Peak Goldwyn Rhapsody EX-97-6E is a household name and is a cow both pedigree and commercial farmers admire. For breeder and owner Yasmin Bradbury Rhapsody’s third supreme win at UK Dairy Expo is extra special: “She is the first cow to have completed a hattrick of Supreme championship wins at a major show. But her win this year is also special because of the fact she has had 7 calves and completed over 111,000kgs of milk at the time of the show plus the quality of cows at the show this year was exceptional, every year this event keeps getting better. Rhapsody is affectionately known as The Tank, and I’m extremely proud of her, she is 10yr old and when she calved her seventh I was amazed at how great she looked.”
She is a herd cow that hates being separated and lives in a straw pack with 14 other show cows and fresh cows. The Tank is a perfect lady at home, easy to work with and quiet to milk, peaking at 70kg a day on twice a day milking.
“Sometimes she can be a trial to catch, but she always gives in after a bit of a chase,” said Yasmin. “Once at the show she settles quickly and all she wants to do is eat and eat. From the moment she enters the ring she can be head strong and can give fitter and leadsman Steve McLoughlin a bit of a challenge.”
Yasmin would like to thank everyone that has helped show The Tank during her career. But two people she’d especially like to thank are her partner Bill Nadin, Sterndale Holsteins, for making the breeding decisions that led to Rhapsody’s existence and the development of the family, his knowledge of cow families and bulls is enviable and after buying Stormatic Rhapsody EX it was Bill’s advice the Stormatic was bred to Shottle and then to flush the Shottle to Goldwyn, resulting in 3 Goldwyn daughters who have scored EX-97, EX-94 and EX-91, with Peak Gold Rhapsody EX-94 winning Senior champion at UK Expo in 2015 and All Britain Mature Cow Champion 2015. Tank is from a phenomenal family being the 13th generation of Excellent cows.
Secondly, Steve McLoughlin for noticing her in the yard, stale in her second lactation and advising she join the show string when she calved. Her first outing was at Staffordshire County Show where she won her class and went on to be Reserve Champion to Sterndale Shottle Ghost VG-89. She was then Super Cow Champion at AgriScot 2015, Reserve Champion AgriScot 2016 and has been All Britain Mature Cow Champion 2014, 2016, 2017. Yasmin really appreciates Steve’s advice and guidance that has helped the Tank develop into the cow she is today, and for always having her looking her best on show day.
Rhapsody is also a prolific breeding cow, her daughter Milliedale Dusk Rhapsody EX-95 was Reserve Champion UK Expo 2016 and sold in the 2017 Sterndale Sale for £10,000 along with her Doorman daughter who sold for £10,000. The Tank has also bred Million Rhapsody VG-88, Doorman Rhapsody VG-86 2yr, Absolute Rhapsody a yearling heifer, Mr Mogul Denver daughters of which one has been consigned to the Perfection Collection Sale. She has fall calves by Detour and Solomon. As well as granddaughters by Kanu P, Commander, Mr Metal, Arvis, Solomon and Lambda and great granddaughters by Linkup and Arvis. She will now go on a flush program.
