WHEN judges came to deliberate who would win the supreme Merino ribbon for 2015, two Victorian sheep were standing on the mat.
After much consultation, Rokewood-based stud Wurrook, run by Paul and Kylie Walton, claimed its second supreme Merino ribbon in three years.
Wurrook beat a record 796 Merino exhibits.
The champion 22 month-old superfine ram was on his showing debut and impressed judges from his first class (ram showing not more than two permanent teeth) with his scale, length and wool coverage.
The 16.7-micron ram is by Merryville Hamilton Giant – the sire of several other Wurrook champions from the past few years – and out of a top ewe from Wurrook's ringmaster family.
The ram had other wool credentials of 2.6M standard deviation (SD), 15.6 coefficient of variation (CV), 99.6 per cent comfort factor (CF) and a curvature value of 61 degrees per millimetre.
The Wurrook ram beat grand champions from Greenfields, Darriwell, Langdene, Alfoxton and Glenara studs from the strong, medium, fine/medium, fine and ultrafine wool categories respectively for the ram of the show title.
Mr Walton said he never expected to take home the top ribbon but knew the ram was one of the best he'd bred.
"We put Merryville Hamilton Giant over Ringmaster ewes to increase size and wool cut in our fine wools, and he's maturing beautifully," Mr Walton said.
"You've got to keep working on your size and wool cut otherwise you're going backwards."
Mr Walton estimated the ram would cut 13.5 kilograms of wool when he's shorn after being shown at Sheepvention. Following that the ram was to be used in the stud, he said.
Medium wool judge and former principal of the now-dispersed One Oak stud, Graham Wells, commented during the supreme judging the ram had a cross-section of traits that was unusual in a superfine wool ram.
"It's very easy to have an open face but lose the wool in other places, but that sheep's got the coverage and it's a credit to the breeder," he said.
The changing attitude to the importance of having good quality ewes was also underlined by Mr Wells, when speaking about the grand champion ewe from Glenpaen, Brimpaen.
"Once upon a time we said the ram has the biggest impact on the industry because he can impact a great number of lambs and there for he wins…but no one's saying that today," he said.
"Her contribution of the industry could be quite large because of what she has in terms of her structure and the type of sheep she is."
Glenpaen principal Rod Miller said medium/fine wool ewe would be used as an important genetic cornerstone in the stud.
She boasted an 18.7M fleece with 2.8SD, 99.8pc CF and curvature value of 55 deg/mm.
There were many comments on the sidelines of the quality of the ewe's wool, with judge Rod Kent, Kurrajong Park, Delungra, NSW, driving the point home when announcing the champion ewe.
"What her skin is punching out is phenomenal, the wool on that sheep is phenomenal," he said.
