One of the most influential sires to have been born and bred in Britain, Woodmarsh Asterix, has set a new record for excellence after being classified EX97.
The achievement comes just months before his tenth birthday and makes him the first UK bull to reach a score of EX97 since Supersires Magic-Touch twenty years ago.
Imported as an embryo from Oseeana Holsteins in West Virginia back in 2005, the Jet Black, Picston Shottle son was born to Mick and Catherine Gould of the famed Woodmarsh Herd near Shrewsbury in 2006.
After joining Cogent’s Beachin stud in 2007, Asterix quickly captivated farmers with his world class pedigree.
As a grandson of the great Tri-Day Ashlyn EX96 and sired by the leading bull of the time, Picston Shottle, Asterix has inherited the style and balance of both families; making him one of the best looking bulls in the Cogent Stud.
Today, with nearly 3,800 registered progeny in the UK, Asterix’s strong characteristics including consistent production, near perfect feet and legs as well as fantastic health and fertility traits are still being passed down to generation after generation with no signs of this bull slowing down anytime soon.
Commenting on his success, Richard Bostock, Progeny Evaluator for Cogent Breeding said: "For a bull of nearly ten years of age to re-write a twenty year record is utterly outstanding but we would expect little less of Asterix.
"He has long been one of the most influential sires in Cogent’s proven portfolio and consistently outranked bulls half his age in type, temperament and fertility traits.
"Asterix is a bull known for customer satisfaction with 83% of his daughters classified Good Plus or better and many farmers commenting on their exceptional performance in the parlour. A
"Asterix has already made a major impact on herds across the globe and we look forward to seeing what achievement he will take on next."
Asterix’s breeder, Mick Gould, said: "To hear that Asterix has not only classified EX97 but broken a twenty-year record could not make us prouder.
"I have recently seen quite a few of his daughters while judging herd competitions around the country and farmers always comment on how well the bull stamps them.
"This exceptional achievement just backs up what we always knew that Asterix was going to be a stand out bull and a great fit for the Cogent Stud."
