THE supreme champion at at the 2016 East of England Smithfield Festival was bred in Northumberland and bought at Leyburn mart.

Sassy Lassy, a Limousin-sired heifer, was bred by John Smith-Jackson of Haltwhistle and was bought by Ayrshire's Jennifer Hyslop as a 10 month-old at Leyburn mart in March this year.

Sired by Waindale UFO, she had already won at this year's British Limousin Cattle Society's National show in July and more recently at Borderway Agri-Expo at Carlisle. In October she was Limousin champion and reserve heifer champion at Countryside Live in Harrogate.

Smithfield judge Gavin Scott said: "When she first entered the ring she just had that bit of something special about her. She had a presence and style, great length and handled well. She was exactly the sort of animal I was looking for and more."

Sassy Lassy weighed in at 592kgs on show day and Jennifer Hyslop said she was "over the moon, very proud and honoured to have won this prestigious award. It really is the title that all exhibitors aim to win."

It was also the first time in Smithfield's history that the overall championship has been won by a brother and sister on separate occasions. Jennifer's brother Drew won in 2013. It was also the first Smithfield Championship for breeder John Smith-Jackson who has been reserve overall on two previous occasions.

Sassy Lassy went on to sell for £10,000 to Alex and Carolyn Paton's multi-award winning butcher's business in Girvan.

Other winners included W Richardson & Son, Dufton, Cumbria, who was overall pure Continental champion with the pedigree heifer Romford Jola. They paid 10,000gns for her at the BLCS Breeders’ sale at Carlisle in October.

Neil Slack from Penrith was reserve overall steer champion and reserve exhibitor bred winner with his June 2015 born steer Red Alert which was also champion exhibitor bred at Countryside Live.

Mr Slack also won the Baby Beef championship with Rio, a January born heifer, who weighed in at 382kgs. He said: "I’ve had a great show and it’s always an honour winning somewhere like this against the quality of cattle forward."