Out of an Atlas Profit (VG87) cow, the title winner has an outstanding pedigree that can be traced back to the famous Terling Proit 9, who as long ago as 1933 was crowned both Royal Show and Great Yorkshire Show champion.

In fact, the Skipton victor retains the distinguishable all-black top and white undercarriage for which her famous forebear and others of her line are renowned. Calved for 32 days and giving 30kg, the frontrunner sold for top price in show of £2,120 selling to ringside regular Brian Blezard, of Ribchester.

The Throup family also sold their third prize pedigree heifer, the 32kg Dalesbrad Hugo Boss Columbia, by the same sire as their title winner, out of an 87 point Picston Shottle-sired Columbia cow, for £2,020 to another regular Skipton buyer, Wick Williams, from Nantwich in Cheshire.
 
Co-judges, brothers Stephen and Malcolm Abbott, of Dacre, awarded the reserve championship to the first prize newly calven commercial cow from Thomas and Elizabeth Simpson, of Red House Farm, Ripon, who were making a welcome return to the Skipton dairy ring.

By Myersdale Bayside, bred in Northallerton by Geoff Spence – his dairy bulls have served the Simpsons well – the 14 days-calved 42kg second calver became another £2,020 acquisition by Mr Williams. The same sire was also responsible for the Simpsons’ second prize second calver 35kg cow, knocked down for £1,900 to the Robinson family in Grewelthorpe.

A third heifer to also hit £2,020 was a commercial from Robin Jennings, who runs the Stainbank herd at Hill House Farm, South Stainley. Ten days-calved and giving 38kg, she also sold to Mr Williams.
 
Other notable prices included £1,980 for the second prize pedigree heifer from the Newbirks pedigree herd of the Lawson family in Arthington, Otley. The four weeks-calved 32kg blueblood, Newbirks Bluebell 86, by the Genus sire, Fly-Higher Michelob, became a further Brian Blezard buy.

Not far behind on £1,940 was a 26kg heifer from Glusburn’s David Fort, claimed by Mark Goodall, of Tong, Bradford, while  a 30kg heifer from Peter Baul’s Ravensgate herd in Bishop Thornton sold for £1,800 to Tom Critchley of Hutton, Preston.

The single pedigree newly calven cow sold came from Stephen and Rachel Coates, of the Bailmoor herd in Baildon, and made £1,820.

From a total entry of 47 head, pedigree newly calven heifers averaged £1,728 and their commercial counterparts £1,614.64, with commercial newly calven cows levelling at £1,960. Maiden heifers sold to £690 for an entry from the Coates family and heifer calves from Allan and Susan Throup to £320. Show co-sponsors were National Milk Records (NMR), Skipton NFU and Yorkshire Bank.

Calf numbers hit three figures
Down in the rearing calf arena the same day, a strong turnout of 107 youngsters included increased numbers of native calves, with a cracking trade to follow them. Genuine four-week-old natives flew off the shelves from the start, with a standout three-week-old Hereford bull calf from Ian Briggs, of Guiseley, selling for £295, while the section high of £345 fell to an Aberdeen Angus bull calf from JM Smith & Son, of Carleton.

Of the Continental-cross entries, British Blues stepped up a gear, with the best bull calves selling to £440 and £435 for entries from JP& KE Hartley in Bolton Abbey, and Fred Houseman, of Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard. Also making £440 was a Simmental bull calf from Chadwick and Leaver, of Southfield, Burnley.
 
A better quality turnout of black and white calves than seen in recent weeks was also in keen demand, with the best Friesians topping at £195 for a bull calf from the Pickersgill family in Hawksworth, with fleshy three-week old goods making £65-£100 all day long.