Ready, Set, Show! Day four – a match-up of Aberdeen Angus champions

August 4, 2020 at 8:41 am

**Click to enlarge.** The champion cattle exhibit at the 2017 Count Show was this Aberdeen Angus Cow from Messrs Davidson, Skaill Farm, Sandwick. (Tom O’Brien / The Orcadian)

Day four of our online cattle and sheep competition, where we pit past shows champions against one another, is the final class in round one – with the first of the semi-finals taking place tomorrow.

Today’s cattle competition is between the champions of the 2017 and 2014 county show – two fine Aberdeen Angus cattle.

The 2017 winner was a homebred, three-year-old Aberdeen Angus cow, named Skaill Estella P117, shown by Messrs Davidson from Skaill farm Sandwick. The cow – which was sired by Blelack Blackrod and out of Skaill Estella G739 – had claimed victory in the Aberdeen Angus section at the 2016 County Show.

The 2017 County Show inter-breed cattle judge was Iain Green, from Corskie farm, Garmouth. He said: “The champion was an absolutely fantastic cow which showed tremendous breed character, had flashy characteristics and was 100 per cent in her locomotion, which was very important.”

**Click to enlarge.** The 2014 County Show winner – Cardona Jilt N864, shown by James S. Baillie & Co. (Pic: Orkney Photographic)

The Skaill’s cow is being judged against the 2014 County Show cattle winner – a 19-month-old heifer calf, named Cardona Jilt N864, shown by James S. Baillie & Co, Sebay Tankerness. Her sire was Nightingale Dunbar K551 and her dam was also named Cardona Jilt.

Interbreed cattle judge that year, Ian Anderson, from Ayrshire, said: “My decision on the champion was made when I saw it coming into the ring. She just had the ‘wow factor’, she’s a really good example of an Aberdeen-Angus of that age, and she’s big for her age.”

Our cattle competition is sponsored by Serco NorthLink

SHEEP

Today’s sheep match-up is between the winners of the 2017 and 2015 County Shows – a Cheviot ewe and a Suffolk gimmer.

Firstly we have the three-crop Cheviot ewe which was chosen as the top sheep exhibit at the 2017 County Show. It was shown by J. & J. Smith, of Upper Cornquoy, Holm. The sheep was out of a home-bred ewe and sired by Durran Norseman.

Sheep judge in 2017, David Kirkpatrick, from Tandou, Stromness, said of the champ: “She’s a well-balanced ewe and very feminine. “She’s a ewe that’s in her prime and she’s got quite a bit of presence about her and a bit of style.”

**Click to enlarge.** The Champion sheep at the County show in 2015 – a Suffolk Ewe shown By David Summers, Easthouse Toab. (Pic: Orkney Photographic)

The competition for the ewe, is a Suffolk gimmer, shown by David Summers, of Easthouse, Toab, that won at the 2015 County Show. The one-and-a-half year-old animal was sired by a Lakeview tup and out of a Conveth gimmer.

It’s win was the first County Show overall win for Mr Summers. Judge in 2015, Iain Thomson, from Caithness, said of the Suffolk, she was a “good exhibit” which was “good on her legs” and a “well-balanced sheep” with “good strength.”

Our sheep competition is sponsored by Birsay Farmers Ltd.

This week should have been Orkney’s agricultural shows week, kicking off with the Sanday Show on Friday, July 31. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic the six shows had to be and other associated events had to be cancelled. To mark the week, we are pitting past sheep and cattle champions of The County Show against each other, under the eyes of judges, in a knock out competition. All the animals are judged based on pictures and information from the day they won. Next week we’ll be doing the same with the horse champions. Those who owned and exhibited them on the day are treated as the owners now for the purposes of the competition, although many of the animals went on to be sold following their win. For more information on the competition and animals click here.