DORSET DOWN
Supreme Champion (ewe): Colin Chapman, Woodhall Stud, Wedderburn.
Champion ram: Colin Chapman.
Champion ewe: Colin Chapman.
Superior feet and fat cover were the reasons New Zealand judge Kim Ridgen gave for picking a ewe, with lamb at foot, as the Supreme champion Dorset Down exhibit at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show.
The July 2014 drop ewe, from Woodhall Stud, Wedderburn, had it over the champion ram, as she had “beautiful shape,” Ms Ridgen said.
“She is very clean over the shoulder, it’s a nice fine looking shoulder, nice and high and tight there.
“She comes with that nice wedge shape, has a good back end, she’s filled in the high quarters, she is very clean, she’s got no wastage, no excess fat, over the ribs and she is rearing a good lamb, which is only three months old.
“She had it over the ram, which wasn’t quite as good in the feet.
“He is too heavy through the brisket and just carrying a bit more fat cover, over the ribs, for me.”
Ms Ridgen praised the ewe as “very feminine – she is going to breed very well, she is nice and fine in the front.
“That ram was just that bit wider.”
She chose the older ram as Champion, over its younger challenger, due to its muscling, that it was “filled out” in the back end and very clean in the shoulder.
It recorded figures of 132.5kilograms, a 52millimetre muscle depth, a 98mm muscle width and a fat depth of nine mm.
“The younger ram has great potential, he has got a fantastic shoulder, he stands up on his feet very well, walks nicely, but just needs to fill out a bit more in the rear end.
“There is no wastage there, whatsoever, but I have gone with the older ram,”
