Burtergill Horace sets the record right
JUSTICE has been done for a Blenheim south devon breeder in winning the champion of champions title at the 2016 Beef Expo.
Burtergill Horace was named the PGG Wrightson Champion of Champions in the all breeds judging at the annual show in Feilding. He is a homebred bull at the Marlborough stud owned by Richard and Denise van Asch.
Burtergill South Devon Stud was started by Richard’s parents, Arnold and Joan van Asch, in 1974.
Nine years ago, the bull’s grandsire, Burtergill Harry 3, missed out on the top title to the surprise of many at the Beef Expo that year and went on to sell for an Australasian record price of $41,000.
But justice had now been served, PGG Wrightson’s New Zealand livestock genetics manager, Bruce Orr, told the watching crowd at the Beef Expo as he announced the results.
Back in 2007, it was routine for one guest judge to make the Champion of Champions decision. Since that year, each of the breeds represented at the Beef Expo judge together and announce their top three before the total result is announced.
Each of the seven breed judges this year placed the south devon in the top three with four placing it first. The comments included ‘‘perfect balance between muscle and size’’ and ‘‘he has volume and softness and is a fantastic representation of the south devon breed’’. South devon judge, John Hayward, said the bull was the ‘‘complete package’’.
Richard van Asch echoes those comments saying the bull’s grandsire was an exceptional bull and he was a ‘‘chip off the block’’.
‘‘He’s a good, sound, functional bull that’s really hard to fault.’’
The buyer of 2016’s champion bull was King Country breeder Peter Foss from Ipurua South Devons at Aria, who said he was a ‘‘wonderful example of the breed. He’s a nice, big animal and comes with a very good set of EBV data.’’
Foss was in the stadium when his new bull’s grandsire sold for $41,000 in 2007 and was surprised to net Burtergill Horace for just $6000.
‘‘A bull of his quality deserved far more on the day and I’m sure he will deliver far more than that value indicates in my breeding operation.’’
Richard and Denise van Asch run the Burtergill stud on three blocks of land at Koromiko.
Richard works off the farm as a police dog handler.
‘‘The stud is a passion and a hobby, but I run them under commercial conditions as much as any other farmer would.’’
The Asch’s have also started a black purebred south devon stud and will be offering a black bull for the first time at the upcoming on-farm sale on Monday June 20.