“I was over the moon,” owner Jon Weeks said.
Having spent the past three years competing without much success, Jon can be forgiven for being just a little bit excited.
He well and truly struck gold with the heifer Warrilla.
“I had people coming up to me before the show wanting to buy embryos from her,” Jon said.
Purchased as an embryo from New Zealand last year, Jon said he knew he had a winner from the start but was not expecting her to win such a big competition so early in her career.
“I didn’t think we’d get anywhere near grand champion, but it happened,” he said.
After blitzing through the junior competition, Warilla came up against a seven-year-old mature Charolais to be crowned grand champion.
She even placed third in the overall junior heifer category, judged against all the other breeds.
It’s a just reward for Jon, as well as his granddaughter Cassie Hill, 13, who walked Warilla around the show ring to hundreds in attendance and a panel of judges.
“It’s pretty hard to win in Melbourne because you’re competing against studs that have been showing for years and people that have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on genetics and things like that,” Jon said.
“All of my family and close friends were there and very excited for us, it was really great.”
As for what’s next for grand champion Warrilla on the competition circuit, she’s booked her place at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April 2020.
“I actually made a deal with Cassie that if we won grand champion, I’d take her to the Sydney Royal,” Jon said.
“I didn’t think we were a chance of winning, but now I guess I’m off to the Sydney Royal.”
For those wanting to see Warilla up close in person, she will be shown at the Echuca Moama Show on November 10-11.
