Beef Expo: Results and pictures of winners
Winning the coveted supreme commercial beef title at the Beef Expo at Stoneleigh on Thursday (18 May) was Powys’ Elfed Williams with his Limousin steer Monty.
Monty took the steer championship earlier in the day under the helm of Neil Lloyd, but returned to the ring to beat the competition under judge Colin Phillips, Weobley, Hereford.
Bred by G Lewis, Welshpool, Powys, the April 2016-born pure Limousin is out of a Sarkley heifer and is sired by Lodge Hamlet.
Monty was purchased from the Pennies, Montgomery, Powys, last autumn, for an undisclosed sum.
Monty took the supreme commercial beef title
It was the first outing for Monty, who tipped the scales at 540kg and will next head to the Three Counties to defend the title.
See also: Brecon Limousins reach top price of 6,000gns
The supreme reserve sash was awarded to the champion Limousin-cross heifer, Cheeky Girl, owned by Mike Rowlands, Llanidloes.
Reserve supreme and champion heifer Cheeky Girl
Bred and exhibited by Dai Brute, Brecon, she was purchased for £4,000 at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair after winning Champion Baby Beef.
Sired by Cwmlimo Hercules she is out of a Brutus Cracker heifer and tipped the scales at 507kg.
Reserve champion heifer and steer
Earlier in the day the 12-month-old home-bred British Blue, Panda, from Tecwyn Jones, Llanrwst, Conwy, stood second to Monty in the champion steer class.
Sired by Netherwood Empire, he is out of his multi-prize winning Limousin-cross Black Beauty, sired by Shire Apollo, and bred by John Smith-Jackson, Haltwhistle.
This prolific cow also bred Mr Jones last year’s Beef Expo reserve overall champion, Hightown girl. Panda weighed 445kg and will next compete at the Royal Welsh.
Reserve champion heifer (552kg) went to the Limousin-cross Rio from Neil Slack, Penrith, Cumbria, and was exhibited by Hannah Brown, Leyburn.
Heifer reserve champion Rio © Tim Scrivener
This home-bred heifer, born in January 2016, is by a Rossingnol sire and out of a British Blue heifer. She has many wins already under her belt including baby beef champion at Smithfield last year.
Baby beef championship
Leading a strong line-up in the baby beef championship were Monmouthshire exhibitors Tim and Kitty Bodily with their 10-month-old lightweight champion (343kg) heifer, Serena, a British Blue cross.
British Blue-cross Serena was baby beef overall champion © Tim Scrivener
She was purchased for £1,700 at Brecon Show Potential sale earlier this year from breeders M and B Jones, Sennybridge.
Sired by Dragons Blue Factor she is out of a pure Limousin of Bailea breeding and will next compete at the Highland Show.
Standing reserve to Serena was the Limousin-cross heifer Lady De Beaut from Edward and Sarah Layton, Leominster, Hereford. She was purchased privately just one month ago from Mrs Jones, Erwood, Brecon.
Limousin-cross heifer Lady De Beaut was reserve in the baby beef category © Tim Scrivener
She is out of a Blue-cross cow by Brutus Cracker and weighed in at 252kg. She now heads home to rest ahead of the Royal Welsh.
Devon championship
On the same day, the South Devon Cattle Society held their Performance Championships.
Winning the silverware was young exhibitor Connor Whitehead, with his two-year-old heifer AI Z Eyton SAS Lolita 10 from Telford, Shropshire.
AI Z Eyton SAS Lolita 10 © Tim Scrivener
She was bought privately from breeder TM Kent, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and is sired by AI Hawkley SAS Intrepid and out of the Wenfork Trusty 5 dam Z Eyton Lolita 6.
She is no stranger to limelight having won reserve female champion at the South Devon Performance Championships at the NEC last year.
In reserve was the bull Z Eyton Trusty 3, also bred by TM Kent, but exhibited by Richard Hartshorn, Telford, Shropshire, on behalf of M and M Rushbrooke, Bewdley, Worcestershire.
The two-year-old was originally bought by Mr Hartshorn as a youngster privately from Mr Kent, but he sold him just last week to the Rushbrookes for an undisclosed sum.
Sired by Wenfork Trusty 5, he is out of the X Billington Ultra daughter Z Eyton SAS Dolly 7.