Aster, that led the section, having had her first kid in February.

Standing in reserve in the Boers were Messrs Smith and Perry, with Tayside Aquori, a home-bred white-and-brown fiurst-kidder, by Dalbury Calev out of Topknot Paloma.