Page 132 - Shorthorn Magazine

JUDGE: OWAIN HARRIES
All Breeds All Britain Calf Show
6th- 8th October 2023
It was a massive honour to be asked to officiate at the National Calf Show for a second time, and having been presented with an excellent selection of calves in 2012, I did wonder how 2023 would compare.
Churchroyd Tulip 2
On reflection I think the difference said a lot about where the breed has gone in that time, something that was pretty evident down the bottom of the lines, with good quality calves right the way through. Credit must go to the breeders and exhibitors that had turned their stock out in exceptional form and made it a great show to be a part of.
In the baby calf class, there was no question on where my first placing was going. I loved this calf from
first glance, a great combination of balance, style and functionality. This calf flowed from nose to tail, being stronger than my second placed
calf whilst retaining dairy quality. However, it was the correctness in the rump that gave her the main advantage, this correctness made her excel in leg set, especially on parade. My second placed calf in this class was an extreme dairy red calf, I gave her the advantage over my third placing for having more width to the chest floor and being more open and angular throughout. Third I went with a slightly smaller calf, but I rewarded her balance over the taller, longer calf in fourth. I also
gave her advantage for being stronger in the chine and also for tracking straighter on parade. Fourth was the big heifer where I appreciated her cleaner bone and more ideal leg set. Fifth was a heifer that had a lovely front end, being cleaner over the shoulder and pins than my sixth calf. Sixth over
seventh, as expected these calves were slightly younger in the class, needing more time to develop., In the end I went with the stronger of the 2 calves, giving her the advantage over the youngest calf of the class for being a little more correct throughout.
Second class of the day was the Junior calf, and it was the oldest calf of the class that stood out for me. A very balanced calf, with more depth of fore rib than my second calf. A calf that stood out from both the front and side angle, combining strength with dairyness, and plenty of stretch. Second a very stylish calf, that walked extremely well, she
was also better grown for her age, and longer making her a very eye catching heifer. Third was a smaller calf, but again well balanced. I gave her clear advantage in this class
for her openness of rib, strength of chine, rump setting and quality of locomotion. Four and five were a close placing, one that I swapped last minute given how close they were. I rewarded the strength of the 4th calf in the end over the extremely clean boned calf that followed. It was the
Cotonhall Chrome Wild Daisy
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