Saturday’s Aberdeen-Angus National Summer Show at the Royal Berskshire Show saw one of the most successful Aberdeen-Angus show bulls of this year, Oakchurch Diplomat J118, take the overall honours and the championship prize fund of £1000.
Born in February 2009 and owned by Jeremy Price, Staunton on Eye, Herefordshire, Diplomat is by Oakchurch Dominator and is out of one of the herd’s most successful and prolific females Oakchurch Red Delia F021, who is a daughter of Rawburn No Limits 5N.
Prepared and shown this year by husband and wife team and Neil and Sally Lloyd, Diplomat has picked up a fistful of championships this year already including the interbreed championship at Three Counties and the overall breed championship at the Royal Welsh.
Commenting on his champion judge Soren Riis Vester of Denmark said: “He is a tremendously well fleshed bull with a great top and plates who moves well.”
The Oakchurch teamed then enjoyed more success later in the day as they secured the calf championship with the winner of the 2012-born heifer calf class Oakchurch Darlene M074, a January-born Ardrossan Admiral A2 daughter out of Oakchurch Darlene E020, who is a Dalrene Cruz 11F daughter.
Standing reserve overall was the reserve male champion Glympton Glespin K470 from Glympton Farms Ltd, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. This March 2010-born Rawburn Rock Solid F544 son is out of the Cardona Edrom B189 daughter Glympton Georgina F234 and is currently the herd sire for the 90-cow commercial herd which runs alongside the 60-cow pedigree herd. This is just his second outing of the year.
Securing the female championship and making the long journey down from Auchterarder, Perthshire, a worthwhile one was William McLaren’s February 2010-born Netherton Blackbird K544 with her April-born bull calf at foot Netherton Black Magic M678. Blackbird is by the incredibly successful shared herd sire Netherton Big Edition H460 and is out of a daughter of The Moss Mr Eshton D409. She has already taken breed championships at Keith and Angus Show this year.
The McLaren family also took the reserve calf championship with the January-born Netherton Big Ben M656. This one is a son of the top Canadian bull HF El Tigre 28U who Netherton and Galawater have the UK semen rights of after seeing him win the yearling championship at the World Forum Show in Canada in 2009. He is out of Netherton Beauty J533, a G13 Steel daughter out of Big Sky Beauty 009.
Clinching the reserve female and overall junior championship were the Jones and Russell families of Collumpton, Devon, with the January 2011-born Rull Evita L127, a Muirhall Top Deal E006 daughter out of a Rawburn Transformer daughter. She has already picked up a few reserve female championships this year and is hopefully in-calf to their stock bull Rull Mr Mac J532 who stood second to the overall champion in the senior bull class. The Rull team also won the Group of Three Class which saw 13 exhibitors fill the ring at Newbury with teams of three.
The reserve junior championship went to the yearling bull class winner Glympton Rebellion L549, a Rawburn Rock Solid F544 son out of Glympton Rowena E216 who is a Cardona Edrom B189 daughter.
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