Undisputed protagonist of the Fair, it is a majestic and imposing animal, symbol of the Piedmontese breed, today rightly considered a bovine breed of absolute excellence, known throughout the world for the unmistakable quality of the meat. It is an adult bovine with a white coat, which is castrated within eight months of age (leaving the scrotal sac intact) to favor the increase in weight of the animal, which can exceed abundantly the ton and which takes the name of ox only after the four years of life. Its diet must be based on natural products, preferably administered dry: hay, corn, bran, soy, beans, barley, are the main components of his diet, which can be enriched with an integrative mineral and vitamin part. However, there are those who complete this type of feeding with eggs or other products. It is very important that the animal fatten slowly and in a balanced way, so that it can reach its complete maturation in times that coincide with the maximum of its beauty. Difficult result, which can only be achieved by expert hands of high-capacity breeders with profound expertise. The fruit of this difficult job is a meat of exceptional quality, fat pigmented, of intense taste and of absolute softness, unmistakable on the palate for its delicacy. The categories of oxen admitted to the zootechnical review are three and their subdivision refers only to their morphological aspect and to the type of muscular development, while the quality of the meat remains absolutely unchanged. It is the classic ox used in agricultural work of the past, it has harmonious forms and not particularly accentuated muscular masses. It is an animal with a markedly marked muscular development, in which the so-called “horse rump” or “double rump” is very evident and characteristic. It has rather pronounced muscular masses and its conformation can be placed at an intermediate level between the Nostrano and the Fassone. A special prize is also assigned to the heaviest Ox, which reaches the highest weight ever, regardless of the category to which it belongs. These are imposing animals, with truly colossal dimensions, which can even exceed 1,400 kilograms in weight (lb. 3086). The 2019 winner was ‘Trono’ with 1518kg. (3346 lb.), the heaviest not only this year but the whole history of the event.
