The 2013 Breeder’s Choice Awards – The Tanbark Trail Edition Results

It’s that time of year again. Award shows are on all the major North American Networks and other dairy magazines are telling you who they think are the best show animals from across North America. However, as we all know, the results pretty much follow World Dairy Expo placings for All-American and the Royal placings for All-Canadian. Nevertheless, as you might expect, here at the Bullvine we like to do this a little differently. That is why we let YOU decide who were the best animals to walk on the tanbark trail this year.

With over 2000 breeders casting their ballots, this year’s voting was intense. There were many top animals that did not exhibit at both World Dairy Expo and the Royal, as well as the new international class. This meant that the competition was tighter than ever.

Spring Heifer Calf

Even though Godin Bless Windbrook did not make it the Royal she rides her World Dairy Expo victory to a convincing win. The real battle in this class was between Royal winner JM Valley Atwood Agadou and 5^th at Expo, and 6^th at the Royal, Jacobs Charlie Drayo, with Agadau finishing 2^nd and Drayo 3^rd. Drayo got a significant 2^nd and 3^rd place votes and appearing on more voters cards than Agadua. Also if interesting note is that 2^nd place at the Royal, and 3^rd place at Expo, Sco-Lo-Coons Atti Banshe drops to 4^th in the voting.

Winter Heifer Calf

In a class where the World Dairy Expo winner, Jacobs Goldwyn Lenny, and the Royal winner Altona Lea Stanleycup Gretzky never met in the same class, it was left of to the breeders to decide who was the best of the best. Ultimately, just like in Hockey, Gretzky came out on top in the closet battle of all the heifer classes. Squeaking into 3^rd place was 2^nd place from the Royal, Rolling-Spring Dami Easy.

Fall Heifer Calf

Despite Petitclerc Gold Saltalmacchia winning at World Dairy Expo and placing a respectable 3^rd at the Royal, she finishes 2^nd in the Breeders Choice award to Royal Winner, and 3^rd place at Expo, Comestar Larion Goldwyn. Impressive in this class was also how Ferme Jacobs had 3 heifers in the top six with Jacobs Winbrook Bally finishing 3^rd, Jacobs Alexander Everything 4^th, and Jacobs Sid Bamba 6^th.

Summer Yearling Heifer

Avenging her defeat at World Dairy Expo to Quad-R Attic Malibu and riding her Royal victory to the convincing win was Eastside Atwood Glee. In fact Malibu did not even finish in the top 3, with 6^th place from the Royal and 18^th place from Expo, Jacobs Sid Glory squeaking into 2^nd and 3^rd place from Expo and 4^th place from the Royal Signature R Katness. It was extremely close between 2^nd and 4^th with less than 2% separating them.

Spring Yearling Heifer

Even then she did not come to the Royal, World Dairy Expo winner and Junior Champion, Cameron Ridge Atwood Beauty, dominated this class. Placing a strong 2^nd as Royal winner, Rotaly Winbrook Hilda. Then in a close battle 3^rd place from World Dairy Expo, MS Fever Legacy, edge out 2^nd place from Expo, Benrise Gold Jewelry for honorable mention.

Winter Yearling Heifer

There certainly is a strong reason to attend both World Dairy Expo and the Royal, and Cobequid Goldwyn Bayonet benefited from attending both. Avenging her World Dairy Expo loss to Welsh-Edge Fever Huggable, to win the class. Finishing in 3^rd was Winright Sid Elegance who dominated early in the show season and finished 2^nd at the Royal.

Fall Yearling Heifer

Dominant all year in winning both World Dairy Expo and the Royal, Fanico Reginald Marty won by the most convincing of margins in the heifer classes. Her extreme popularity also propelled her to Junior Champion Honors. Marty appeared on 99% of the voters cards and had an impressive 77% of the 1^st place votes. Finishing in a close battle for 2^nd was Idee Goldwyn Livia, over 2012 Breeders Choice Junior Champion, MD-Dunloafin Lauth Ellie.

Milking Yearling

In an extremely close class of Milking Yearlings, World Dairy Expo winner Extondale Sid Iams won the class, despite not attending the Royal. Only 2% behind her in the voting was Royal winner Combhaven Sid Monica, in one of the closets battles of the day. Finishing a strong 3^rd was 2^nd place from the Royal, and 3^rd place from World Dairy Expo, MS Atwood Adrenaline, who actually appeared on more voters cards than each of the winners, as a result of the fact that she attend both shows that the top two did not. She was followed closely behind by 2^nd from World Dairy Expo and 4^th at the Royal, Arethusa Fever Almira.

