The eight-year-old cow who was crowned Supreme Champion at the Sydney Royal Easter in April backed up by winning Grand Champion of a competitive Victorian Winter Fair Show at Bendigo.
Mooramba Talent Randell EX91 Grand Champion 2015 Victorian Winter Show
Mooramba Talent Randell EX91 was bought by the Flanagan family (Finley) at the Mooramba dispersal sale two years ago for $11,000. The capacious Ladino Park Talent daughter, who calved in February, had only been shown once before Sydney – at International Dairy Week (IDW) in January 2014. She was eighth that year in the aged cow class.
Mooramba Talent Randell EX91 Grand Champion 2015 Victorian Winter Show
And at Bendigo she was up against the Champion, Reserve Champion and Honourable Mention from IDW from the powerhouse Elmar stable. Importantly, she was also showing in Victoria – where many of the country’s competitive cows reside. Sydney’s rules stop many of Victoria’s cows from competing at the New South Wales Sydney Royal.
“We were just hoping to compete with the cows we knew were in the Elmar and Bluechip teams but to be able to beat them was a terrific thrill because I genuinely wasn’t confident we could,” Nick Flanagan.
It made this championship for Randell an important and telling one that puts her in great company with some exciting cows that have impacted the industry. Woodlawn exhibited five milkers that all finished in the top six.
Nick Flanagan said it was a great week and he gave credit to the Victorian Winter Fair committee and fellow exhibitors on Facebook for an “amazing exhibition of Holstein cattle”.
Reserve and Honourable Mention went to the five and four-year-olds from the Bluechip string – Bluechip Goldwyn Paradise and Windy Vale Contender Rose.
Bluechip Goldwyn Paradise and Windy Vale Contender Rose
US judge Perry Phend gave credit to Randell’s youthfulness.
“I have three nice cows for Grand – and if this five-year-old (Paradise) can look like this older cow when she’s eight that’d be great. But today, this cow is it for me. I love older cows and cows that look like young cows, and that have so much balance.”
Pardee Contender Perfection-Red Red and White Champion Victorian Winter Show 2015
The Red and White Champion was Pardee Contender Perfection-Red, owned by the Lucas family. The rest of the major placings were in the hands of Bluechip Genetics and their partners. They won Intermediate Champion of both the Black and White and Red & White show, following on from a dominant Junior day. For a team of 24-head in the Bluechip string, 22 placed in the top five. It was enough to give the northern Victorian string, Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor.
Paringa Windstorm Ezra Intermediate Champion
“For us and our partners, the show was fantastic,” Bluechip’s Dean Malcolm said. “For Ezra (Intermediate Champion) to win Intermediate here two years in a row and for her to back up from also winning Intermediate at IDW in January was awesome.
“And to see Frosty (Bluechip Goldwyn Frosty-ET) win the Senior two-year-old and get Reserve to her [Ezra] was the icing on the cake. I think she’s validated her $72,000 price tag with her form after calving and she’s an exciting young cow for the future.”
He said the Frosty partnership (Brent Crothers, NZ, and Averill Leslie, NZ) had five daughters on the ground by Golddust, Goldchip and Atwood and she’s bred to Doorman. Ezra (co-owned with Phil Malcolm) had been flushed to Soloman and Bluechip were giving her an extended lactation. Her chances of showing on the same lactation at IDW 2016 will be decided later in the year.
Bluechip had no cows older than five years at the show, and Dean confirmed the winning four-year-old and Honourable Mention Senior Champion, Windy Vale Contender Rose (co-owned by Windy Vale Holsteins), was pregnant for IDW 2016, barring injury or accident.
“It was great to see the Contender build on her start at IDW (second to Elmar Jessica 11 in the four-year-old class). And the Paradise cow is a cow that hasn’t been out really, and we had to get her at the right time. This was it. Both those senior cows are similar – they have great legs and udders and long, modern frames. I think they’ll be cows for the future also.
“And we were really happy to be Reserve and Honourable Mention to Woodlawn’s Talent cow – because she’s a great cow and a deserved Champion.”
