Charolais numbers were just over half of their normal capacity at Sydney on Saturday but quality wasn't diminished, according to judge Hannah Powe from Goondoola Red Angus at Cargo.
A regular ribbon winner on the Hunter Valley show circuit, Tractor Nellie and her six-month-old heifer calf Bureen Nellie 2, from Bureen Cattle Company were named supreme exhibit after being labelled "an exceptional female".
She had tough competition from the senior and grand champion bull, Taylor Made Quintrex, from Taylor Made Charolais, Willow Tree who only made their return to showing after purchasing the bull's mother in 2017.
Ms Powe commended the exhibitors that had put in the hard work to still attend the show despite the COVID-19 disruptions.
"I feel they are very complete animals," Ms Powe said of the final two exhibits.
"They have got a lot of outlook to them, they've got that volume and capacity that I said at the start I'd be looking for, that overall performance I like to see in my cattle and cattle that have that overall growth rate whilst also retaining the ability to finish."
The prize-winning female was owned in partnership between the Green family, Bureen, and Travis Worth, Singleton, and will return home to be spelled while her calf by TCW Livestock Knockout will be weaned in a month or two.
It was the first time Mr Worth had taken a supreme title after earlier beating the junior female, Black Duck Queen Street exhibited by Blackduck Charolais, Junction View, Queensland, for grand female.
"We had a reserve champion bull here a couple of years before but this is the biggest and furtherest we have gone with it," he said.
"We have got a small stud herd but the main focus is on the commercials. The stud line is a hobby."
The performance, weight for age, carcase shaping, muscle expression and overall softness of the grand champion bull, Taylor Made Quintrex, was commended by Ms Powe.
What she didn't know was the win was extra special for owners Scott and Jill Taylor from Willow Tree who only got back into showing a few years ago to support handler Tayla Miller from Scone.
In 2017 the Taylors paid $12,500 for Palgrove Panache M44E and showed her with fair success before she had Quintrex, a son of Wells Mr Just-In 3861, who also dominated at Canberra and Muswellbrook recently.
Mr Taylor said it was a great thrill to win.
"We had some Charolais back in the 90s and we got out of them because of work commitments and we have just started up with this heifer four years ago," he said.
"We bought another cow and calf at Palgrove the other day that is in calf again."
The pair were convinced to go back into Charolais by Tayla and now have about 12 or 14 registered cattle in their herd.
"Her mother used to work with me at the horse stables back in the late 80s, early 90s, and she came to me straight out of school and I managed the brood mares there so we had a close association and then the same thing has happened now with Tayla," Mr Miller said.
"We had been friends of the family for years and she was always in to horses and been into cattle for a long time and we just enjoy the way she does it and we thought, well blow it we will get something and go with her.
"We used to show a little bit around the local ones and then the work commitments got a bit too much but it was always in my mind, I'm going to get back into it one day."
Quintrix weighed 800 kilograms with a 1.27kg daily gain, 10 and six millimetre fat depths and 128 square centimetre eye muscle area.
He overcame the junior bull in Tractor Rhaegar also from Bureen Cattle Company.
Results
Breed: Charolais
Judge: Hannah Powe, Goondoola Red Angus, Cargo
No. of exhibits: 17
Junior champion bull: Tractor Rhaegar exhibited by Bureen Cattle Company
Reserve junior champion bull: Myona Quiz Q16 exhibited by Beverly Hogland and Steve Martin
Junior champion female: Black Duck Queen Street exhibited by Blackduck Charolais
Reserve junior champion female: Myona Rosie R8 exhibited by Beverly Hogland and Steve Martin
Senior champion bull: Taylor Made Quintrex exhibited by Taylor Made Charolais
Reserve senior champion bull: Myona Platnium P22 exhibited by Beverly Hogland and Steve Martin
Senior champion female: Tractor Nellie exhibited by Bureen Cattle Company
Reserve senior champion female: Myona Lilly N14 exhibited by Beverly Hogland and Steve Martin
Grand champion bull: Taylor Made Quintrex exhibited by Taylor Made Charolais
Grand champion female: Tractor Nellie exhibited by Bureen Cattle Company
Supreme exhibit: Tractor Nellie exhibited by Bureen Cattle Company
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
