NEW Zealand judge Mark Copland summed it up best when he described the James family’s Coolawang stud as “pretty much unstoppable” in this year’s feature breed showing.
It was Mr Copland’s first-time judging in Australia. He is from the McCombie Border Leicester stud, in Canterbury, NZ.
He rightly named Trevor, Judy and Lachie James, Mundulla, most successful exhibitor after the stud won an amazing 16 first places out of 20 classes entered, as well as champion and reserve champion ram, junior champion and reserve junior champion ram, reserve champion ewe and junior champion and reserve junior champion ewe.
Mr Copland said there were plenty of traits that stood out about the Coolawang stud.
“I just like the style of their sheep, their heads, their general carriage and their wool,” he said.
Trevor James said while often a stud did well in either the ram or ewe showing, it was rare to achieve such great results across the board.
“We’ve had other good days in the ring, but this is by far our most successful outing,” he said.
It caps off an exceptional 12 months for the stud, which set a $366 record for first-cross ewes at Naracoorte, SA in November. Coolawang’s champion ram was also the junior champion ram and came from the shorn ram aged under 1.5 years class.
It weighed 106.5 kilograms, with an 8 millimetre fat depth, 42.5mm eye muscle depth and measured 7.7 for post-weaning weight.
As Coolawang focuses on showing at Adelaide, this was the first time the sire had been shown.
Taking home the champion ewe ribbon were regular Royal Adelaide Show exhibitors David and Carol Jackson, Jackson Border Leicesters, Moyston, Vic.
Their rising 2yo ewe weighed 115kg, had three-week-old twin lambs at-foot and went on to be crowned supreme interbreed ewe. The ewe was also reserve champion at Adelaide last year.
“The ewe hasn’t been beaten anywhere this year,” Mr Jackson said.
It had taken out the supreme longwool ewe prize at Sheepvention in Hamilton, Vic, and the supreme long wool exhibit at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic.
But it was as a two-year-old dam it really came into its own, crowned supreme long wool exhibit at this year’s ASWS, and supreme long wool ewe at Hamilton Sheepvention last month.
Mr Copland said the ewe was not letting itself down in any way, despite having two lambs on it.
“It’s a well-balanced sheep with a couple of nice lambs on it,” he said.
