Wollondale Hampshire Down stud, Towrang, NSW, won supreme exhibit in the breed’s feature showing at the Royal Melbourne Show.
It was with the same ram that won supreme of the breed and ASSBA ram 1.5 year-old last year.
The 2014 drop ram weighed 185kg and scanned 14mm fat, 60mm muscle depth, 109mm muscle width and 49sqcm muscle area. He has already been used in the stud that is owned by John and Julie Cordukes and managed by Matthew and Heidi Sherwood.
Mr Sherwood said the ram’s lambs were looking very good.
For the supreme exhibit, it beat Elisabeth Murdoch College’s champion Hampshire Down ewe.
It was the first time the school has shown sheep at the Royal Melbourne Show in some 20 years.
These four students, their teachers and helpers bought six adult sheep and four lambs.
Their three year-old ewe had her second lot of lambs, twins, at-foot.
New Zealand judge Kim Ridgen said she great structure and condition, despite having twin lambs at-foot.
“She's a proven ewe, rearing two lambs, only one month old and doing very well. She's got a lovely shape, and a nice, fine shoulder,” Ms Ridgen said.
“She's a lovely, feminine ewe, stands beautifully, and has a good udder and hind quarter.”
Ms Ridgen said she was looking for breed type and the animals’ strength against those characteristic traits. She wanted to see good structure, plenty of meat and a “good attitude”, which she said included a true-to-type head and outlook.
“They’ve got to be able to walk well too,” she said.
Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association president Helen Raven said the impressive showing was a credit to the breeders. She thanked them for making the effort to have such a strong showing of the heritage breed. There were eight stud represented and 88 exhibits.