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Heifers led the way in the commercial cattle show taking the supreme champion and reserve awards.

Claiming overall title under judge, Frank Page, Elkington, Northamptonshire, was Pepper, a November 2022-born heifer from Neil Slack, Penrith, shown by his niece, Elizabeth Haughan.

Weighing in at 589kg and by the Limousin bull, Kinniside Novel, the heifer was bought in September at Carlisle for £2,000 from breeders, Malcom Telfer and Helen Claxton.

Standing reserve heifer and reserve overall champion was Electra, an April 2023-born 529kg heifer from Stewart and Lynsey Bett, Stirling. By Ronick Red Hot and bred by Balfour Baillie, Orkeny, Electra, was bought for £5,000 at Thainstone last September and was then champion calf at the Scottish Winter Fair.

Mr Page said: "The heifers outshone the steers on this occasion. My champion was an outstanding butcher's heifer – very stylish but clean and full of meat with length and top."

April 2023-born 613kg Houdini by Carnew Millreef and whose dam was a previous Beef Expo winner, claimed the steer championship for the Dufton, Small and Wilkinson team, Leyburn, and will now join Mr Dufton for the Scottish summer show season.

Fist Full of Dollars, an April 2023-born steer bred by I.P. Jones, Corwen, and exhibited by J.M. and S.M. Rolands, Llanidloes, took the reserve title shown by Steven O'Kane. The son of Ampertaine Elgin had been baby beef champion at the English Winter Fair last year.

Baby Beef

Jonathan Lyon, Bourne, judged the baby beef section awarding the championship to A Kind of Magic, a September 2023-born 333kg heifer by Trueman Idol from a prolific show winning cow family, bred and exhibited by Small and Wilkinson.

In reserve was Sexy Pants, a June-2023 born 410kg heifer from Kevin Ludgate, Bedfordshire, and shown by James Ludgate. By Hightown Jacko, it was bought from breeder, John Smith Jackson, for £2,200 in March at Carlisle.

The winning baby beef steer was June 2023-born 416kg Pocket Rocket by Mereside Lorenzo and bred by J.M. and A.M. Lewis, Carmarthen. It was exhibited by Stewart and Lynsey Bett, who bought it for £2,600 at the Brecon show potential sale in February where they had judged, awarding it the steer championship.

Young Handlers

The winning young handler was 15-yar-old Olivia Matten, Thirsk, with Elizabeth Haughan taking reserve.

Results

Commercial cattle (Judge, F. Page, Elkington)

Supreme and female, N. Slack, Pepper; reserve and res. fem., S. and L. Bett, Electra; male, Dufton, Small and Wilkinson, Houdini; res., J.M. and S.M. Rolands, Fist Full of Dollars.

Baby beef (J. Lyon, Bourne); Sup. Small and Wilkinson, A Kind of Magic; res., K. Ludate, Sexy Pants.

Young handlers (J. Lyon) Sup., O. Matten; res., E. Haughan.

 South Devon Performance Championships

 Beef Expo once again hosted the national South Devon Performance Championships which were judged by Adrian Rundle, Newquay, on a combination of inspection of the animals and their performance (quality beef index for bulls and suckler replacement index for females.

The overall and female championship went to Cilgwrrwg Hastey, a January 2022-born heifer by Brafferton Kudo 7 out of Cilgwrrwg SAS Zoom bred and exhibited by Richard Hartshorn, Telford, which had by champion at the 2022 English Winter Fair calf show.

Mr Telford also took the reserve overall and reserve female titles with Cilgwrrwg Hope, a December 2022-born daughter of Grove Bellerophon 3 out of Cilgwrrwg SAS Eleri.

The male champion was March 2022-born Coton Herman 4 by Langham's Herman out of Coton Buttergirl 4 from Chris Page, Banbury, with Coton Raider 3, a Providence Raider son from the same home in reserve.