Mr Glen Welsh, farm manager at Garpel Farms was given the honour of judging the strong line up of Salers at Balmoral Show 2023. Glen no stranger to the show ring, both as a judge and at the end of the halter, runs 1500 Blackface ewes and 70 predominantly Salers cross Galloway cows over the farm which extends to over 6,500 acres of mostly hill ground. He found his overall champion (Highways Hotel Cup) in the female champion (The Secretary’s Salver), Drumlegagh Monique and her heifer calf at foot, from J & E A Elliott. Monique a Fanfan sired, September-2017 born daughter out of Drumlegagh Eve had stood first in the cow class, won the Wallets Marts Shield for the best home-bred animal and formed part of the winning pairs team (Salers Cattle Society Cup) alongside Drumlegagh Suri, a Loyal sired January 2022 son out of Drumlegagh Missy. Suri earlier in the day had stood reserve male champion and was awarded the junior male championship title for bulls born on or after the 1 January 2022.
Standing reserve overall champion (Highways Hotel Cup) was the reserve female champion, Lisnamaul Princess with her bull calf at foot from Lisnamaul Salers, Downpatrick, Co Down. Princess was a Nemo sired March-2020 heifer out of Lisnamaul Molly.
P J Maginn & Sons were also awarded the male championship title for Lisnamaul Rio a December-2021 born Nemo son out of the imported French cow Opaline.
In the junior section, the overall junior championship to win the Francis Connon Cup was the junior female champion (Salers Cattle Society Area 4 Cup) from Seamus and Christine Connell, Ballykeel Sensational ET, a Mathieu sired heifer out of imported dam, Indiana, born in March-2022.
Brian and Pearse O’Kane won the reserve junior female champion prize with Lower Bolie Spice Girl, a Bacardi Herbie daughter out of Lower Bolie Ophra and the reserve junior male champion was bred in exactly the same way as the overall junior champion from Ballykeel Salers with, Ballykeel Shotgun born in May-2022.
The best turned out animal was presented to B & P O’Kane for Lower Bolie Roxy, by Manor Lane Krypton out of Lower Bolie Nancy and the coveted stockman’s shield was awarded to Declan Ward who formed part of the Lower Bolie team throughout the show.
A special prize from the Society was awarded to Sophie Wilson who assisted Geoff Wilson show the Brookfields Salers team throughout the day, Sophie won the honour of leading the Salers breed and holding the Salers banner in the grand parade on Saturday.
The Society would like to congratulate all the exhibitors for a fantastic display of cattle.
604 COW, born on or before 31st December 2019, in calf or in milk
1st 253 J.& E. A. Elliott UK965184321755 Drumlegagh Monique 07/09/2017
2nd 254 P.J. Maginn & Sons UK937106128767 Lisnamaul Orlena 18/03/2019
605 COW or HEIFER, born in 2020, in calf or in milk
1st 255 P.J. Maginn & Sons UK937106129154 Lisnamaul Princess 07/03/2020
2nd 259 J.& E. A. Elliott UK965184323527 Drumlegagh Petal 21/09/2020
3rd 256 Mr. G. & Mrs R. Wilson UK927295702282 Brookfields Persia 30/03/2020
4th 257 C & A Kennedy UK910276910186 Drumaglea Patsy 17/04/2020
606 HEIFER, born or on after 1st January 2021, and on or before 30th June 2021
1st 260 Brian & Pearse O’Kane UK952186803143 Lower Bolie Roxy 23/01/2021
2nd 262 P.J. Maginn & Sons UK937106129633 Lisnamaul Ruby 18/02/2021
3rd 264 Mr. G. & Mrs R. Wilson UK927295702584 Brookfields Ruthie 03/04/2021
4th 263 P.J. Maginn & Sons UK937106129655 Lisnamaul Razzle 20/02/2021
5th 261 Mr.S. Connell UK942009604422 Ballykeel Rosebud 02/02/2021
608 HEIFER, born on or after 1st January 2022.
1st 270 Mr.S. Connell UK942009604643 Ballykeel Sensational ET 25/03/2022
2nd 268 Brian & Pearse O’Kane UK952186803386 Lower Bolie Spice girl 05/02/2022
3rd 267 Brian & Pearse O’Kane UK952186803375 Lower Bolie Sophia ET 15/01/2022
4th 272 C & A Kennedy UK910276910282 Mileview Sunshine 14/05/2022
609 BULL, up to 2 years old on day of Show
1st 274 P.J. Maginn & Sons UK937106130215 Lisnamaul Rio 17/12/2021
2nd 275 J.& E. A. Elliott UK965184324135 Drumlegagh Suri 07/01/2022
3rd 276 Mr.S. Connell UK942009604724 Ballykeel Shotgun 19/05/2022
Overall Champion (Highways Hotel Cup)
Drumlegagh Monique, J & E A Elliott
Reserve Overall Champion (Highways Hotel Cup)
Lisnamaul Princess, Lisnamaul Salers
Female Champion (Secretary’s Salver)
Drumlegagh Monique, J & E A Elliott
Reserve Female Champion
Lisnamaul Princess, Lisnamaul Salers
Male Champion
Lisnamaul Rio, Lisnamaul Salers
Reserve Male Champion
Drumlegagh Suri, J & E A Elliott
Junior Female Champion
Ballykeel Sensational ET, Ballykeel Salers
Reserve Junior Female Champion
Lower Bolie Spice Shire
Junior Male Champion
Drumlegagh Suri
Reserve Junior Male Champion
Ballykeel Shotgun, Ballykeel Salers
Junior Champion
Ballykeel Sensational ET, Ballykeel Salers
Reserve Junior Champion
Drumlegagh Suri, J & E A Elliott
Best Homebred Animal (Wallets Marts Shield)
Drumlegagh Monique, J & E A Elliott
Pairs (Salers Cattle Society Cup)
J & E A Elliott, Drumlegagh Salers
Best Turned Out
Lower Bolie Roxy, B & P O’Kane, Lower Bolie Salers
Stockman’s Shield
Mr Declan Ward, representing Lower Bolie Salers
Honour of leading the Grand Parade for the Salers Breed
Miss Sophie Wilson, Brookfields Salers