A very impressive line-up of 75 entries paraded before judge Julie Pocock-Iseppi at the Toowoomba Royal Show, in what was billed as a national Speckle Park Feature breed competition, on Friday.
In the end, it was basically a tie with Matt and Shannon Sowden, Sowden Speckle Park Stud, Kingaroy, and Dale and Belinda Humphries and family of Wattle Grove Speckle Park stud, Oberon NSW, splitting the spoils on offer.
For the Sowdens, it was the strength in their female team that provided the strong competition.
The 19 month old Sowden Eva the Diva blitzed her way through the judging to be sashed the supreme exhibit.
Sowden Eva the Diva, earlier won the younger 18 the 21 months class, and claimed the junior champion, before she was sashed the grand champion female.
It was evident from the moment Ms Pocock-Iseppi spotted the heifer in her class judging she was impressed.
"She is structurally sound, feminine, has good teat placement and has a lot to contribute to the Speckle Park breed and that is what got her there," she said.
Matt Sowden said it was always a good feeling to get a grand champion at any show, but supreme exhibit is extra special, especially when it is with a junior exhibit up against senior bulls and cows with calves.
Sowden Eva the Diva was calf champion female at Beef 2021 and grand champion at the recent Proston Show.
The Sowden's cattle will now head to the paddock and won't be exhibited until Beef 2024, when they will be senior cattle in the open classes.
The long haul from Oberon in central NSW was worthwhile for the Dale and Belinda Humphries and children Claudia and Hugo, when stable star Wattle Grove Jagerbomb (P) was senior and later sashed grand champion bull.
Wattle Grove Jagerbomb (P) was junior champion bull was Beef 2021, and will now head to the Sydney Royal and then the Ekka in August.
Judge, Julie Pocock-Iseppi said the grand champion bull was hard to fault.
"He is a beautiful soft bull, clean in the sheath and has great length of body and a good set of testicles," she said.
Success continued for the Humphries when stable mate Wattle Grove N58 Tractor (P) stood revere senior champion.
Ms Pocock-Iseppi said overall she was happy with her two grand champion exhibits as they had all the attributes needed to stand up well in the interbreed judging on Saturday.
Calf champion bull was Shaun and Debbie Black's exhibit SND Renegade from Pittsworth, while the Sowden family's Sowden Save Me a Spot stood reserve.
The Sowden family's Sowden Hard Act to Follow was junior champion bull, and Nic and Belinda Endres, Novae Rammstein stood reserve.
Casandra Jones exhibited the calf champion female Sweetacres Sasha 52, with the Sowden family claimed the reserve champion with Sowden Jessica Rose.
Senior champion female was the Humphries Wattle Grove Miss Wow (P) while reserve was Tania Paget's Pinnacle Unique Obession.
Reserve junior champion female was Beverley Winter's Winter Rylee R52
President of Speckle Park International, Mitch Warrener, Beth Vide Speckle Parks, Mt Tyson, who was ringside during the judging said it was a fantastic showing and presentation of cattle.
"We had one class with 12 exhibits and it certainly would have been incredibly difficult for the judge to decide, and she did," he said.
He said the popularity Speckle Park cattle as a purebred breed had grown from point 0.5 of a per cent to 1.9pc over the past four years.