The team from Tasmania's Trefusis stud headed home across the Bass Strait delighted with their big superfine win at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show.
A 17.5 micron Trefusis ram pushed aside strong mainland competition to take the grand champion superfine Merino ram.
Stud principal Georgina Wallace said she was delighted with the result because it showed a relatively small Tasmanian stud could mix it with the best Australian studs.
The 140 kilogram, 22-month-old ram was sired by a Nerstane ram, N18, using semen they bought a few years ago.
The ram's wool had a standard deviation of 2.6 and a co-efficient of variation of 14.9.
The first stop for their new grand champion on his return to Tasmania was the artificial insemination centre in Westbury run by Robertsons Livestock Services.
"We will collect some semen, we have had quite a few orders for semen already," Ms Wallace said.
There were also a number of people keen to buy the champion ram after the judging by Ron Small, Blairich Station, Blenheim, New Zealand.
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Ms Wallace said the ram had an even cover of beautifully crimped, white wool.
"That's probably what got him across the line, structurally he is very correct," she said.
"He is probably one of the best rams we have bred, so we really want to use him [in the stud].
"We have already mated him to some stud ewes, he is a big sheep for his micron.
"We were really thrilled, we are a relatively small stud compared to most mainland studs.
"It's always a thrill if we can gain a second or a third ribbon in a class of 15 to 18 sheep.
"To get that far (win a grand champion ribbon) proves we can mix it with the mainland studs.
"It's pleasing to be competitive and to be up there matching them."
Trefusis, based at Ross, Tas, joined 440 stud ewes this year.
The stud, founded in 1965, also picked up most successful fleece exhibitor at the ASWS and the junior champion fine wool ewe.
Ms Wallace runs the Trefusis stud with her husband, Hamish.
They have been breeding more wool and meat onto their superfines through the introduction of new bloodlines.
The reserve grand champion superfine ram ribbon went to the Russell family's Melrose stud, Nurrabiel.
The Walton family's Wurrook stud, Rokewood, capped off a great show by winning the grand champion superfine ewe ribbon.
Stud principal Paul Walton said the horned 16.7 micron ewe was from Wurrook's Giant family.
"She is a magnificent wool ewe on a good, big frame," Mr Walton said.
Mr Small agreed, saying the ewe was "something out of the box with a huge volume of wool".
The Wurrook stud, which is running 4000 stud ewes, also won the most successful exhibitor award at Bendigo.
Wurrook also won the champion superfine polled ram rash.
Mr Walton said thankfully seasonal conditions in his district had improved this winter.
"It's a good season down here now which has made a big difference," he said.
He sympathised with many of his drought-hit colleagues in NSW who were battling to keep feeding their sheep.
Mr Walton said this year's ASWS had gone well with a lot of people coming to have a look.
The reserve grand champion ewe award was shown by the Rayner family's Grathlyn stud at Hargraves, NSW.
Grathlyn had also dominated the ASWS ultrafine judging.