Kaya stud awarded the best Dorper title

Judge Kim Batten, Douwana Dorper stud, Yuna, came a long way to participate in the day's judging and the entries didn't disappoint.

It was a ram from Kaya Dorper that finished in first place in the ram over one year class that went all the way to the top and won the purple grand champion ribbon after it caught Mr Batten's eye the minute it entered the ring.

"He's just a fantastic ram," Mr Batten said.

"It is going to provide the Dorper breed with a lot of good things.

"This is the sort of sheep the breed needs - with plenty of strength, scale and quality of frame.

"He stands up well and I also liked his smoothness through the shoulders which is hard to breed into Dorpers of this scale."

The champion ram was pitted against the champion ewe from Lynkm Springs Dorper stud, Cervantes, which came from the ewe under one-year-old class.

"She might be young but I see a lot of potential in her," Mr Batten said.

"There is a nice depth through the body but she also maintains the length to go with it.

"She is still in the growing phase and I am confident in another 12 months, this young ewe will look fantastic with a lot to give back to the breed."

Lynkm Springs Dorper stud principal Kim Hammarquist said the champion ewe was a March 2016-drop lamb and sired by last year's grand champion Dorper.

The reserve champions were also from the winning studs.

Kaya Dorper took home the reserve champion ram ribbon with another quality entry from the ram over one-year-old class.

Mr Batten liked the muscling through the body of the ram in second, particularly the muscling in the legs, but said the ram on top was the clear choice.

The reserve champion ewe was the winner of the ewe over one-year-old class from Lynkm Springs.

Mr Batten said while the older ewe certainly had a good outlook, the potential of the younger ewe was hard to go past.