THERE may have been only three head, but quality red meat was at the forefront in the beef section's "other breeds" judging the Sydney Royal Show.
Exhibitor of both female and male champions, Doug Giles, said the Droughtmaster stud showing came about almost by accident.
Mr Giles and wife, Dani are calving-down 100 stud Droughtmaster females at their Quicksilver stud, Newdegate, Western Australia, on their 550 hectare wheatbelt property with "a fair bit of grazing country on it".
"We run a purebred Charolais herd and wanted to introduce a red-fleck type by joining with Droughtmaster bulls," Mr Giles said.
"However, the two bulls I had earmarked for that I sold before I could get the females home, and as they were stud females I went back to Queensland and bought a bull to go with them, so basically an accidental start to our Droughtmaster stud herd."
Western Australia was in the limelight as the judge, Harris Thompson, Venturon Livestock of Boyup Brook, runs Charolais, Murray Grey and White Suffolk stud enterprises.
He chose for his champion female and champion bull the Western Australian Droughtmaster exhibits from Quicksilver stud.
The lone heifer entered in the nine-to-14-months class, Quicksilver 8/804 (P) (AI) D5, impressed the judge with her potential.
"She has a breeding life potential ahead of her," Mr Thompson said.
When it came to the bull clases a Belted Galloway lone exhibit from Jonathan Chia and Gregory Crease, Nurrenyen stud, Parkesbourne, stood in the 14-to-20 month class and then paraded against the Giles' 20 to 30 months lone classwinner Quicksilver Nice Rig (S) D5.
Mr Thompson said there were only two bulls, but two different types.
"The Belted Galloway has full length of body and plenty of length, while the Droughtmaster displays plenty of muscle and length in all places he needs it," he said.
However, while the Belted Galloway was a credit to his breed, Mr Thompson chose as his champion, the Droughtmaster.
"Between the bulls the Droughtmaster has little more strength on top and a little more muscle down through the lower thigh,
A really impressive calf with plenty of muscle and meat where he needs it. Just his overall power and muscle that got him over the Belted Galloway."
Mr Thompson said is was a difficult decision as both were very good in their own right.
"Very different markets and two completely different breeds.
"The Droughtmaster had advantage of ability to meet different markets and we are all in the red meat industry and he's got plenty of it in him."
Mr Giles said both their Quicksilver exhibits were out of Glenlands females.
"This is the first showing of both and the heifer is by Medway Under One Nose (D) D5 while the bull was sired by Wajatryn Jimbeam 2228 (S) D5 and we are really excited in our second year here in Sydney," he said.
Champions
Breed:Other Breeds
Judge: Harris Thompson, Venturon Livestock, Boyup Brook, Western Australia
No. of exhibits: 3
Champion bull: Quicksilver Nice Rig (S) D5, Doug and Dani Giles, Quicksilver Droughtmasters, Newdegate, Western Australia.
Reserve Champion bull: Nurrenyen Newton (NO1), Jonathan Chia and Gregory Crease, Nurrenyen Belted Galloways, Parkesbourne.
Champion female: Quicksilver 8/804 (P) (AI) D5
Best exhibit: Quicksilver Nice Rig (S) D5.
