Double delight at the Christmas Classic
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It proved a day for double success at Thainstone as the second day of the Christmas Classic saw three consigners take both the champion and reserve titles in their respective categories.
Kicking things off was the unhaltered beef cattle championships which saw Harry Brown from Aucmaliddie Mains, Maud claim both champion with a Limousin heifer and the reserve with a Limousin-cross heifer.
In the haltered beef cattle category, the champion heifer was a 640kg Limousin from Blair Duffton and Rebecca Stuart of Huntly with the reserve champion heifer consigned by W Robertson and Son, Fodderletter.
And it was Blair and Rebecca Stuart who proved winners again taking the champion bullock with a 666kg Limousin bullock while the reserve champion title was awarded to Harry Brown with a Limousin-cross weighing 654kg.
This set up judges Jamie Chapman of Chapman Butchers, Wishaw and Frank Yorke of Yorkes of Dundee to decide on a winner, and it was their Limousin heifer which in the end took the championship from the Limousin bullock which in turn took the overall reserve champion title.
The champion would in turn go on to sell for £5000, the highest price of the day, while the reserve sold for £3000.
Judge Frank Yorke said: “What really stood out was the shape, the confirmation, its just a nice economical, tidy beast.
“ A lot of them were close but there were just aspects of that one that set it apart.”
An elated Rebecca was “overjoyed” at the double success, while Blair, who is currently in Belfast on judging duties himself at the Ulster Beef Championships told the Advertiser:”It was a really amazing result and I am so delighted by it.”
In the Butchers cattle section there was also a double title win for Wilson Peters of Monzie, Creiff who took the overall champion title with a British Blue-cross heifer and the reserve champion title with a Limousin heifer.
They went on to sell for £3100 and £2500 respectively.
Overall champion bull at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic was a British Blue from Garry Patterson, Upper Forgie, Keith which beat several other breed winners.
They included the champion Aberdeen Angus bull from G and R Miller, Birkenbower, Lumsden, the champion Simmental from Brian Grant, Druid Temple, Inverness, champion Limousin from John Burnett, Upper Spittalton, Stirling and the Charolais champion from AJR Farms, Miton of Collieston, Ellon.
In the Young Farmers’ unhaltered cattle section, the overall honours went Limousin cross heifer from Cally Harper, Westholme, Turriff which was bred by Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch.
The reserve Young Farmers’ unhaltered championship was awarded to a Limousin cross heifer weighing 578kg from Thomas Hall, Auchmaliddie Mains and was bred by Harry Brown, Greenacres, Maud.
James MacIver, Wester Coltfield, Kinloss, Forres, stood champion bullock in the Young Farmers’ haltered section with a home-bred Charolais cross bullock.
He also stood as reserve champion with a home-bred, April, 2018-born Charolais cross bullock.
