Britain’s oldest herd of Aberdeen-Angus herd scored a major triumph on Saturday by winning its second bull calf championship in a week at the 15th annual Black Beauty Bonanza show at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie.
Ballindalloch Home Farm, owned by Banffshire Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Clare Russell, and husband, Oliver, won the championship at the Aberdeen-Angus breed’s leading show of calves and yearlings to cap the herd’s success the previous week at the Stars of the Future show at Stirling where their nine-month-old bull, Ballindalloch Earl N397, was native breeds’ bull calf champion.
The Ballindalloch herd was founded by Mrs Russell’s great grandfather, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, in 1860, and is the oldest Aberdeen-Angus herd in the country in continuous existence.
Their winner, which is to be retained at Ballindalloch as a stock bull, also had a successful summer show season, winning calf championships at the Nairn, Black Isle, Keith and Grantown shows.
“This is a calf with tremendous potential which led a very strong show of bull calves,” said judge, Victor Wallace, owner of the 110-cow Baronagh herd in Northern Ireland and the senior vice-president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society.
Mr Wallace was full of praise for the overall quality of the show which attracted 98 entries from Orkney to Middlesbrough and is organised by the North East Aberdeen-Angus Club with Claas dealers, Sellars Agriculture of Oldmeldrum, as main sponsors. It was a day of mixed emotions for Ballindalloch farm manager, David Johnstone, and his wife, Susan, who faced a major disappointment earlier this year of having to put down their champion’s sire when he was bitten by a birch fly after siring only six calves.
The sire, Ardoyne Munro Prince K191, was bred by Henk Rennie and his late wife, Helen, of Westerton of Ardoyne, Insch, who sold him privately for a five-figure price to Ballindalloch last year. He was rated in the top 1% of the breed for a range of performance traits.
Sellars’ managing director, Neil, and his father, also Neil, and son, Mark, Mains of Tonley, Alford, came close to repeating their success at the national Aberdeen-Angus calf show at Agri Expo held at Carlisle where they won the bull calf and male championships. Their winner, Tonley Jose Enrique N957, a seven-month-old son of Blelack Kanasta Lad G191, had to be content with the reserve bull calf championship on Saturday.In a small show of yearling bulls, the top award went to M Bruce and Partners of Logie, Ellon, with a 21-month-old bull being shown for the first time, Logie Epire M197, by Blelack Lord Hildalgo H972 and out of LogieEvensa J803. The bull was brought out by brothers, Andrew and James Reid.
Reserve was the 20 month old, Cairnton Phillanderer M333, by Kitewood Kingdom and out of Cairnton Peg H241, shown by Ken and Margaret Howie of Cairnton, Lumphanan. The heifer calf championship went to the leading show team of Richard and Carol Rettie, of 3 Aberdona Mains, Alloa, with their seven-month-old heifer calf, Retties Lady Ruth N228, by Rawburn Elysium F547. The heifer was winning her first championship after standing calf and reserve female championship at Carlisle and reserve junior champion at Stirling.
The second prize winner in the same class followed through to take the reserve award for Neil and Graeme Massie, Blelack, Dinnet, whose heifer, Blelack Princess Charlotte N092, by Blelack Equity J127, was paraded by Graeme’s daughter, Hayley.
The McCombie family from Auchincrieve, Rothiemay, had a successful day, taking three first prize tickets and going on to win the yearling heifer championship with the 20 month old Auchincrieve Etna M526, by the home-bred Auchincrieve Ethanol J148. This heifer was heifer calf champion at the show last year and junior champion at the Royal Highland Show and reserve and female champion at the National Aberdeen-Angus Show at Perth Show during the summer.
The Retties’ 21-year-old son, Jamie, who won the senior section of the junior showmanship competition and captained the UK team which was placed fifth at the World Aberdeen-Angus Forum in New Zealand, took the reserve yearling heifer championship with the 21 month old, Hillfoots Tidy Bee M175, by BlelackEvor H929.