How Bluey emerged from a high-steaks bidding duel to overall jackpot winner
Bluey the Limousin steer was the talk of the showgrounds earlier in the week when it was the successful member of a bidding duel, culminating at $19.60 at the prestigious RNA led steer auction.
Bred and shown by Josh and Kirsty Sawtell and their partners Murray and Nicole Nichols, Kyogle, NSW, the steer, bred by embryo transfer, made a sweep through a number of the major awards in the hook section of the competition.
Trading as Lindesay View Limousins and Tookawhile Show Steers, the firm, friends and showing partners began the evening when their steer, named Bluey, for its blue-roan coat, scored 94 points in class 2B.
A clear seven points ahead of the next placed entry, Bluey was then judged as the champion lightweight carcase.
With an MSA index of 60.38, Bluey was the MSA class two winner, while another steer, a Speckle Park, shown by Mr and Mrs Nicholls, was the reserve champion lightweight carcase and took the chocolates in MSA class 1, with an index of 61.33.
The steer was bought by Darren Skerman, the owner of Skerman Civil, and is the half-brother of another steer shown by the Sawtells and Nicholls, three years ago that was judged the heavyweight champion.
Mr and Mrs Nicholls have been regular at the Ekka for 30 years, while the Sawtells have only been there in the past four years.
"It's the Melbourne Cup of showing steers," Mrs Nicholls said.
Bluey's impact won the partnership the lightweight carcase jackpot and the overall jackpot. Its monetary value is yet to be determined, but well worth the effort, Mr Nicholls said.
Tookawhile showed the reserve champion lightweight carcase with a Speckle Park, scoring 92 points.
They won the jackpot last year with a Limousin they bought from Col McGilchrist, Wallabadah, NSW.
At Casino Beef Week in late May and early June, the partnership showed a black Limousin that was the grand champion. They won the single steer 351kg to 400kg class, scoring 84.54 points. They also showed an apricot Limousin that sold for $50/kg, totalling almost $20,000.
The champion middleweight carcase was shown by the Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda syndicate, of Stephen Lean and Djuan and Blake Dawson, Westbrook, with a Limousin, scoring 95 points. The reserve was a Limousin, shown by Luke and Emily Kahler, Glamorgan Vale, who won the grand champion broad ribbon at the Ekka in 2022.
The heavyweight champion was shown by Holy Trinity School, Inverell, with a steer bought by former student, Nash Tome, at the Colin Say and Company 16th Potential Show Steer Sale in March. He bought the 383kg steer for 1500c/kg. It scored 91 points, the same as the reserve champion; however, estimated lean meat yield points separated the steers.
The reserve champion heavyweight was shown by M and P O'Dwyer and Ben O'Dwyer, scoring 91 points.
Nigel Onley, Taroom, announced the awards and paid particular tribute to Terry Nolan and his organisation for organising the processing of the steers and heifers in the competition so that the results could be released on a Friday evening for the first time.
