The pedigree Limousin heifer, Quaish Abfab, from Somerset breeder Nick Hill, beat off strong crossbred competition to lift the 2006 National Primestock Show title at Bingley Hall on Saturday 18th November. 

Quaish Abfab - 12,500gns

It was a bumper day for Mr. Hill who collected £2000 in prizemoney and a further £1000 from the British Limousin Cattle Society for winning the title with a pedigree animal.  At the post show sale, this fourteen month old heifer sold for an event record of £12,500 to an undisclosed buyer.

Born in September 2005, Abfab is by the noted French AI sire, Nenuphar and is out of the homebred, Djerk sired, Quaish Naomi.  Earlier this year she was shown at the Royal Bath & West Show where she won the Limousin Exhibitor Bred and Overall Exhibitor Bred Interbreed Championship at eight months old.  She was also the Interbreed Calf Champion at Devon County Show and a class winner at the Beef South West event at Hatherleigh in September.

It was a first National Primestock Show title for Mr. Hill who is a prolific winner in the South West region show circuit and who has also won the coveted Limousin Supreme Championship at the Royal Show in 2000.  The Quaish pedigree herd consists of approximately 25 breeding females.

Early on Saturday morning, the pedigree section came under the watchful eye of judge Miss Christine Williams, Lodge Hill Farm, Park Lane, Shifnal, Shropshire.  From a strong class of fifteen heifers, Quaish Abfab prevailed before moving through the gears in the afternoon to win the Pedigree Championship, Heifer Championship and the Supreme Overall Championship.  The Championships were judged jointly by the class judges, Christine Williams and Miss J Richards, Rietfontein, Perranwell Station, Truro, Cornwall.    They were highly impressed with the overall standard of cattle forward and in particular the quality of their Champion.  “This heifer was very balanced, very correct and just oozed style,” said Miss Williams, “she is a handy weight, is full of meat and will have a really good meat to bone ratio.  She also has that ‘snob’ factor in abundance that just makes you keep looking at her!”

For the second year in a row, the Championships were dominated by Limousin crossbred and purebred cattle.  As well as the Pedigree Championship, Limousin sired cattle took Champion and Reserve in both the crossbred heifer and steer sections and as a consequence, the Overall Crossbred Championship.

In the Saturday morning judging, the steer section was split by weight into four quality classes.  Emerging from the second class was Bobby Jo, a Limousin sired steer from noted showman Phil Sellers, Chapel Street, Kilburn, Derby.  This much admired animal duly took the Steer Championship before moving on to claim the Overall Champion Crossbred title.  He is set to move on to Shepton Mallet and challenge at this year’s revamped Royal Smithfield.  Sired by the Neil Vance bred Winnington Murray, this August 2005 born calf was bred by Phil Jones, Denbigh and was purchased from the North Wales Show Potential event at Ruthin where he had stood Reserve Champion Bullock Calf.  

Reserve Overall Steer was the Limousin sired Bob the Builder who had stood second in his class to the Steer Champion before following him through.  Shown by Mike Dickens, Park Hill Farm, Bletchley Road, Little Horwood, Milton Keynes, this July 2005 born calf is sired by Hillside George, a Marden Umph son, and was bred by Messrs Stodart, Wigton, Cumbria.

From the three heifer classes it was again an animal from the South West region that took the honours and again a Limousin Championship one-two.  The Overall Heifer Champion emerged from the second class from DE & SJ Cheacker, Ostbridge Manor Farm, Pilning, Nr Bristol.  Bred by exhibitor, this July 2005 born heifer was sired by Staveley Hurricane.  In the final showdown, the Cheackers’ heifer secured the Overall Crossbred Reserve title.  Standing as the Reserve Crossbred Heifer Champion was Keith Harryman, Keskadale, Newlands, Keswick, with his homebred ¾ Limousin heifer Black Silk.  Again, this animal had stood second in its class to the Heifer Champion before following it through to take the Overall Reserve Heifer title.  A June 2005 born calf, Black Silk is by the French bull Snoopy and is out of a Limousin cross cow.

In the Limousin pedigree classes, Dentox Address, from DA Roberts, Honley, Holmfirth, stood second in its class to the show’s Supreme Champion before claiming the Overall Reserve Pedigree Limousin title.  Bred by D Walker, this June 2005 born heifer is sired by Raysonhall Penyghent and is out of Dentox Reasons.

In the Limousin steer section, the Champion Steer title was awarded to Smiths of Bloxham, Newlands Farm, Milton Road, Banbury with the homebred Ironstone Ant.  This powerful April 2005 born steer is by the prolific primestock and pedigree sire Ronick Hawk and is out of Tweedside Elma.

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