The summer show circuit got off to a cracking start in Fife when crowds flooded in to a packed Cupar showfield on a day of glorious sunshine.
The stock looked their best, judges took their time to make decisions in the rings and breeders cast an eye over the competition ahead of next month’s Royal Highland Show.
The champion of champions competition attracted hundreds of onlookers as judge Stewart Stevenson from Bonerbo, Anstruther, chose the dairy interbreed as his winner over the beef, sheep and horse champions.
The glory went to Jim and Isobel Wilson’s six-year-old Holstein, Lieu Thomain Heliot which is currently giving 63 litres a day in full production at Carskerdo, Cupar.
This cow was imported from France in the spring of 2017 and won the championship at Kinross Show last year as a cow-in-milk.
Mr Stevenson described her as a “true working dairy cow who showed herself beautifully”. She is part of the Wilsons’ herd of 367 dairy cows and is destined for the Highland Show.
Meanwhile, the Simmental champion from Gordon Clark, Broombrae Farm, Auchtermuchty, may have been a lone example of his breed in the morning but this two-and-a-half-year-old sire Lisglass Goldstar beat every other beef animal on the showground to win the reserve champion of champions title and top cattle interbreed award.
Interbreed judge Harry Sleigh said he was a great specimen of his breed and was well-fleshed and walked well.
The Angus champion – and reserve interbreed winner – was shown by the Rennies at Mosston Muir, Guthrie, Forfar. He was the four-year-old stock bull Mosston Muir Excalibur, a son of Netherallan Peter Pershore and out of Mosston Muir Emily who was male champion at Fife last year.
The commercial lines attracted a lot of interest, with John Lumgair’s 17-month-old Limousin cross bullock, Domino, winning the title. He was bred by the Robertsons at Logierait and will be competing at Angus Show.
Many of the animals were on their inaugural show outings but the Hereford bull which won the any other breed title has already clocked up breed championships, including at the Stars of the Future fixture last year.
From Willie, Pauline and Katie Wason, Redwells Farm, Kinglassie, the 19-month-old Saltire 1 Predator is now going on to compete at West Fife and the Royal Highland Show.
The reserve supreme dairy champion, a two-year-old Ayrshire heifer from the Lawries at Cuthill Towers, Kinross, was on her first show outing and is also
destined for the Highland.
Hilltower Supreme Marcy is currently giving 20 litres per day after calving two months ago and she is by Sandyford Supreme ET.
In the sheep lines, the interbreed champion was the Texel gimmer shown by David McKerrow, Nochnarry, Freuchie. This gimmer by Knock
Yankee and out of a ewe by Ettrick You’re a Winner is a full ET sister to the 2017 Great Yorkshire Show champion.
The Border Leicester champion, a two-crop ewe from the Stewarts of
Kininmonth, Pitscottie, took the reserve interbreed slot. She is by Kininmonth Bolt and her dam is by Deuchrie Kelso Racer.
The eight-year-old yeld Shetland pony Mawcarse Lady Dionne took the horse interbreed honour for Donna Lochtie, Tillicoultry. She was champion at Alyth last year and reserve at the Central Scotland Show.
In reserve horse interbreed place was Chapelhill MacGregor, a three-year-old colt shown by Alison Simpson, Chapelhill Farm, Logie Almond.He is by Chapehlill Harry and out of Chapelhill Tess.
