RANFURLY ‘CLEANS UP’ AT FOUR BREED CALF SHOW!

Report from Cara Moore, NI Simmental Cattle Breeders Club

Simmental breeders from around Northern Ireland and Scotland flocked to Ballymena Livestock Market on Saturday 22^nd November for the Annual Four Breed Calf Show with fellow Saler, British Blonde and British Blue clubs. The expert judge for the event was Heather Duff from the Pitmudie herd, Menmuir, Angus, an experienced young breeder with a multitude of ribbons of her own from shows across Scotland including the Royal Highland Show.

It was the Ranfurly herd of WD and JD Hazelton, Dungannon who cleaned up on the day winning Overall Senior Heifer and Overall Senior Champion with Ranfurly Jade 2^nd, Reserve Senior Champion with Ranfurly Renegade, Junior Bull and Overall Junior Champion with Ranfurly Supremo, as well as taking the Pairs title. Additionally, Hiltonstown Sadie from Richard and Rhys Rodgers, Portglenone was crowned as Reserve Junior Champion.

Ranfurly Jade 2nd, Overall Senioer Heifer & Overall Senior Champion

Commenting on her Senior Heifer and Overall Senior Champion, Heather noted, “She has everything I’d look for in a Simmental female. She is full of breed character, had great presence in the ring. She is very feminine, smart and stylish, with a lovely head on her good top line and plates, good locomotion and clean lines about her”. From the Ranfurly herd, David said “We take great pride in this heifer bred by our homebred bull Ranfurly Limelight, who sold for 16,000gns at Stirling Bull Sales in February 2022.”  Jonny reports that Ranfurly Renegade, Senior Bull and Reserve Senior Champion, is the “half brother to the highest price heifer production sale in 2024, Ranfurly Weikel 52^nd, who sold for 8,000gns and is out of same dam, Ranfurly Weikel 18^th.”

Heather Duff, Pitmudie herd, judge for the day.

Also, for the Junior Bull and Overall Junior Champion, Heather named him as “a very smart stylish young bull that immediately caught your eye in the ring. (He had) good length and shape about him with a good top line also good over the plates.” Commenting on this calf, Jonny notes this is “a half-brother to the herd’s primary show heifer from this year, Ranfurly Weikel 56^th, Reserve Supreme and Junior Champion at the RUAS Balmoral Show 2025 and the Overall Reserve, Reserve Female, Performance Recorded Heifer and Overall Junior Champion at the breed’s National Show at Clogher Valley Show 2025, both out of homebred dam, Ranfurly Weikel 37^th.”

Ranfurly Supremo S1 (P), Junior Bull & Overall Junior Champion

Ranfurly Supremo S1 (P), Jade 2nd, and Renegade

Heather would “like to thank the committee again for asking me to judge the show and the exhibitors for bringing out a tremendous high quality show of cattle making my job very hard indeed!”

In the Senior Bull Class of calves born on or after the 1st of September to the 31^st December, Ranfurly Renegade was placed first, followed by Coolcran Rafiki from Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo, Ashland Romeo, from Frank Kelly, Tempo, in third, Clonagh Sergant Fab and Craigy Ranger, from W J Dodd, Saintfield, coming in at fourth and fifth.

Ranfurly Renegade, Senior Bull & Reserve Senior Champion

For the Senior Heifers of the same age, Ranfurly Jade 2^nd took prime position, Coolcran Vesnas Roxette from Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo, took second, Dermody Susie Princess, Connor Wilkinson, Lisburn, placed third, Rawbawn Stella, Stephen McCauley, took fourth and Craigy Anastasia, W J Dodd, Saintfield, placed fifth.

For the first class of 2025 born bull calves, Ranfurly Supremo came in first, Hiltonstown Salvador, Richard and Rhys Rodgers, Portglenone, placed second, Coolcran Spartan, Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo, came in third, Pointfarms Sonic took fourth, Matthew Cunning, Glarryford, Ashland Silvester, Frank Kelly, Tempo took fifth and Coolcran Simba, Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo, placed sixth.

For the heifer class of the same age, Hiltonstown Sadie, Richard and Rhys Rodgers, Portglenone, was placed first, Bridgewater Farm Wisteria 5^th, Nigel Glasgow, Cookstown,  took second, Craigy Kerla S2, W J Dodd, Saintfield, came in third, Ashfurly Weikel’s Stella, Alan and Julie Wallace, took fourth, and Craigy Beatrice S1, W J Dodd, Saintfield, came in fifth.

Hiltonstown Saide, Reserve Junior Champion

For bull calves born on or after the 1^st April, Pointfarms Senna, Matthew Cunning, Glarryford, placed first, Ballyrory Simba, Ryan Connell, Strabane, took second, Ballinalare Farm Supremo and Ballinalare Farm Superman, J and A Wilson took third and fourth.

Pointfarms Senn from Matthew Cunning

For the heifers, Rathnashan There She Goes, Susan McCullagh, took first, Lisglass Sapphire and Lisglass Silverbell, Leslie and Christopher Weatherup, Ballyclare,  took second and third, Ballyrory Skye and Ballyrory Sapphire, Ryan Connell, Strabane, came fourth and fifth with Ballinalare Farm Sugarbabe, J and A Wilson, took sixth.

Rathnashan There She Goes

In the pairs section, first was claimed by WD and JD Hazelton, Dungannon, followed by the Hiltonstown herd of Richard and Rhys Rodgers, Portglenone, and Shane and Paul McDonald, Tempo with their Coolcran pair.

Thanks must go to all Ballymena Livestock Market, sponsors, committee members and all other individuals who helped make the event such a success.