Wilson Peters triumphs at Aberdeen Christmas Classic again

A Limousin cross heifer from Wilson Peters, of Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie, near Crieff, was named overall champion at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic.

The popular annual event, organised by Aberdeen Northern Marts (ANM) and Aberdeen Fatstock Association, was held at Thainstone Centre, near Inverurie.

It attracted a strong lineup of quality prime and butchers’ animals from well-known consigners throughout Scotland.

Champion fetched £4,300 in Thainstone Centre sale ring

Taking the overall open championship, tapped out by judge Hugh Black, of Lanark, was a September 2022 heifer weighing 792kg (1,746lb).

The heifer is sired by Carmon Lionbar and out of a British Blue cross dam.

She sold for the Aberdeen Christmas Classic top price of £4,300 to Telinco Farms, Lockerbie.

It is the second year in a row Wilson has landed the overall champion’s prize in the Aberdeen Christmas Classic.

Last year he won with a 21-month-old Limousin cross heifer which had stood first in her class at LiveScot and was named first-prize lightweight heifer at the Highland Show.

£4,000 Espresso sold at Thainstone

The second top price of the day was reached by the Young Farmers’ overall champion, from Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie.

Her March 2023-born Limousin cross heifer Espresso, scaling 646kg (1,424lbs), fetched £4,000 from Huntly butcher Forbes Raeburn.

The prize for overall butchers’ champion went to Harry Brown, of Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud, for a December 2022-born, home-bred Limousin cross heifer at 620kg (1,367lb).

It was bought by Kitson Butchers, of Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire for £3,800.

The overall reserve champion’s title also went to the Brown Family, for a 664kg (1,464lb) home-bred Aberdeen-Angus cross heifer later sold to the judge for £3,400.

The Browns also took home the native heifer award.

Taking reserve in the Young Farmers’ section was Cally Harper, of Turriff, for a July 2021-born Limousin cross heifer.

Weighing 696kg (1,534lb), it sold to WTS Forsyth, of Peebles, for £3,000.

Prize-winning heifer bought for £2,900 by ‘Bruce of the Broch’

The next top price of £2,900, or £5 per kg, was paid for the Young Farmer’s unhaltered champion from Cally Harper, of Turriff, for a British Blue cross heifer scaling 584kg (1,287lb). It sold to “Bruce of the Broch”, of Fraserburgh.

Reserve butcher’s champion went to Sheep Park Farms, of Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly, for a May 2023-born Limousin cross heifer. It sold to John Scott Meat, of Paisley for £2,400.

Top gross for bullocks was £2,793 (£3.80 per kg) for a first prize Limousin steer scaling 738kg (1,627lb) in the Young Farmer’s section from Rachael Davidson, of Keith, which sold to Chapman Butchers, of Wishaw.

A 704kg (1,552lb) Limousin heifer from Emma Smith, of Kildrummy, was named open unhaltered champion. Reserve was a 660kg (1,455lb) Limousin cross heifer from J&J Watt, of Keith-hall.

Festive season cheer ‘in plentiful supply’ at Aberdeen Christmas Classic

ANM cull and prime cattle manager Tim McDonald said: “With Christmas cheer in plentiful supply, another… Classic was supported by our weekly local and national
buyers.

“It saw a total of 64 head of cattle, consisting of 41 heifers, selling to average 405.1p per kg, and 23 bullocks averaging 357.6p per kg.

“We are delighted that main sponsor RPD (Rapid Project Development) have confirmed they will continue their sponsorship at the 2025 show.”

