When it comes to beauty, Karen Kuchar's voice turns downright dreamy.

"I want to see a straight back and great, big black-chocolate eyes," she said, drawing out each word like it's poetry. "A pretty face, hair all fluffed out - they blow-dry, you know . . . "

For this beholder, beauty has a special meaning: As owner of Emil-Lenes Sirloin House, the kind of looks that set Kuchar's heart racing are usually stretched across 1,700 pounds of sleek, corn-fed, beef-on-the-hoof.

For such aficionados, no beauty contest ranks higher than the Junior Livestock Auction, one of the annual highlights of the National Western Stock Show.

This is where young guys and gals auction off prized livestock to a crowd of friendly bidders from the world of Colorado businesspeople, ranchers and restaurateurs.

The auction not only puts cash in the pockets of the winners, it also raises scholarship money for young people pursuing careers in agribusiness.

Eventually, every animal is bought - but not for immediate eating.

"People are always wondering - am I eating the grand champion steer?" chuckled Marc Steron, general manager of Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse.

The answer is no. What makes a good steak (think juicy) doesn't make for good-looking (think lean).

Down the line, all the livestock goes to feed lots for fattening up and "eventually everything hits the food chain," said Kati Anderson, stock show spokeswoman.

Friendly rivalries

While the auction goes on for hours, the thriller comes at the beginning, with the live, televised auction of the grand champions in steer, lamb, hogs and goats. To qualify for that category, the contestants had to win preliminary judgings earlier in the week.

Friendly rivalries abound. When Del Frisco's, a Texas- based steakhouse chain, came to Denver in 1997, it joined the auction and promptly set a record price of $100,000 for a grand champion steer.

In 2007, after years of good- natured competing, Emil-Lene's $80,000 bid muscled out the Texas steakhouse giant.

"I was in shock," Kuchar said.

"We were in shock too," said Steron. "We didn't think anyone was going to go that high. It was a surprise to all of us."

Do exceptionally high bids cause any grumbling in the bidding ranks?

"Haven't heard that," Steron said. "And the kids don't grumble."

One of the kids who hopes to benefit from the scholarship support is Casey Devol, 16, a veteran stock show and state fair competitor from Elbert.

Earlier this week, Devol was checking out the entrants in the livestock holding pens. In this brightly lit expanse, covered with carpets of hay, well-behaved farm animals seem settled in a state of relaxed bemusement. The air is kept bracingly chilly, which brings out the radiance of the animals' coats. For added fullness and body, some competitors apply a blow-dryer.

When it comes to putting a beloved animal up for auction, "It can get emotional," Devol admitted.

"At a county fair last year, I had the best steer you ever did see, and it was pretty sad when he was loaded up on a truck."

His prize steer was named Doc Holliday.

"But I just called him Doc," Devol said. "I did everything for him. Some of them like misbehaving, but he was the best. He was big - oh, I fed him so much! - but he was lean-cut and so structurally correct. He was amazing."

Eyes on the prize

Although it hurt some to say goodbye to Doc, the poised and well-spoken teenager keeps his eyes on the prize. He wants to get a degree in ranch management and own his own ranch someday.

Thanks to the auction, Devol's education is partly in the hands of men like John E. Cavey, a longtime Denver land developer and veteran bidder.

During a recent lunch hour, Cavey's winsome personality attracted a stream of well-wishers to his table at the stock show's posh National Western Club.

Last year, the John E. Cavey Co. and its longtime corporate partner, ServiceStar Development Co., nabbed the winning $25,000 bid for the grand champion lamb.

As high bidder on the champion lamb, Cavey will open the lamb bidding on Friday. The winners in each of the other categories will do the same.

"This is a big part of our lives," said Cavey, pausing to exchange hearty greetings with club members passing by his table. Over freshly carved, succulent slices of steak, Cavey and Pat Thompson, his wife and business partner, caught up on all the stock show patter.

Also at the Cavey table were three rodeo queens, including Megan Grieve, Miss Rodeo Colorado.

After lunch, Cavey and Thompson bounded downstairs to pay a surprise visit at the Yorkshire hog judging. One of the contestants was Laurie Reid, 17, of Brighton, whose family is close to the Caveys.

"She's going to cry if she sees you here," Laurie's mother, Betty, told Cavey, adding, "(John) has supported Laurie since she was a little itty-bitty."

As the judges peered intently, Laurie Reid coaxed her hog, Lady Luck, to strut her stuff around the ring.

In the end, the pearly pink paean of pig pulchritude came through - Lady Luck took the blue ribbon.

"Good work, baby!" Cavey crowed, as applause rippled over the crowd.

At Friday's auction, Lady Luck and the other livestock will face a raft of bidders. Among them will be George Eidsness, owner of Transwest Trucks Inc.

Any tips for winning a grand champion?

The veteran bidder didn't pause a beat.

"Just keep raising your hand," Eidsness drawled, "and you're gonna get it.'

torkelsonj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5055

Junior Market lineup

Today

In the stadium arena

* 4 p.m. Junior Market beef championship selection

* 5 p.m. Junior Market lamb championship selection

Friday

In the Beef Palace Auction Arena

* 6:30 p.m. Junior livestock champions auction

Junior Livestock Auction

One of the National Western Stock Show's main missions is to preserve the Western lifestyle, emphasizing education.

Last year, 74 scholarships were given to future agribusiness leaders and rural medical practitioners.

Grants range from $2,500 to $7,000 and are presented to students who plan to attend Colorado and Wyoming colleges and universities.

The Auction of Junior Livestock Champions helps support these scholarships, with last year's auction raising $575,000.

Owners of the actual winning livestock get about 80 percent of the winning bid. (About 10 percent pays commissions and other fees, and 10 percent maintains the scholarship trust.)

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