Only one red and white Holstein has ever been the Supreme Champion at the greatest dairy show in the world, World Dairy Expo. Her name is Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red. Redrose is easily one of the greatest Red and White cows in history and, with her recent passing, her legacy is sure to continue for her owners Nicky Reape and Mark Rueth of Rosedale Genetics. (Read more: Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red EX-96 4E Passes)
It was Redrose’s third dam, the legendary Stookey Elm-Park Blackrose that first got Rosedale Genetics started, and hence the applicable prefix for Nicky and Mark. A long time and very talented fitter Mark worked with many of the greatest show cows in the world. During his 12 years clipping for Indianhead, Mark had developed a strong friendship with Bob Schauf owner of Indianhead. In December 1990, Mark was working at the Elmpark Sale and a tall, pregnant Blackstar, out of the renowned three-time All-Canadian & American Champion Nandette TT Speckle Red EX-93 DOM, named Blackrose caught his attention. (Read more: The Notorious Jack Stookey) “When I saw her wide rump and massive frame, I thought: You must be able to breed something good out of that.” Though they ended up paying somewhat more than they intended, Mark and Bob were successful in purchasing Blackrose and they did indeed fulfill Mark`s prediction as they bred some great ones.
Stookey Elm Park Blackrose would go on to score EX-96, be named All-Time All-American Jr 2-Yr & Jr 3-Yr-Old Cow as well as Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair in 1995. Blackrose would also become one of the two greatest type transmitting cows in history. (Read more: MD DELIGHT DURHAM ATLEE – 2012 Golden Dam Finalist). The daughters of her sons INDIANHEAD RED-MARKER EX-CAN ST’99, MARKWELL KITE-ET EX-CAN ST’04 and INDIANHEAD ENCOUNTER-ET EX-CAN ST’05, would dominate the show ring, especially in the Red & White classes. Her outstanding daughter by KINGLEA LEADER, ROSEDALE LEA-ANN EX-93-2E-USA GMD, produced the dam of Redrose, NORTHROSE-I LAVENDER EX-90-4YR-USA 5* (Note: Northrose is Nicky and Mark’s prefix for their Canadian registered animals). D R Vaandrager, a long time fitter who had worked with Nicky and Mark, purchased some embryos from Nicky and Mark to help start his Lavender Holsteins in Abbotsford BC, Canada. They decided to use the famous STBVQ RUBENS for one of their flush matings and successfully produced Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red.
Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red has called Rosedale home since its inception in 2001 when she was just a yearling. While still needing development, Nicky and Mark saw great potential in Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red, “In my eyes, Redrose is a more dairy version of Blackrose,” comments Mark. Just like Blackrose, who seemed to have instant success as a 2yr and 3yr old, Redrose was named 1st Junior 2 year old at the 2002 World Dairy Expo Red & White Show. She would continue her success in 2004 when she was named second 4 year old and Reserve Grand Champion, behind eventual grand champion CHAIREIN RUBENS PARADE-RED. In 2005 Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red followed no one as she was not only named Grand Champion of the Red and White show, but also went on to be named Supreme Champion. She would come back in 2007 to win the 125,000 Lb. Cow class and again be named Grand Champion of the Red and White Show.
Just like the great Blackrose, Redrose-Red is also leaving a legacy of outstanding descendants as:
The story of Lavender Ruby Redrose will also be told through her sons
The Bullvine Bottom Line
Nicky Reape and Mark Rueth are two of the most passionate dairy breeders there are in the world today. They take amazing care of their cattle and treat each animal as if it was unique in its own right … because each one is. Rosedale has enjoyed a great deal of success in the show ring since its inception back in 2001 and many outstanding accomplishments have been added during this time. While many breeders dream of having a class winner at World Dairy Expo, Rosedale has had several, including numerous Supreme Champion awards. One of the highlights has to be the success of Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red, who certainly became part of the family and fan favorite around the world, as demonstrated by the very popular birthday parties Nicky and Mark would post on their Facebook page. While I am sure the passing of Redrose will be tough for Nicky and Mark, she certainly has left a legacy for them to build on. Redrose Red is now laid to rest in a bed of roses next to her grandmother Rosedale Lea-Ann Excellent-93 EEEEE 2E GMD and her legendary great grandmother Stookey Elm Park Blackrose-ET *RC EX-96 3E GMD DOM.
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