Junior 2 Year Old

It’s no surprise that after dominating the Junior 2 year old class all year that Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza would win the class handily with over 80% of the 1^st place votes and appearing on 99% of the voters ballots. Coming in a strong 2^nd was 2^nd place from the Royal, and 3^rd place at Expo, Petitclerc Sid Sunkiss. Of interesting note is that in our 2012 predictions of who would be the best 2 year olds, both Lasenza and Sunkiss topped our lists. Rounding out the top 3 was 6^th place from the Royal and 4^th at Expo, Jacobs Atwood Vedette.

Senior 2 Year Old

In the most convincing win in the whole contest, Charwill Attic Marcy. From upsetting the extremely popular REW Happy Go Lucky at NY Spring Show to her wins at Expo and the Royal Marcy absolutely dominated this class. (Read more:New York Spring Holstein Show 2013 Results )She had 90% of the 1^st place votes and appeared on 99% of the voters ballots. In an extremely close battle 2^nd place at Expo and 3^rd at the Royal, Jacobs Duplex Anna edge out Futurecrest Aftershock Tahlia, who despite topping the Sale of Stars, did not show at the Royal or Expo (Read more: Sale of Stars Averages $19,344). It is interesting to note that under last year’s system (only voting for 1^st place) Tahlia would have actually been the 2^nd.

Junior 3 Year Old

With a different top 3 at World Dairy Expo than the Royal, you knew the results were going to get interesting. And interesting they did. It was 2^nd place from World Dairy Expo, BVK Atwood Abrianna, upset Expo winner Ehrhardt Gold Beauty, and Royal winner Phoenix Sanchez Geo. This was the closet class of the day with only 10% separating the top 3.

Senior 3 Year Old

In a class that was billed to be the best and toughest Senior 3 year old class in history coming into the Royal (Read more: The 2013 Royal Winter Fair Holstein Show Preview – Expect the Un-expected) it is no surprise that Royal Winner Aingers Advent Bambi, rides that win to victory and the Intermediate Champion of this year’s Breeders Choice competition. In a reversal of Royal placing’s, Butz-Butler Gold Barbara uses the power of her Intermediate Champion victory at Expo to defeat the late in lactation Valleyville Rae Lynn, and avenge her defeat to Rae Lynn in the 2012 Breeders Choice Senior 2 year old class. It is interesting to note that Barbara actually appeared on more ballots than Bambi, but Bambi had more 1^st place votes.

4 Year Old

In was a back and forth battle all year with Cookview Goldwyn Monique, last year’s Breeders Choice Intermediate Champion, winning at Expo and Reserve Grand at Expo and Royal, and Robrook Goldwyn Cameron, winning at the Royal and being named Grand Champion you know the voting was going to come down to these two great cows. In the end it was Cameron riding her victory at the Royal to win this class. Coming in a strong 3^rd place as she did at Expo was Jacobs Goldwyn Valana.

5 Year Old

In what was one of the closet classes at World Dairy Expo, Rosedale Lexington defeated MS Goldwyn Alana, but did not attend the Royal. Alana on the other hand went on to win Grand at EIHQ (Read more: Expo International Holstein Quebec) and then win her class at the Royal and go on to be HM at the Royal. It was that late seasons performance in Lexington’s absence that propelled Alana to the victory in this class. Coming in a close race for 3^rd was Gerann Roy Grendal over the popular T-Triple-T Gold Prize.

Mature Cow

You would think that winning Grand Champion at World Dairy Expo would be an instant class winner. However, Bonaccueil Maya Goldwyn was in for a tough battle, but not with the cow that beat her at the Royal but rather with last year’s Breeders Choice Grand Champion, who was undefeated in her class in 2013, which included a victory over Maya at Quebec Championship. With only 2% separating these two great cows, it was Maya who came out on top. Coming in 3^rd was Royal class winner Calbrett Goldwyn Layla.

International

In what was the most landslide class of the day, the extremely popular Decausaz Iron O’Kalibra rides her European Championship victory of Ashlynn Vray Goldwyn to the win (Read more: The All European Championship Show: The Greatest SHOW on Earth). Not only did Decausaz Iron O’Kalibra win the International victory she also went on to a landslide victory for 2013 Breeders Choice Grand Champion. Coming in a strong 3^rd placing was the intermediate champion from EU championship, Huddlesford Duplex Medora, a cow with a very bright future.

Premier Breeder and Exhibitor

After winning premier breeder at World Dairy Expo and breeder and Exhibitor at the Royal, Ferme Jacobs wins in a landslide for both Exhibitor and Breeder.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

With so many cows not attending both the World Dairy Expo and The Royal we knew that the results would get interesting. And while the cows that did attend both and win both had dominant victories, with so many upsets at the Royal, it made voting very interesting. It also opened the door for Decausaz Iron O’Kalibra to win Grand Champion honors as there was no one dominant cow in North America for her to do battle with.

Stay tuned for more Breeders Choice Awards next week.