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Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Jose Maria Elorza Sagardia and the Hereford Champions of El Cardo

The Rio Negro cabanero whose El Cardo stud dominated the Hereford rings at the Prado for decades.

Who was Jose Maria Elorza Sagardia?

Jose Maria Elorza Sagardia was born in 1887 in the 7th section of Rio Negro department, Uruguay, into a family of Basque descent. From the age of 18 he worked beside his father at the Estancia y Cabana El Cardo, and in 1928 he took over its direction. This profile draws on two profiles in the Uruguayan paper La Manana and a second article on El Cardo.

He died in Montevideo on 8 June 1959, a few weeks short of 72. By then El Cardo's name was attached to some of the most successful Hereford animals ever shown in Uruguay.

What was El Cardo?

El Cardo was both an estancia, a ranch, and a cabana, a stud that sells breeding stock. One account says it began at the end of the nineteenth century and stayed a leading Hereford stud well into the 1960s. It was the center of an improvement effort that combined the Royal Puelche and Locksley bloodlines.

Elorza built on his father's work by bringing new bloodlines into the Hereford herd. He bought the sire Royal Prestigie 19 and acquired Puelche 28 from the Tuyuti stud in Cordoba, Argentina. The same page credits him with creating the Uruguayan sheep breed Merilin.

How many Prado titles did El Cardo win?

The Prado is Uruguay's national livestock exhibition, held at the Rural del Prado grounds. According to one profile, over 47 editions El Cardo won 27 Grand Champion Male Hereford titles and took the Premio Conjunto de Machos, a group prize for males, 37 times. The exhibition itself was run by the Asociacion Rural del Uruguay, and its current Prado site opened in 1913, as El Observador's history of the shows explains.

In 1953 El Cardo reportedly won every top title and the reserve titles for males and females in the Hereford breed at the Prado, which the profile calls a record for Uruguay at that time.

Who was El Rubio, the bull behind the titles?

One of the stud's most famous animals was Royal Puelche Benjamin 2, known as El Rubio. He was bred at El Cardo and won Grand Champion Hereford three times in a row: at the Prado in August 1947, at Palermo in Argentina the following month, and again at the Prado in July 1948. The article presents these as the bull's titles rather than Elorza's own awards.

His son, Royal Puelche Benjamin 2/17, was Reserve Champion of the breed in 1951. At auction he reportedly sold for $80,000, a South American record, to the Nueva Melhem stud. The two profiles do not agree on every detail of the Palermo and Prado double titles, so sources differ on the exact years and bulls.

The Key to Elorza's Success

El Cardo's record rested on continuity. Elorza inherited a working stud, kept it for decades and used the show ring as a way to prove and sell his genetics.

The record points to a handful of repeatable habits rather than any single stroke of luck.

  • He started young beside his father and took charge in 1928, so management stayed consistent across generations.
  • He bought proven sires such as Royal Prestigie 19 and Puelche 28 from outside herds to refresh bloodlines.
  • He combined the Royal Puelche and Locksley families into a program rather than chasing single animals.
  • He treated the Prado and Palermo as a proving ground, entering animals year after year in both Uruguay and Argentina.
  • He took part in the institutions of the industry, including the Asociacion Rural del Uruguay, the Federacion Rural and the Hereford breeders society.
  • He promoted championship exhibitions for rustic breeding stock, which fit the hardy type Uruguayan ranching needed.

How did Elorza compare with Reginaldo Booth?

Elorza and Reginaldo Booth of Los Cerros de San Juan were contemporaries who often met in the Hereford ring at the Prado. One account says the two treated each other with respect after judging. The rivalry helped define Uruguayan Hereford quality in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Prado show itself moved to its present grounds in 1913, according to El Observador's history of the ARU shows, and the show has run there every year since.

Honors, legacy and further reading

One profile reports that Elorza received an honorary doctorate from the Universidad de la Republica in 1948. Another article calls him "doctor" but does not mention the degree, so treat the year as reported. His strongest legacy is the Hereford lineage that came out of El Cardo.

For more cattle stories from the region, see the ranching pages on farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story about Hereford cattle.

Timeline

  1. 1887Born in Rio Negro, Uruguay
  2. c. 1905Begins working with his father at El Cardo at age 18
  3. 1928Takes over direction of El Cardo
  4. 1947El Rubio wins Grand Champion Hereford at the Prado
  5. 1948Honorary doctorate reported; El Rubio wins at the Prado again
  6. 1951Son of El Rubio is Reserve Champion of the breed
  7. 1953El Cardo reportedly sweeps the top Hereford titles at the Prado
  8. 1959Dies in Montevideo on 8 June

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jose Maria Elorza Sagardia?

He was a Uruguayan Hereford breeder, born in 1887 in Rio Negro, who directed the El Cardo estancia and cabana from 1928 until his death in Montevideo in 1959.

How many Prado Grand Champion titles did El Cardo win?

One profile reports that over 47 Prado editions El Cardo won 27 Grand Champion Male Hereford titles and 37 Premio Conjunto de Machos prizes.

What was El Rubio?

El Rubio was the nickname of Royal Puelche Benjamin 2, a Hereford bull bred at El Cardo that won Grand Champion at the Prado in 1947, Palermo that year and the Prado in 1948.

What is El Cardo known for?

El Cardo in Rio Negro, Uruguay was a leading Hereford stud into the 1960s, known for combining Royal Puelche and Locksley bloodlines and for its Prado show record.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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