A 'late bloomer' has claimed the supreme title in the Hampshire Downs showing at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show, with the ewe triumphing ahead of the ram.
Judge Chris Marr, Goolagong, NSW, said the rising one-year-old entry from Jurambula stud, Henty NSW, was a "lovely ewe" that he would "love to take home".
"She's evenly balanced in the topline and front end, with a square end - we need good tail set up," he said.
Breeder Helen Raven said this was the ewe's first time at a show, after it had gained some extra condition and was looking good.
She said the ewe was something of a late bloomer but had always been an alert ewe within the flock.
The ewe will go on to be joined with an "appropriate" ram within the Jurambula closed Hampshire Downs flock.
The reserve champion ewe was also from Jurambula.
Ms Raven said she first started breeding Hampshire Downs after she was looking for a ram to join with her first-cross ewe flock.
"I saw a photo of a Hampy, thought it looked good," she said.
"After 12 months, I was so impressed, I bought a few ewes, then a few more."
This year, the stud joined 95 ewes.
"They are a sort of gentle giant," she said.
Mr Marr said his top ram and ewe were both great examples of young sheep, with the 86 kilogram champion ram "eye catching" as it first entered the ring.
"It's a beautifully refined ram that hasn't been overdone with a lot of feed but has lots of growth," he said.
"It has a lovely Hampy head."
The ram's measurements included a 44 millimetre muscle depth, and 99mm muscle width, 6mm fat depth and an eye muscle area of 33.54.
Breeders Andrew and Lauren Lakin, Glenelk Hampshire Downs, Lansfield, said the ram was a "standout from the start".
"He's set the benchmark for what we want to breed," Ms Lakin said.
"Since a couple of months old, he was always going to be in the show team."
She said the ram was one of three full brothers in the show team that were part of their embryo transfer program.
Its mother was a good ewe that was also a standout from their 2017 drop.
"We always liked the look of her lambs, they've been going well for us, so decided to flush her," she said.
Mr Lakin said the ram's sire was Wollondale 937-17, a sire they bought in that has been breeding well for them.
The reserve champion ram from Aurora Park, Horsham, had stood second to the champion in the shorn ram under 1.5-years class.
It weighed 88kg with 39.5mm muscle depth, 85mm muscle width, 6.5mm fat and 25.85EMA.
Mr Marr said the reserve had a "big future" head of it.
Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
