Broad ribbon sweep for Willgoose at Glen Innes

Long-time exhibitors Willgoose Herefords have swept the broad ribbon pool at the 78^th Annual Glen Innes Bull Show.

The Willgoose team took out top honours for grand champion bull, champion pen of three and champion truckload of six bulls.

Exhibited by Phil and Lyle Yantsch of Spring Creek, QLD, the grand champion sash was presented to intermediate class winner Willgoose Elgar S106 by show judge Geoff Bush of Kirraweena and Glenholme Herefords, Cootamundra.

At 23 months of age Elgar S106 tipped the scales at 955kg with a raw EMA of 138sqcm and an impressive scrotal measurement of 43cm.

Sired by Yagaburne Nightwatch N298 and out of an Allendale Rosemount E7 female, Elgar impressed the judge with his capacity and sire appeal.

“There’s a lot of red meat in that bull, and I feel he’s the complete package,” Mr Bush said.

Elgar S106 later joined stablemates Willgoose Equator S016 and Willgoose Elusive S042 to be awarded first placed senior and grand champion pen of three bulls.

Mr Bush commended the evenness of the three bulls and admired the frame and the red meat the team offered.

The champion pen of three were then joined by Willgoose El Alemein S118, Willgoose Election S107 and Willgoose Einstein S131 to take out the Bundarra Trophy for the champion truckload of six bulls.

“This team were very hard to go past, they’re all very good types and well matched,” Mr Bush said of the winning team.

Willgoose co-principal Phil Yantsch was thrilled with their team’s show performance although admitted the result was “a bit of a surprise”.

Mr Yantsch commended the work of Steve Haywood, who had prepared the Willgoose team over the last 12 months:

“Steve Haywood has fed them to perfection, they look fantastic out there today and we’re very proud of them,” Mr Yantsch said.

Willgoose have been exhibitors at the Glen Innes Bull Show and Sale since the 1980s and have won grand champion bull on two previous occasions: in 1983 and 2022.

“Glen Innes has been fairly kind to us over the years,” Mr Yantsch said.

In the individual classes earlier in the morning, first place in the young guns class was awarded to Dundee Topline T124, a 19-month-old son of Karoonda Taupo exhibited by Roger Kneipp.

Mr Bush described the young sire as “a very complete bull, well put together and structurally sound”.

Second place in the young guns class was awarded to Thornleigh Black Hawk T102, exhibited by the Monie family of Thornleigh Herefords, Little Plain NSW.

The junior bull class was won by 22-month-old Wendouree Superman S016.

Exhibited by Ray and Shane Jamieson Superman weighed in at 935kg with an EMA scan of 128sqcm and rib and rump fats of 18 and 30mm respectively, impressing the judge with his scale and movement.

“For such a big bull he moves around very freely, he has real sire potential,” Mr Bush said.

Second placed junior bull was awarded to Thornleigh Black Hawk S207.

The intermediate division was won by grand champion bull Willgoose Elgar S106 with the second place ribbon being presented to Thornleigh Black Hawk S172.

First place in the senior bull division was awarded to Willgoose Elusive S042 who was part of the champion pen of three and also won the prestigious Yardsmen’s Pick award.

Sired by Tycolah Quince N106, the 27-month-old Elusive was the heaviest bull in the catalogue, weighing in at 1060kg with an EMA scan of 142sqcm and a scrotal measurement of 44cm.

Second place in the senior class was awarded to Bahreenah Simon S002, a 960kg son of Morganvale Majestic exhibited by Jane Leake of Bahreenah Herefords, Tingah.

In the junior pen of three class, first place was awarded to the Yagaburne team, which comprised of Yagaburne Saddler S003, Yagaburne Simon S119 and Yagaburne Sherlock S143.

Exhibited by the Glasser family of Goondiwindi, the Yagaburne team impressed Mr Bush with their evenness and overall outlook.

Second place in the junior pen of three was awarded to a trio of Battallion Black Hawk K7 sons exhibited by Thornleigh Herefords, with Thornleigh Black Hawk S172, S207 and S206.

The senior pen of three was won by the champion Willgoose team, with second place being awarded to the Reeves family’s Reevesdale team of Reevesdale Sebastion S015, Reevesdale Sovereign S018 and Reevesdale Shotgun S016.

In the truckload of six bulls runner up was awarded to the Thornleigh team of Thornleigh Hugo S168, Thornleigh Anzac S175 and Thornleigh Black Hawk S172, S174, S207 and S206.