Keith's Beef Breeder leads at Duns

This big home-bred two-year-old Limousin bull, by Dinmore Jollygood out of Redpaths Hilary, was the overall M and S Beef Breeder champion – and then part of the champion interbreed team – at this year’s Royal Highland Show, and has now been sold to the Grahams of Burnbank.

Standing in reserve in the beef competition were Kersquarter Angus, of Abbeyview, Kelso, with Kersquarter Passia 289, a heifer by Kersquarter Perth, that was first-placed at Haddington.

Young Stewart Shaw, of Smailholm Mains Farm, Kelso, topped the busy sheep section with his Suffolk shearling ram, by the same Soutra tup that sired the pen with the top Suffolk average price at Kelso last year, out of a home-bred ewe. The ram will itself go for sale at Kelso this year.

Reserve in the sheep was the Texel section champion from Jack Arnott, of Haymount, a first-time-out gimmer, by Milnbank Alphonso which was bought for £15k at Lanark, out of a dam by Ettrick Vagabond, a bloodline that means its granny was champion at Kelso and Duns in 2017.

Also of note was Duns’ now well-established Dorset sheep section, was was led this year by the Rankines of Lochore, Lochgelly, with Bennachie Zara DD, a three-year-old ewe, by Balltaggart Extra Special out of a Bennachie ewe, whose tup lamb was reserve male champion at the Stirling sale last year

Leading awards

Aberdeen Angus (Judge: A Clark Jnr, Duncanziemere, Ayrshire). Champion – Kersquarter Angus, Abbeyview, Kelso, with Kersquarter Passia 289. Reserve – Gordon Brooke Estate, Upper Huntlywood, Earlston, with Gordon Provander, a junior bull, by Rawburn Fastball, that was native Beef Breeder champion at the Royal Highland Show and first in its class at the Great Yorkshire. Bull – Gordon Brooke Estate. Cow, senior heifer – A Hodge, Rulesmains, Duns. Heifer – Kersquarter Angus.

Charolais (Judge: A Proctor, Swarland Old Hall, Morpeth). Champion – B Campbell, Thrunton farm, Whittingham, Alnwick, with Thrunton Orion, a bull by Maerdy Jerusalem out of Thrunton Heartbreaker, that was continental champion at Kelso and will go for sale in Stirling in October. Reserve ­– B Campbell, with Thrunton Outlaw, by Thrunton Gladiator out of Thrunton Gaga, which will also go for sale at Stirling. Bull – B Campbell.

Limousin (Judge: A Proctor). Champion – Redpath Farms, Mid Softlaw, Kelso, with Redpaths Nobleman, a home-bred two-year-old bull, by Dinmore Jollygood. Reserve – Redpath Farms, with rising two-year-old heifer Redpaths Niamh, by the same sire as the champion out of Redpaths Liberty. Bull, heifer ­– Redpath Farms.

Multibreed cattle (Judge: A Clark Jnr). Champion – Gordon Brooke Estate with a Gordon Magnum, a rising two-year-old Beef Shorthorn bull by Star P Matrix 4NX out of Crawfdown Miss Lea 5P, that was reserve champion at Northumberland. Reserve – M Runciman and partners, East Mains Farm, Lauder, with Coldrochie Augusta Blossom H37, a five-year-old Beef Shorthorn cow, by Colnvalley Bogart out of Coldrochie Augusta Blossom E10. Bull – Gordon Brooke Estate. Cow or heifer – M Runciman and Partners.

Crossbred cattle (Judge: A Proctor). Champion – JH Craggs, Glower-Oer-Him, Sedgefield, with Scallywag, a cross heifer by a British Blue out of a Limousin cross dam, that was commercial champion at Haddington, and third-placed at the Great Yorkshire. Reserve – JH Craggs, with Dexter, a February-born steer by a Dexter out of a British Blue, on its first show outing. Steer, heifer – JH Craggs.

