POPES WEIKELS NADINE WINS SIMMENTAL CALF SHOW AT THE ENGLISH WINTER FAIR

• Popes calves take Overall Champion & Reserve
• Wroxall Megga Mountaine wins Reserve Male

It was another red-letter day for the prolific Popes herd of JH and VG Wood, Popes Farm, Clitheroe Road, Preston, Lancs, when they won both the Overall Championship and Overall Reserve title at the Simmental National Pedigree Calf Show held within the English Winter Fair at Bingley Hall, Staffs, on Saturday 19th November. Judging the Simmental section was the well-known Danny Wyllie, Burton on Trent, Staffs.

Taking the top honours on the day was the stylish April 2022 born heifer Popes Weikels Nadine, who is by the Irish-bred Clonagh Latin Lover and is out of Popes Weikels Gracie VG85. Gracie was the outcome of an embryo bought from Northern Irish breeder David Hazelton to introduce breeding from that herd’s famous Weikel female line. All five of the Popes entries shown at the English Winter Fair were from the first crop of calves by the herd’s Clonagh Latin Lover and who was purchased for 6500 Euros. A bull full of breeding, Clonagh Latin Lover was purchased for his maternal influence, being out of the noted Clonagh Darling Eyes who was the online Simmental Miss World in 2018 and Overall Irish Simmental of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Sired by Manor Park Hansome, Clonagh Latin Lover combines pedigree with performance having excellent Maternal (Milk), and Carcase figures.

On the day, Popes calves sired by Clonagh Latin Lover won the respective male and female sections before moving on to secure the Overall and Reserve Overall titles. For the Woods family it was the second year in a row that they had secured the double at the English Winter Fair, and followed on from a highly successful show year at both the Great Yorkshire and English National shows.

Commenting afterwards, Vikki Wood said: “As a family we are delighted to win this Championship again and at the same time to help put on a good promotion of the British Simmental breed along with our fellow exhibitors.” Of the Champion, and Clonagh Latin Lover generally, Vikki went on to say: “Latin Lover was bought primarily for his maternal lines and to breed what we hope will be the herd’s next generation of females. Our aim and type in breeding females is to have the typical Simmental attributes of sweetness, femininity and breed character, correctness, and with no extremes. The Champion calf today looks to have those attributes at this early age.”

Taking the Overall Reserve and Overall Reserve Female title was Popes Diamonds Nella. Another April 2022 born calf, and by Clonagh Latin Lover, Nella is out of Popes Diamonds IO who is a Popes Fearless daughter.

In the bull calves the Championship honours went to the Woods April born Popes Nexus. This calf, now being provisionally aimed at the October 2023 Stirling Bull sale, is again by Latin Lover and is out of Popes Nellys Illia, a Swingletree Emporor daughter who goes back to Tintoside Nellys Wonder.

Winning the Reserve Bull Championship and the Senior Bull Calf Class was Wroxall Megga Mountaine (P) from CH Evans and Son, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick. October 2021 born, Megga Mountaine is by the herd’s noted Coose Gambler (P) and is out of the homozygous polled Wroxall Jazz Superior (PP), a Wroxall Electric daughter. Coose Gambler (P) was the Irish National Ploughing Match Junior Champion Bull in 2016 and the Reserve Champion of Europe in the World Simmental Championship online competition in 2020. Owned by the Evan’s since 2017 Gambler has produced over 100 progeny for the herd, with sons sold to 5,000gns. This was the Wroxall herd’s first time showing at the English Winter Fair, but they have had a successful summer securing Championship and Reserve titles at both the Staffordshire County Show and the Three Counties Show this year.

A feature of the weekend was the Simmental breed promotional stand put on by the Midlands Simmental Club and situated at the main ringside. With some tremendous display cattle, professional breed promotion and literature, and plenty of home baked hospitality, the stand was extremely busy over two days. In a fine reward for all of the Midlands Club’s hard work the stand was judged the best Breed Society stand before securing the Best Trade stand at the show.

The promotional cattle, showing the outstanding maternal attributes of the breed, were three crossbred bull calves out of pure Simmental cows, and supplied by CH Evans and Son, Abbey Farm, Wroxall, Warwick. February born, the calves weighed up to 458kgs for a 26th February born calf, and to a daily live weight gain of 1.81kgs.

2022 Simmental Pedigree Calf Show Results at the English Winter Fair
Judge: Mr D Wyllie, Burton on Trent

Senior Bull Calf, born between 01/10/2021 & 31/12/2021
1 – CH Evans & Son – Wroxall Megga Mountaine – s. Coose Gambler
2 – S White – Tirley Lawrence – s. Rathnashan Lobster

Junior Bull Calf, born between 01/01/2022 & 30/06/2022
1 – JH & VG Wood – Popes Nexus – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
2 – Croft Livestock – Fforest Napoleon – s. Auchorachan Hercules
3 – JH & VG Wood – Popes Northstar – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
4 – Renshaw & Brassington – Dovefields Napier – s. Clonagh Tiger Gallant
5 – C Price – Whalegreen Norman – s. Whalegreen Jasper
6 – C Price – Whalegreen Neville – s. Whalegreen Jasper

Senior Heifer Calf, born between 01/10/2021 & 31/12/2021
1 – S White – Tirley Ella 3rd – s. Rathnastian Lobster Pot

Junior Heifer Calf, born between 01/01/2022 & 30/06/2022
1 – JH & VG Wood – Popes Weikels Nadine – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
2 – JH & VG Wood – Popes Diamond Nella – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
3 – JH & VG Wood – Popes Nellys Neva – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
4 – Renshaw & Brassington – Dovefields Nina – s. Star Green Kenny
5 – Renshaw & Brassington – Dovefields Nadia – s. Star Green Kenny

Champion Bull Calf
JH & VG Wood – Popes Nexus – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
Reserve Champion Bull Calf
CH Evans & Son – Wroxall Megga Mountaine – s. Coose Gambler

Champion Heifer Calf
JH & VG Wood – Popes Weikels Nadine – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
Reserve Champion Heifer Calf
JH & VG Wood – Popes Diamond Nella – s. Clonagh Latin Lover

Supreme Champion
JH & VG Wood – Popes Weikels Nadine – s. Clonagh Latin Lover
Reserve Supreme Champion
JH & VG Wood – Popes Diamond Nella – s. Clonagh Latin Lover