Prizes

• Class 1A, single haltered heifer: 1 G Hendry, Heads of Auchinderran, Keith 2 DW Work & Son, Dumbreck, Udny 3 Gordon Cameron, Newton Cottage, Acharacle
• Class 1B, single haltered heifer: 1 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie 2 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch 3 Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly
• Class 1.1, native haltered heifer: 1 H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud 2 W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul 3 D Work & Son, Dumbreck, Udny 4 Gordon Cameron, Newton Cottage, Acharacle
• Class 2, single haltered bullock: 1 W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul 2 Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly 3 D Work & Son, Dumbreck, Udny 4 T Connell, Little Muddy Lumphart, Inverurie
• Open haltered beef cattle champion: W Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie. Reserve: H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud
• Best overall heifer: Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie. Reserve: H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud
• Best overall bullock: W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul. Reserve: Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly
• Best animal of opposite sex to champion: W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul
• Class 5, single butcher’s heifer: 1 H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud 2 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch 3 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie 4 Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly
• Class 6, single butcher’s bullock: 1 H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud 2 D Work & Son, Mains Dumbreck, Udny
• Butcher’s champion: H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud. Reserve: Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch
• Best animal of opposite sex to butcher’s champion: H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud
• Class 3a, single haltered heifer, junior Young Farmer: 1 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie 2 Abbie Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud 3 Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie 4 Annie Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie
• Class 3b, single haltered heifer, senior Young Farmer: 1 Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff 2 Thomas Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside
• Class 4a, single haltered bullock, junior Young Farmer: 1 Megan Glass-Smith, Mill of Fowlis, Muir of Fowlis
• Class 4b, single haltered bullock, senior Young Farmer: 1 Rachael Davidson, Corsairtly, Keith 2 Lyndsay Nelson, Mains of Lundie Farm, Edzell 3 Faye Wilkie, Braigiewell, Echt
• Champion Young Farmer’s haltered cattle: Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie. Reserve: Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff
• Best overall haltered heifer: Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie. Reserve: Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff
• Best overall haltered bullock: Rachael Davidson, Corsairtly, Keith. Reserve: Lyndsay Nelson, Mains of Lundie Farm, Edzell
• Best animal of opposite sex to champion: Rachael Davidson, Corsairtly, Keith
• Best home-bred animal: Abbie Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud
• Class 7A, single unhaltered heifer: 1 Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff 2 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie 3 Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie
• Class 7B, single unhaltered heifer: 1 Robert Anderson, The Bungalow, Brucewells 2 Stuart Ross, Wardhead, Strichen 3 Jenna Ross, Wardhead, Strichen 4 Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Kildrummy
• Class 8, single unhaltered bullock: 1 Stuart Ross, Wardhead, Strichen 2 Jenna Ross, Wardhead, Strichen 3 Jack Hendry, Heads of Auchinderran, Keith 4 Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie
• Champion Young Farmer’s unhaltered cattle: Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff. Reserve: Robert Anderson, The Bungalow, Brucewells
• Class 9A, single open unhaltered heifer: 1 Harry Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud 2 Sheep Park, Farms Bridge of Marnoch 3 Stuart Forman, Fridayhill, Maud 4 Stuart Forman, Fridayhill, Maud
• Class 9B, single open unhaltered heifer: 1 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch 2 Ian Pirie & Co, Overton of Bruxie, Maud 3 Ross Bros, Wardhead, Strichen 4 Tommy Connell, Little Muddy Lumphart, Inverurie
• Class 9C, single open unhaltered heifer: 1 J&J Watt, Stoneyhill, Keith-hall 2 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch 3 G&D Anderson, Brucewells, Netherley 4 CIC Farmers, Daleford, Rathen
• Class 9C, single open unhaltered heifer: 1 Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Kildrummy 2 A&E Cumming, Tillydesk, Ellon 3 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch 4 Ross Bros, Wardhead, Strichen
• Class 10A, single open unhaltered bullock: 1 JLI Thomson, Middleton, Potterton 2 A&E Cumming, Tillydesk, Ellon 3 Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie 4 Tommy Connell, Little Muddy Lumphart, Inverurie
• Class 10B, single open unhaltered bullock: 1 Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly 2 G Hendry, Heads of Auchinderran, Keith 3 Jennifer Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside 4 Fraser Family, Easter Clune, Lethen
• Champion open unhaltered cattle: Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Kildrummy. Reserve: J&J Watt, Stoneyhill, Keith-hall
• Best animal of opposite sex to open unhaltered champion: Blair Duffton, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly