36 females from 8 exhibitors provided the best show of the season with every class requiring Duncan Vincent to make challenging decisions and delivering an exciting climax.
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10 heifer calves made a magnificent class to start the day by 8 different sires but all exuding class, style and dairiness. The winner here as at Bath & West and North Somerset was Cadbury Hawk Pretty 86, from Catherine Mills and Richard Norman and Pretty had the advantage in size over two very correct but smaller heifers Tredinney Andante Essential Essence 4 in second from the Warren family with Trewarnevas Hercules Laurinda in third from the Grose family.
Of interest to me was the daughter of Dutch Mill TF Fayette from Trewarnevas as Fayette was the first US semen imported into the UK in the 80’s and the first crop of calves were so impressive then, but the UK Guernsey has moved forward a long way since then.
5 maiden heifers made up the second class of the day and Tredinney Buzzards Bracken 4 continued her winning ways for David Christophers, with Trewarnevas Precious Hawthorne 4 for the Grose family in second place and this Beechgrove Elijah daughter showed more udder promise than the very dairy Greensfield Icy Phyllis from the Greenslades who were competing for the first time at Cornwall.
5 in calf heifers saw a win for the Bath and West winner Cadbury Silverado Amanda from Mills/Norman but a very close decision over Trewarnevas Cinderella 2 by Tiller Khan that also had style and a tremendous frame with Trewey Poppy 13 from the Mann family in third place.
4 in milk heifers provided perhaps the best class of the day with the top two heifers chosen to represent the Breed as a Pair on the second day. Both heifers are now at Tredinney but the winner was bred in Sussex by the Foord’s and Clay Hill Chrissie 4 by Riverwood Tiller Khan, had very little advantage over Tredinney Chillers Primrose 18, the first calved daughter of Spring Walk Icy Chiller that I have seen, another Khan stood in third place Trewarnevas Morden Rose 2 with Tredinney Yogi’s Primrose 16 in fourth place.
3 in calf cows saw another Clay Hill purchase of the Warren’s Clay Hill Peach 4 by Trotacre Jay Mr Luck having the advantage over Viaduct Rizzo a Yogibear purchased at the Coopers Court sale by the Grose’s with Mayne Highness Amanda for Mills/Norman in third place.
4 junior cows provided another close decision with the VG 89 Trewey Juno 65 with her width through the rump and strength in the loin giving her a slight advantage over an impressive VG 88 Tredinney Pedro’s Flo 4 with Tredinney Hunters Memory 3 who is also scored VG 88 with the staler as yet un-scored Bickfield Lilian 14 from the Grose’s by Yogibear standing fourth.
5 senior cows saw some great cows showing real longevity and it was the Ex 94 Laity Farm Primrose 97 the Devon Champion, holding off Kingwell Magic Sedge owned and bred by Jon White but prepared by Emma Greenslade who looked much better than at either Devon or North Somerset, she is yet to be scored as a mature cow, and in third place was another Ex 94 point cow Trewey Juno 38, the 2004 Conference Show and Royal Show Champion, still demonstrating tremendous fitness in her 6th lactation. The fourth placed cow caused quite a lot of discussion on the ringside, and it was a pleasure to see so many breeders both active and retired taking a keen interest. She was Trewarnevas Jasmine now in her 4th lactation and again in need of a mature score, she is a really big cow but with some degree of style and balance and holding her own in what is now a 300 cow mixed herd at Trewarnevas. The fifth placed cow Tredinney Highness Brenda 3 Ex 90 is a very correct cow and will win elsewhere but was “overpowered” by the four others.
5 groups of three filled the ring and Tredinney’s heifers plus the Pedro four year old were a wonderfully matched and balanced group.
The Championship class was a pleasure to behold and Duncan was able to give a very cogent appreciation of his winners over the Public Address system and he decided to award an Hon Mention which went to Trewey Juno 65, the winning four year old, before placing Laity Farm Primrose 97 in Reserve Champion spot and making Clay Hill Chrissie 4 the Champion.
The decision was unusual in that Senior cows are normally given the advantage but this is such a correct and stylish heifer that he is to be applauded for his decision, but I am struggling to remember the last time that it happened within the Guernsey breed.
On the second day of the show the two Guernsey heifers Clay Hill Chrissie 4 and Tredinney Chillers Primrose 18 were the winners of the Interbreed Pair Classes against a strong line up of Ayrshire, Holstein and Jersey competion. Congratulations to the Warren family for this achievment.
Altogether a very rewarding day for the Guernsey breed and congratulations to all of the exhibitors who all had competitive animals forward.