The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Strong show of pedigree young stock at Stars of the Future event
Stirling competition attracts cream of the crop from around the country
A strong show of pedigree young stock turned out for the annual Stars of the Future competition at Stirling.
In the senior continental section, the top award went to a 14-month-old Charolais from first time exhibitor at the event John Christie, who runs a 30-cow herd at Westcarse, Stirling.
He took the honours on his first show outing with Westcarse Nimrod, a son of Mortimers Highlandfling. Reserve to that bull was the Limousin, Westpit Nashville, another 14-month-old on its first show outing, from Andrew Gammie, Drumforber, Laurencekirk.
Another Limousin from Aberdeenshire came to the fore in the junior continental inter-breed, with the champion ticket going to Aileen Ritchie, Tamala, Burnside, Whitecairns, leading the eight-month-old Ritchies Oracle, from her eight-cow herd.
Reserve overall in the juniors was Foxhill Nadiya, a 10-month-old British Blue heifer from Charlotte Alford, far travelled from Collumpton, Devon. An AI daughter of Park Darmler, she is out of the privately bought show cow Rhymil Kylie, the only British Blue cow in the Alfords’ herd, which runs alongside 20 Limousins.
In the native inter-breed, the senior section was led by Retties Pam T420, a 13-month-old Aberdeen-angus heifer from Richard and Carol Rettie’s 25-cow herd at Methven, Perth.
A Highland bull, Prionnsa Dubh 2nd of Balmoral, from The Queen’s Balmoral fold at Ballater stood reserve in the seniors. Winning the native junior interbreed was Tulloes Pride, a January-born Aberdeen-angus heifer on her first outing, from David Raeburn, Burnside of Tulloes, Letham, Angus.
Standing reserve to that one was the Beef Shorthorn heifer Rattray Maddie, a March-born daughter of Galla Hercules, of Rattray Estate at Peterhead.
The best pair of junior animals of the same breed and owned by the same exhibitor was awarded to a Charolais duo from Mcmurrich family’s 20-cow Formakin herd at Causewayhead, Stirling. They were the heifers, Formakin Opal and Formakin Octopusy, both AI daughters of the French bull Hercule, out of home-bred dams.
Reserve pair went to the Beef Shorthorns from Jack Ramsay, Millerston Farm, Mauchline. They were the bull, Millerston Man O War, by Meonhill Charlie Chaplin, and the heifer, Millerston Gretta Mandy, by the same sire.
The hotly contested young handlers competition was won by the best from the 11-14 age group, 11-year-old Emma Smith, from Bankhead, Portlethen showing Forgeron Ivy, a home-bred Simmental heifer from the family’s 25-cow herd. Reserve overall was the winner of the 15-18 category, Frank Gwynne, 17, from Castlewigg Farm, Whithorn, Newton Stewart, showing his home-bred Simmental bull, Castlewigg Ifan.