Royal Show 2005 Summary

An overcast day didn’t deter the crowd watching the Holstein judging at the 2005 Royal Show, which was moved to Monday for the first time. They saw the crowning of a new Champion following an impressive display of quality Holsteins, if somewhat fewer entries in the classes than they are used to. In fact, only 54 cattle were forward, making this one of the smallest Black & White Royal Show entries in living memory.

The result provided the Booth family from Austwick in North Yorkshire with a day to remember, as judge Tom Kelly from the Monamore herd in Ireland picked their EX second calver Cleevale Storm Meggie as his Champion. Fresh since November, Meggie looked in fantastic form and the judge said of her, “She is a complete cow with a strong topline, power in the front end, width throughout and a lovely rump”. It was a view shared by many around the ring and owner and leader David Booth was obviously overwhelmed by their victory.  

Following her success as Breed Champion, Meggie went on to take the NatWest Supreme Dairy Cattle Championship and she was one of the team that won the NatWest Team of Five for the Holsteins, along with Smiddiehill’s Primo Jed Celeste, Seaton Farms’ Hobson Spirit Mona and Ridgefield’s pair of Ridgefield Storm Ghost 2 and Cloudnine Leduc Cherish. To cap another great Royal for the breed, Meggie and Celeste were awarded the Burke Trophy by judge Peter Dixon Smith, ahead of the Jersey pair. Holstein UK president Gavin Paterson and his wife Marcia collected the Trophy in a very wet grand ring from HRH The Duke of Gloucester.