Random gene combinations?

What the heck is going on here? A lesson to me in not judging things based on phenotype.
I have a few Char (x baldie, I think) cows that I bought as bred cows on a whim because they were $480 back in '08. I bred them to a particular Luing bull they really seemed to nick with and the worst looking pair of them turn in a couple of my biggest, best steers this winter.

A phenotype I don't like but I give her credit - she winters with the fattest of the Luings on banked grass and always breeds back.

This year's calf.

This girl is more Bonsma type but she is too frail for my system and winters with the lean/young cows and will be gone next year.

Her steer is going to make great eating.

Sire of the calves - one of my custom herd's sires. A very thick little bull. Maybe too much so for my liking.

Dad used to have a cow who was called skinny minnie who look like she was bcs 4 or under but always rebred and brought in one of the largest calves every year for about 10 years.

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What the heck is going on here? A lesson to me in not judging things based on phenotype.

I've decided that the question needs to be, "Can they consistantly replicate themselves in their daughters?" when the search is on for maternal function. There are too many "one generational wonders" that are advertised and sold as cure-alls. But it has to be as much of a sire selection problem by the breeder as it does to always blame the cow.

I would agree Eddie although in this case the intention was a terminal product not maternal albeit we hope the bull used will be at least "good enough" on the maternal front when used on maternal type cows.