A smaller albeit extremely select show of prime cattle forward for the Aberdeen Christmas Classic at Thainstone, was again topped by entries from master stockman, Wilson Peters who produced both the overall and butchers’ champions.
For the second year in succession, the Perthshire showman from Cuilt Farmhouse, Gilmerton, won the two main championships which in turn also attracted two of the top three prices at £4800 and £3800.
While the two-day event staged in conjunction with the Aberdeen Fatstock Association, saw a reduced entry, the quality was ‘outstanding’, according to one of the two judges, Ryan Briggs, of Briggsy’s Butchers, Jedburgh.
“It has been an absolutely superb show of cattle – the best I have ever judged,” he told The SF.
“The biggest problem at so many primestock shows is a lot of the cattle are not fully finished, but 90% would be here and they were also all brought out to perfection.
“It was a small show of open haltered cattle, but the quality has been outstanding with the champion being a real touch of class. I have never seen a heifer with such a fantastic back. She’s so square and has a great meaty carcase,” added Mr. Briggs who has doubled the amount of beef he sells through the shop he took over just four years ago.
That ‘real touch of class’ champion was Mr Peters’ haltered heifer champion Lady Luck, a black Limousin cross heifer that also stood first in her class at the Royal Highland and at LiveScot last weekend. February 2022-born, she was bought at Carlisle in March from the Robertsons of Newton of Logierait, but was in fact bred by Messrs Livingston, Kirtlevale, Gretna.
Securing a fourth Christmas Classic championship for the Monzie Farm manager, the heifer is by Uptonley Living the Dream, scaled 620kg and sold for the top price of £4800 or £7.42 per kg to Scott Watson, buying on behalf of Kitson Butchers, Yarm.
Mr Peters second entry, a 15-month-old home-bred Limousin cross heifer scooped the best amongst the butchers’ cattle. A prize money at local shows, she is by the stock bull, Carmon Lionbar, out of a Limousin cross dam and was knocked down at £3800 or £6.88 to Bruce the Butchers, Fraserburgh having passed the weighbridge at 552kg.
Young Farmers’ winners took two of the three next highest prices at £3000 and £2700, with the dearest being paid for the haltered section champion.
This was 15-year-old Anna Fettes’ Lady Millionaire, an 18-month-old heifer from Braes of Enzie, Buckie. Going one step better than her reserve win here last year, was a 644kg Limousin cross purchased at Thainstone from J and G Greenlaw, Balgairn Farms. Bred from a British Blue Cross dam, this heifer was purchased by the judge, John Carlisle, Border Meats, Lockerbie.
Cally Harper (20), Westholme, Turriff, secured the blue and white sash with Flame, a 696kg, July 2021-born Limousin cross heifer bred by George Parrock, Rothiemay. She was bought at Huntly in January, and sold to Bowland Foods, Preston, for £2700.
Having won the Rising Stars championship the previous night, Michael and Mark Robertson, Fodderletter Farms, Tomintoul, were back in the running, winning the bullock championship with a maternal brother. This was Maui, a February 2022-born Limousin cross by Homebyres Nistleroy. Champion at last year’s Rising Stars and Agri-Expo and reserve at LiveScot, the 734kg steer out of the British Blue, Bucks Fizz, made £3000 selling to Cowley Farm, Rothienorman, Inverurie.
The reserve bullock, Sir Loin, a similarly aged Limousin cross bred at Newton of Logierait, from Blair Duffton and Steven Smith, Huntly, made 350p per kg to Border Meats, Lockerbie. This 748kg black entry paraded by young Lily Smith, was reserve champion at the Spring Show, second at the Royal Highland, and reserve at Tarland, Fettercairn, and Banchory Shows.
Candy Floss, the second prize heifer to the overall champion from Mr Duffton, sold for the second highest price of £4026. Another bred at Newton of Logierait and bought at the Spring Show in March, this British Blue cross scaled 664kg and made 610p to Steven Smith, Sunnyhill Farms, Claymires.
Harry Brown, Auchmaladdie Mains, Maud, also had a great day in the show and sale rings, having landed the reserve heifer and runner-up overall honours with the second prize winner to the champion, Izzie. A Limousin cross bred by his sister, Lorna Beaton who also helps out on the farm, this 580kg entry is by the Livet Max, and made £2600 selling to John Scott Meats, Paisley.
Auchmaladdie Mains also produced the native champion and top priced Aberdeen-Angus at 410p per kg or £2460. This was Black Betty, an 18-month-old heifer by Strathinver Bentley out of a home-bred Limousin cross cow. She weighed in at 604kg and was knocked down to Forbes Raeburn Butchers, Huntly.
The same good home was behind the top winners in the open and YFC unhaltered section. The former, a 20-month-old Auchmaliddie Mains-bred Limousin cross heifer from Thomas Hall, who works on the farm, scaled 574kg and made 405p or £2308.50 to Ryan Briggs of Briggy’s Butchers.
Mr Hall also won the YFC section with a similarly aged and bred heifer that weighed in at 602kg and sold for 390p or £2340, to John M Munro butchers, Dingwall.
By the end of the sale, 19 prime steers sold to average 342p per kg or £2258.68 with an average weight of 660.53kg, with 38 heifers cashing in at 370p or £2254.90 at 610kg.
