SWEETFIELD Corriedale stud, Mount Moriac, has taken out supreme Corriedale exhibit, at the Royal Melbourne Show on Saturday.
It’s the third big win in recent months for the stud, after taking out supreme champion Corriedale at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in July and also at Sheepvention last month.
However it was a different ram that took out the title at Melbourne, an under one and a half year old, affectionately named ‘Fonz’.
Judge Ian Staritt, Womboota Border Leicester stud, Womboota, NSW, said he was an outsanding ram.
“He had the complete balance of carcase, and was very dense in his wool, with even coverage right throughout,” Mr Staritt said.
The champion ewe also came from Sweetfield, and according to Mr Staritt, was another “outstanding example of the breed”.
“Before embryo transfers (ET) came in, you’d always give it to the ram because it usually had more influence, but now with ETs, the ewe can have just as much influence, so you have to take that into consideration,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you have to pick the animal that you think will do the most for the breed, and the ram was just slightly better balanced.”
The champion ram and ewe both came from the same sire, 33 Croydon, who has had a lot of success as sire within Bron and Leigh Ellis’ flock.
They were very happy with the win.
“The ram is a long, upstanding sheep, with a good carcase and eye muscle depth, and a traditional Corriedale fleece,” Mr Ellis said.
He came in at 116 kilograms, and had scanned a 9 millimetre fat depth, 46mm muscle depth, 90mm muscle width, and 31.9 square centimetres muscle area.
The ewe won junior champion at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show and Sheepvention, but this is her first ewe championship.
“She’s a good, upstanding ewe, she presents herself well, has a good carcase and beautiful, lustrous wool,” he said.
Sweetfield also took out most successful Corriedale exhibitor.