Once in a generation bull draws accolades from judges of all breeds

A bull described by multiple judges across all breeds as a “game changer” has been giving one Hereford family the ride of their life.

The 20-month-old, 960kg Truro Sherlock S188 (P) has swept all before him in the showring since his debut at Glen Innes in January for Scott and Pip Hann, Truro Whiteface, Bellata, NSW, culminating in a stunning victory at Taroom, in Queensland, last week against 242 head across all breeds.

Sherlock is a son of Yalgoo Peacemaker P034 (PP), a sire bought by Truro with the first sons sold in the stud’s autumn sale topping at $22,000.

His dam, Truro Daffodil M066 is one of the stud’s best performing cow families.

“She is a beautiful moderate framed, perfectly uddered cow who came out of the drought and is certainly performing now,” Scott said.

He said although the bull had stood out at weaning and was kept for the show team, Sherlock blossomed once he hit the showring.

“He is a calf that just seems to keep getting better and better as he gets older.”

The bull has been prepared throughout his show career by professional fitters Steve Hayward and Kellie Smith, Allora, Qld, and they rate Sherlock to be among the top six bulls they have ever prepared.

Upon his showring debut at Glen Innes, the 16-month-old Sherlock was reserve champion junior Hereford bull and won the interbreed sweepstakes bull of the show.

He went on to win grand champion Hereford bull, supreme champion interbreed bull and supreme beast of the show at the Inverell Hereford feature show on February 25 with 75 head of Hereford cattle being exhibited.

The bull swept into Sydney Royal taking junior and grand champion Hereford bull and supreme Hereford exhibit under judge Alastair Day with Scott Hann on the halter.

At Sydney Show, Sherlock weighed 898kg and scanned with a raw eye muscle area of 131sqcm.

It was the first grand champion bull at Sydney for Truro after previously winning champion female with cows in Sydney and Brisbane. Sherlock was also called forward into the top five in the interbreed bull of the show.

“The number one thing when we are breeding cattle is structure and balance, and this bull has carcase, thickness and roundness yet maintains softness.

“On BREEDPLAN, he is moderate birth, high growth, positive calving ease, over +6.0 for eye muscle area and +1.0 for intramuscular fat.

“When we bought Yalgoo Peacemaker (PP) he had good solid data and now has all four indexes in the top one per cent of the breed.”

Taroom judge Andrew Bassingthwaighte, Yarrawonga Cattle Co, described Sherlock as a “breed changer” and gave him the nod from 242 head along with fellow judges Kirrily Johnson-Iseppi, GK Livestock, and Scott Waldron, AA Company.

Sherlock was the junior bull challenge winner, Bos taurus and interbreed grand champion bull before taking out the 2023 Super Bull Challenge nudging out the Charolais, Brahman and Simmental champions. Sherlock was the first bull to win all three major categories at the Taroom Show.

The Hann family has collected semen from Sherlock, selling some to show steer producers to go across a variety of European and British breeds, and will flush selected Truro donors to the bull.

“Judges have said it doesn’t matter what colour you paint this bull, he is a good one. He is without doubt the best bull we have ever bred,” Scott said.

“It was amazing to win at Taroom as it was a Charolais feature show – I’m still pinching myself.

“The road ahead is Sherlock will be rested before going to Brisbane Royal as his swansong and then sold in our on-property sale on August 28.”

In 2023 Truro is a first-time vendor at the Herefords Australia Show and Sale Wodonga with sons of Yalgoo Peacemaker P034 (PP) and Churchill Gunpowder 657D (PP), and the stud has another 18 Peacemaker sons catalogued in their August on-property sale.