LEADING awards
Haltered cattle
Heifers – Lightweight – 1 and reserve heifer, D Work and Sons, Mains of Dumbreck, Rachel, Lim X, by Dumbreck Rio, 596kg, 450p, unsold; 2, A and W Wilson, Shantlerhill, Lim X, bred by G Bell, Haas-side, 592kg, 370p; 3, HD Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Shirley, Lim X 592kg, 370p. Heavyweight – 1, heifer champion and supreme overall, W Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Lim X by Uptonley Living The Dream, bred by Messrs Livington, Kirtlevale, 620kg, £4800; 2, B Duffton and S Smith, Huntly, Candy Floss, Lim X bred by J Robertson and Co, Newton of Logierait, 664kg, 610p; 3, Fraser Family, Easter Clune, Brandy, Lim X by Homebyres Napal, 602kg, 385p.
Native – 1 and champion native, Auchmaladdie Mains' Black Betty, A-A X by Strathinver Bentley, 604kg, 410p; 2, Sheep Park Farms, Sheep Park, A-A X bred by Callum Meldrum, Dyce, 636kg, 395p; 3, W Peters' BS X bred by Valerie Orr, 556kg, 320p.
Bullocks – 1, bullock champion and reserve overall, Fodderletter Farms' Maui, Lim X by Homebyres Nistleroy, 734kg, £3000; 2 and reserve bullock, B Duffton and S Smith's Sir Loin, Lim X bred at Newton of Logierait, 748kg, 350p; 3, Mains of Dumbreck's Lim X bred by T and J Leslie, Quoymorhouse, 586kg, 385p.
Butchers' haltered – Heifers – 1 and butchers' champion, W Peters' Lim X by Carmon Lionbars, 552kg, £3800; 2 and reserve butchers' Auchmaladdie Mains' Izzie, Lim X bred by Lorna Beaton, South Auchmaladdie, 580kg, £2600; 3, H Brown's Lizzie, A-A X 532kg, 400p. Bullocks – 1, Sheep Park Farms' Zak, Lim X by Moonleaze Norbert, bred by Fodderletter Farms, 600kg, 360p.
Unhaltered – Heifers – Lightweight – 1 and unhaltered champion, Auchmaladdie Mains, Lim X, 574kg, 405p; 2, Sheep Park Farms' Lucky Lady, A-A X, 594kg; 3, T Connell, Little Muddy Lumphart Farm, Susan, Lim X, 548kg, 325p. Mediumweight – 1 and reserve unhaltered, Sheep Park Farms' Snappy, Lim X by Lomond Orion, 602kg, 375p; 2, A and M Simpson, Mains of Leslie, Lincoln Red X, 610kg, 365p; 3, Auchmaladdie Mains, Lim X, 634kg, 395p. Heavyweight – 1, Ross Bros, Wardhead, A-A X, 800kg, 315p; 2, A and W Wilson, Shantlerhill, Lim X bred by A Gunn, Upper Dounreay, 652kg, 345p; 3, R and N Barclay, South Road, Char X, 688kg, 340p.
Bullocks – Lightweight – 1, JLI Thomson, Middleton of Potterton, Lim X bred by WJ and EC Stevenson, Coilavoulin Farms, 660kg, 340p; 2, Middleton of Potterton, Lim X bred by Coilavoulin Farms, 634kg, 320p; 3, B Duffton and S Smith's Disco Dave, Lim X, 606kg,365p. Heavyweight – 1, L Keir, BB X bred by G and J Greenlaw, Balgairn Farms, 740kg, 335p; 2, Sheep Park Farms' Alcaraz, Lim X, 742kg, 315p; 3, S Forman, Fridayhill, Lim X, 774kg, 295p.
YFC – Heifers – Junior – 1, champion heifer and YFC haltered champion, Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Lady Millionaire, Lim X bred by Messrs Greenlaw, Balgairn Farms, 644kg, £3000; 2, Isla Henderson, Mains of Wardhouse, One-sie, Lim X by Goldies Ocelot, 538kg; 3, Robert Anderson, Brucewells, Bramble, Lim X, 510kg, 355p. Senior – 1, reserve heifer and reserve YFC haltered champion, Cally Harper, Westholme, Flame, Lim X bred by G Parrock, Rothiemay, 696kg, £2700; 2, Thomas Hall, Bruce Brae, Cheryl, Lim X bred by H Brown, Auchmaladdie Mains, 566kg, 390p; 3, T Hall's Mamma Mia, Lim X bred by H Brown, 532kg, 420p.
YFC bullocks – Junior – 1 and YFC bullock champion, Isla Henderson's Dazzler, Lim X, 646kg, 355p; 2, Anna Fettes' Sir Loin, BB X, 596kg, 370p. Senior – 1 and reserve YFC bullock, Lyndsay Nelson, Mains of Lundie, BB X bred by Fraser Leslie, 616kg, 365p; 2, Finn Christie, Newton of Balquhain, Wee Bob, Lim X bred by Balfour Baillie, 664kg, 345p.
Unhaltered – Heifers – Lightweight – 1, Jack Hendry's Lim X Sterling Silver, 472kg; 2, Thomas Hall's Lim X bred at Auchmaladdie Mains, 534kg, 355p; 3, Jenna Ross' Char X, 558kg, 345p. Mediumweight – 1 and unhaltered champion, Thomas Hall's Lim X bred at Auchmaladdie Mains, 602kg, 390p; 2, Cally Harper's Black Beauty, Lim X bred by H Barclay, Nairn, 588kg, 365p; 3, Stuart Ross' Char X, 600kg, 370p. Heavyweight – 1, Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Lim X, 764kg, 335p; 2, Stuart Ross, Lim X, 688kg, 350p; 3, Cally Harper's Silver Lining, Char X bred by L and J Wishart, Bakkanlee, Shetland, 686kg, 335p.
Bullocks – 1 and reserve unhaltered – 1, Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Lim X, 670kg, 355p; 2, Lewis Keir, Lim X, 678kg, 350p; 3, Lewis Keir, BB X, 638kg, 350p.
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