Blackface (Judge: G Douglas, Upperhindhope, Jedburgh). Champion – Prof WA Penny, Bothwell Farm, Cranshaws, Duns, with an unshorn ewe lamb, sired by the reserve champion. Reserve – Prof WA Penny, with a shearling ram, by an Easterhappew tup, that will be sold in Lanark in October. Ram, ram lamb, ewe, ewe lamb, naturally shown ewe, naturally shown ewe lamb – Prof WA Penny. Gimmer, naturally shown gimmer ­– J and G Sinclair, Crookston, Heriot.

Suffolk (Judge: D Pate, Marvingston, Gifford). Champion – S Shaw, Smailholm Mains Farm, Kelso, with a shearling ram, by a Soutra tup. Reserve – AW and BT Taylor, Belmont Farm, Kelso, with a gimmer. Ram, shearling ram, ram lamb, gimmer, group _ S Shaw. Ewe – AW and BT Taylor. Accredited shearling, ram lamb and ewe lamb – T Darling, Howeburn, Ladyflat. Accredited ewe and gimmer – C Nelson, Trows Cottage, Kelso.

Scotch mule and Greyface (Judge: G Douglas, Upperhindhope, Jedburgh). Champion – S Thompson, Cockburn Farm, Duns, with a ewe. Reserve ­– Prof WA Penny, with a ewe lamb, by a home-bred Blueface sire, that will go for sale in Kelso in September. Ewe – S Thompson. Gimmer – J and G Sinclair. Ewe lamb – Prof WA Penny.

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: G Douglas). Champion – B Hedley, Corsbie, with a gimmer. Reserve – JW Thompson, Blackcastle, with a ewe lamb, by a £5k Hawes tup. Gimmer, ewe – B Hedley. Ewe lamb – JW Thompson. Shearling, ram lamb – Prof WA Penny, Bothwell.

Texel (Judge: B Cockburn, Stirkfield, Biggar). Champion – J Arnott, Haymount, with a first-time-out gimmer, by Milnbank Alphonso. Reserve – N Harvey, Blackadder Mains, Duns, with Blackadder Baldrick, a shearling ram by Wolfclyde Wawrinka out of a dam by Loosebeare Vitesse, that will go for sale at Kelso in September. Aged tup, shearling – N Harvey. Ram lamb, gimmer, ewe lamb – J Arnott. Ewe – F and R Renwick, Legars.

Shetland (Judge: G Meikle, East Linton, East Lothian). Champion – J, C, R and R Steven, Rosebank Farm, Currie, Edinburgh, with Rosebank Sadie, a home-bred black gimmer sired by Rosebank Orville out of Rosebank phoebe, on her first show outing. Reserve – P, D and A Playfair, Stichill Eastfield, Kelso, with a white gimmer. Coloured tup, coloured ewe lamb, coloured gimmer, white reserve champion, white shearling, white ewe, white ewe lamb – J, C, R and R Steven.

Coloured shearling, coloured ewe, white tup, white tup lamb, white gimmer, white champion – P, D and A Playfair. Coloured tup lamb – JA Leitch, Aird Cottage, Bowden.

Dorset (Judge: J Odgers, Thornybank Farm, Jinny Lane, Roughlee). Champion – D and D Rankine, Kenilworth Terrace, Lochore, Lochgelly, with Bennachie Zara DD, a three-year-old ewe, by Balltaggart Extra Special. Reserve – Jack Royan, The Granary, Putton Mill, Duns, with Staverton Bea, a Staverton-bred ewe lamb, from Sandy Lane bloodlines, owned in partnership with his grandfather, Jim Royan. Ram – F Harley, Craiglaw Far, Rumbling Bridge, Kinross. Shearling ram, shearling ewe, ewe lamb, under 10 young handler and reserve overall – J Royan. Ram lamb, ewe – D and D Rankine.

Multibreed (Judge: D Pate). Champion – A and P Glennie, Corsbie, Earlston, with an April-born Beltex ewe lamb, by a tup bought from Grant Anderson in Carlisle last August, out of a ewe that was interbreed sheep champion at Duns last year. Reserve – S Anderson, Stow, Galashiels, with a North Country Cheviot ewe lamb by a Humbleheugh tup. Ram, ewe lamb – A and P Glennie. Ram lamb, gimmer – S Anderson. Ewe – Prof WA Penny, Craigwinshiel.