‘What a ride’: Baldry family makes history at Sydney Royal Easter Show

A WEEK after raising $18,000 for charity in honour of their late son Henry, the Baldry family of Illabo have rewritten the record books at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, delivering one of the most remarkable performances ever seen by a Riverina stud.

In a moment decades in the making, their standout sire Tennysonvale Verge surged through the judging rings to claim not just a breakthrough win, but a string of major titles culminating in one of the highest honours available in Australian cattle showing.

For a family that has spent more than 30 years steadily building their program, it was a result that carried both professional significance and deep personal meaning, and one that will long be remembered within the breed.

A drought broken… and then some

The Baldry family’s victory in the Simmental-Fleckvieh ring alone would have been enough to mark 2026 as a landmark year.

After a 31-year drought at Sydney Royal, Tennysonvale Verge was named Grand Champion Bull, becoming the first Fleckvieh animal to ever be crowned best exhibit in the breed’s ring at the show.

Tennysonvale Verge with (left to right) exhibitors Carl and Angus Baldry | Photo: Facebook/Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

It was a long-awaited breakthrough for a family that has exhibited at Sydney since the early 1990s, with their last major ribbon coming in 1995, and who for years had been widely regarded as consistently competitive but just short of the top step.

For years, they had been knocking on the door. This time, they kicked it wide open.

From the breed ring to the top of the show

What followed elevated the achievement from significant to extraordinary.

After dominating their own breed, Verge was brought forward into the fiercely contested interbreed judging, where the best bulls from across the major beef breeds are placed head-to-head.

Up against elite entries from Angus, Hereford, Charolais and Red Angus programs, the 19-month-old Fleckvieh did not just hold his own, he set himself apart.

Verge was named Junior Champion Interbreed Bull before going on to secure Supreme Beef Interbreed Champion Bull, becoming the first Fleckvieh in the show’s history to achieve the feat and marking a defining milestone for the Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia.

Tennysonvale Verge with exhibitors Carl and Nicole Baldry | Photo: Facebook/Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

Weighing 854 kilograms at just 19 months of age, Verge is by Koopa Creek Red Dog and out of Rivulet Marge, combining elite genetics with breeding decisions years in the making.

In the ring, judges praised his balance of performance and structure, with his movement, depth, muscle, masculine outlook and overall presence setting him apart at every stage of judging.

“It takes a village”

For the Baldry family, the result was the culmination of decades of work.

Having shown cattle at Sydney Royal for more than 30 years, the win broke a drought stretching back to the mid-1990s, when a champion heifer, whose bloodlines still run through the stud today, last delivered major success.

In recent years, the family had again edged closer, including a reserve senior bull result in 2025, reinforcing the sense that a defining moment was building.

What unfolded in Sydney this year exceeded even those expectations.

Days after the dust settled, the Baldry family took to social media, admitting the magnitude of the achievement was still sinking in.

“To win supreme bull of the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show… is something we still can’t quite believe,” the family said. “The emotions across the week in Sydney were incredibly high, and truthfully, we’re still coming back down to earth.”

Tennysonvale Verge with (left to right) exhibitors Angus, Rupert, Nicole, Carl and George Baldry | Photo: Facebook/Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

“We were incredibly proud to be named Supreme Champion Simmental Fleckvieh on Saturday, especially given our long-standing support of the breed over the past 38 years.

“To come back the very next day and win Junior Interbreed Bull and then go on to be named Supreme Interbreed Bull of the entire show makes this journey even more special.”

The family said the results served as a reminder of the collective effort behind every animal that steps into the ring, and the support of family, friends and the broader network that underpins every stud operation.

“It takes a village to get to Sydney, and ours has been outstanding. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who played a part. What a ride.”

Tennysonvale Verge with Carl Baldry | Photo: Facebook/Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia

Recognition across the industry

Industry reaction has also been swift and emphatic.

The Traditional Simmental Fleckvieh Society of Australia described the Baldry family’s performance as “one for the history books”.

“An unprecedented milestone on one of the largest stages in the Australian cattle showing circuit,” the organisation said.

Fellow studs echoed that sentiment, with competitors acknowledging the scale of the interbreed victory as outstanding.

“He is something incredibly special, a real asset to the breed,” said Country Style Simmental Stud, of Eumungerie, NSW.

“We had the honour of standing in the grand champion line-up with Verge, where he took out top honours. He then went on to perform one of the most outstanding interbreed wins we’ve seen to date.”

In a development that adds further significance, Verge is now set to be offered to the market.

In a decision made with both pride and reluctance, the bull will be sold as Lot 44 at the Baldry family’s on-farm sale at ‘Ivanhoe’, Illabo, on May 29, reflecting both the commercial realities of stud breeding and the calibre of the animal they have produced.

Tennysonvale Verge | Photo: Facebook/Studstocksales.com

A moment bigger than ribbons

After more than 30 years of showing, the Baldry family did not just break through, they delivered a performance that has etched their name, and their stud, into Sydney Royal history.

But this was not just a win in the show ring. It was a statement of resilience, longevity and quiet persistence, built over decades, carried by family, and shared with a community that has long backed them.

For the family, the achievement also lands in a year already defined by emotion.

Just a week earlier, they had hosted a major community family fun day in Junee, raising $18,000 in honour of their son Henry, a decade on from his passing.

To follow that act of community generosity with a defining career achievement has only deepened the significance of the moment.

The result also resonates well beyond the show ring for Junee, serving as a reminder that elite performance at the highest level of Australian agriculture is being achieved in our own backyard.