Second time is rather perfect for Speckle Park's ultimate Ekka ribbon

A cow competing in her last Royal Queensland Show has won a young Pittsworth stud the ultimate prize in the Speckle Park ring at the Royal Queensland Show stud cattle competition on Thursday, August 8.

Shaun and Debbie Black, SND Signature Speckles, Pittsworth started their stud in 2019 and first showed at the RNA in 2022, winning the junior champion female and grand champion bull ribbons on that occasion.

They haven't been back until this year, when their now-mature junior champion heifer's calving matched the show timetable, and again she has brought in the accolades.

As well as being judged by Peter Collins as senior and grand champion cow, SND Signature Rather Perfect lived up to her name, collecting the supreme exhibit prize at the end of the afternoon, to the delight of her owners.

"For a calf orphaned at four months, she has turned into this magnificent cow," Ms Black said.

They put her straight out in the paddock with their weaners, where she grew out to her potential and began producing calves.

She hasn't been shown since then, as her calvings hadn't lined up with schedules, until this year, her last chance, as she ages out after this.

"We don't breed to show so we had to wait for her to have a calf at the right time," Ms Black said. "We really wanted to bring her back as a cow though, to show how well our cattle develop, and to show the win wasn't a once-off."

She was shown with her 10-week-old heifer calf sired by SND Signature Unrivalled U6, and was fitted by Troy Hepburn, Top Notch Fitting Services and the Hepburn family.

Ms Black said SND Signature Rather Perfect was out of a Miss Wattle line that had a number of breed greats backing it, and said the win solidified the direction they were taking with their breeding program.

"We love maternal cows. Ours are bred for Queensland with a larger frame and good milk," she said.

Speckle Park cattle are the feature breed at this year's show, resulting in cattle from the three mainland eastern states taking part, along with breeders from South Australia.

It was a Victorian stud, Anden Speckle Park, from the Swan Hill area, that collected the senior and grand champion bull prizes on the day, with 26-month-old Anden U08, weighing in at 910kg, and with P8 and rib fat measurements of 15 and 10mm respectively, and an eye muscle area of 135 square centimetres.

His owners, Andrew and Denita Donnan have a lot more experience as White Suffolk sheep breeders from their base in the Mallee, but decided to go into cattle when they bought country at Swan Hill complete with irrigation.

The decision to start breeding Speckle Park cattle came down to a meal they had when they discovered how tender and juicy their meat was.

"I said, if that's what they taste like, I want to breed them," Mr Donnan said, enlisting the help of Jack Nelson to help prepare the bull.

Anden U08 has only competed in two shows, Melbourne and Brisbane, and has been unbeaten in the bull championship each time.

The Donnans laughed when they went on to say that on each occasion, a cow has taken the supreme accolade.

He's sired by Notta 1B Hawkeye 444E, who's been the Speckle Park champion of the world twice now.

It's the Donnan's first visit to Brisbane and they said it had left a great impression.

Results

Breed: Speckle Park

Judge: Peter Collins, Merriedale Angus Stud, Tennyson, Victoria

No. of exhibits: 172

Calf champion female: Venessa KJH V10, Wayne and Cindy Tucknott, KJ Speckle Park Hill, Coopernook, NSW

Reserve calf champion female: Superb Vogue, Superb Speckle Park, Deepwater, NSW

Junior champion female: KJ Hill Velvet, Kyll Smith, Wingham, NSW

Reserve junior champion female: Jackungah Rehearsal Dinner V07, Jack Nelson, Pine Lodge, Vic

Senior champion female: SND Signature Rather Perfect, Shaun and Debbie Black, SND Signature Speckles, Pittsworth

Reserve senior champion female: Black Diamond 61G Shiraz, Black Diamond Speckle Park, Macoma, Vic

Calf champion male: Fox Tail Hill Tommy, Troy Hepburn, McKee's Hill, NSW

Reserve calf champion male: Hawthorne Vin Diesel, Wells Family Trust, Hawthorne Stud, Coulson, Qld

Junior champion male: KJ Hill Urban, Wayne and Cindy Tucknott

Reserve junior champion male: Black Diamond T1731 Visa V3051, Black Diamond Speckle Park

Senior champion male: Anden U08, Anden Speckle Park, Pine Lodge, Vic

Reserve senior champion male: Anden T25, Anden Speckle Park

Grand champion female: SND Signature Rather Perfect

Grand champion male: Anden U08

Supreme exhibit: SND Signature Rather Perfect