It was a win that almost never happened!
The Bassingthwaighte family have a long and successful history in the Santa Gertrudis stud breeding industry, and that experience made them question if their bull, Yarrawonga Fixer, was in top show condition to compete at this year’s Royal Queensland Show.
That depth of knowledge paid off with a decision to show Fixer and with some luck the bull found his bloom shortly before the Ekka with less than perfect preparation.
“We most likely mated him for about a month too long before preparing to bring him back up to show condition, to the point about four weeks ago we thought he wasn’t going to make it,” Andrew Bassingthwaighte said.
“It was simply due to the fact we had kept him in the paddock mating for too long.”
But, there were smiles and tears of joy for the entire Bassingthwaighte and Ferguson families as Royal Queensland Show interbreed judge Brett Nobbs named Yarrawonga Fixer as the 2017 Royal Queensland Show Champion of Champions bull.
Champion of Champions interbreed female was awarded to New South Wales Limousin breeder Donna Robson, Flemington Limousins, Batlow for her cow called Flemington Cupcake L3 with calf at foot.
