EARLY maturity pattern with top carcase attributes and impressive Breedplan figures of Rayleigh Nullabor impressed the judges at the 58th annual Herefords Australia Dubbo National show and sale last Tuesday.
The 926 kilogram (just two days short of 24 months) son of the $70,000 record-priced Bowen Calibre K207, first gained attention in the Herefords Australia Supermarket Index performance class judged by Steve Chapman, Head Southern Livestock Buyer, JBS Australia, Brooklyn, Victoria, who was impressed.
"His early maturity pattern is really good and there is a lot of yield in this carcase," Mr Chapman said.
Nullabor boasted impressive Breedplan figures of rib and rump fats of 14 and 22 millimetres in the top one per cent of the breed, eye muscle area (EMA) of 130 square centimetres in the top 10pc and all indexes in the top 5pc.
Breed class judge, Steve Reid, Talbalba stud, Millmerran, Queensland, was also impressed and placed him Intermediate division champion and later grand champion.
Coupled with the data, Mr Reid liked the bull's thickness and movement.
"He's really strong through the topline and moves really well for a bull that's so thick," he said.
Nullabor was one of three bulls exhibited by Jeff and Robyn Holcombe and family, Rayleigh stud, Burren Junction, all sired by Bowen Calibre.
Rayleigh Nostradamus was awarded reserve senior champion and stood second to the senior champion in their class weighing 892kg at 25 months with a 129sqcm EMA and described by Mr Reid as a real carcase bull with a strong spine.
The runner-up in the Supermarket class, Grathlyn Holy Field, was described by Mr Reid as an extremely powerful bull.
Weighing 916kg at 22 months, this son of Days Elaborate displayed 16mm rump and 9mm rib fat, a 39.5cm scrotal circumference, and a massive 140sqcm EMA.
Bred by the Rayner family, Grathlyn stud, Hargraves, Andrew Rayner said he didn't think he had seen that weight-to-muscle ratio in a bull of his age in the Hereford breed.
Mr Reid said Holy Field had outstanding muscle shape, high indexing, a good head and outstanding weight for age.
"There's characteristics about him that make him a real sire."
Grathlyn stud also exhibited reserve junior champion, Grathlyn Notorious, which was runner-up in his class to the Holy Field. Sired by the New Zealand import Koanui Techno, Notorious weighed 830kg at 22 months.
Senior champion, Allendale Imperial, a 25 months-old son of Allendale Chisel L8, was shown by the Day family's Allendale studs, Bordertown, South Australia, and weighed 884kg and EMA of 126sqcm.
Imperial was runner-up in the European Union EU Index performance class and showed an EU value of $139.
Allendale stud also exhibited reserve intermediate champion, Allendale Extrovert, which stood second to the champion in their class. This bull was sired by Allendale Gambler and weighed 894kg with an EMA of 127sqcm.
Moganvale Naughton weighing 888kg at 23 months, a son of Days Fabulous, won the EU Index class for Allan Morgan and family's Morganvale stud, Keith, SA, with an index of $141.
Rayleigh stud won the Presidents Shield for a group of three bulls with Grathlyn stud second and Kerlson Pines Stud, Keith, SA, third.