A YOUNG heifer from the Jones family, Caersws, Powys, was awarded the supreme championship at the Hereford National Christmas Calf Show, staged at Shrewsbury, last week.

This was Dendor 1 Wattle 9, a September, 2017-born heifer by the Danish sire and 2017 Royal Welsh Show champion, Bakgard 1 Keno 1178. On its debut outing, she is bred from a home-bred dam, Dendor 1 Wattle 6, which is by Solpoll 1 Gilbert – a bull which has sired the UK Hereford female of the year for five consecutive years and has been crowned sire of the year twice. This youngster will be retained for breeding.

The same home also took the reserve female title with Dendor 1 Echo 26, a March 2018-born heifer calf by the same sire as the champion. She is bred out of Dendor 1 Echo 28, by SMH Euro 20E – a bull which is still going strong at nine-years-old in Ray Hunt and Veronica Brenann's Herberry herd in the Republic of Ireland.

Going on to stand reserve supreme was the male champion, Havenfield 1 Robin Hood from EL Lewis and Son, Dilwyn, Herefordshire. By the AI sire, Romany 1 Lawbreaker REL23, this ET-bred calf's dam is the 2015 Kington Show champion, Dendor 1 Ruby 20 – a female which the Lewis family bought privately as a heifer from the Jones family. This September, 2017-born bull calf paired up with the Solpoll 1 Lawman-sired, Havenfield 1 Rufus, to claim the pairs title. He will now head to the society's spring show and sale in Hereford.

Barbern 1 Rockafella from Preston-based breeders, Bernard and Barbara Rimmer, scooped the reserve male title. This 11-month-old bull which weighs 635kg, is a son of Barbern 1 Gargantuan, a former National Poll Show junior champion, while the dam is the Listimous 1 Encore-sired, Barbern 1 Foxglove 309.

In the heifers pairs class, two daughters of SMH Kingsize, Moralee 1 Kimberly KSR7 and Moralee 1 Kylie KSR1, stood champion for Tom and Di Harrison, Mickley. Both unbeaten this show season, winning the Scottish National, National Poll Show and Agri-Expo titles, Kylie went on to sell for 8000gns at the Designer Genes Sale later that day (see DGS report on page **)

Maddie Clark, 21, from Suffolk stood champion in the senior young handlers, while Grace Denning, 12, from Somerset, won the junior title.