AN upstanding Poll Merino sire soared above the opposition in the Merino judging ring at the IGA Perth Royal Show last Sunday to claim the judging ultimate award.
In the grass judging ring, the ram from the Mullan family’s Eastville Park stud, Wickepin, showed the same level of dominance to what the West Coast Eagles showed the day before at Optus Stadium over Melbourne.
While it was the Eagles’ superior play and hardness which landed them the win and the opportunity to play in the AFL Grand Final, it was the ram’s superior traits and presence in the ring which won it the Merino breeders’ equivalent of a premiership cup – the broad purple supreme ribbon.
When the outstanding sire was announced the supreme exhibit, it marked the first time the stud had collected the prestigious supreme ribbon at the Perth Royal Show in about 30 years of showing.
The win also meant it was the first time the stud had collected a supreme ribbon in WA despite exhibiting the supreme exhibit at the Adelaide Royal Show in 2001.
When the stud won in Adelaide it was a Merino ram named ‘Wal’ which won for the stud.
Before the ram earned the supreme ribbon it had to overcome a Poll Merino ewe from its own stable, a Merino sire named Bunga and a Poll Merino ram which was sashed the junior champion, both from the Claypans stud, Corrigin, and a Merino ewe from the Manunda stud, Tammin.
It wasn’t an easy decision for the judges because the other exhibits, like Melbourne did in the second half, put up some fight as they too were four really good sheep.
But in the end they decided they couldn’t go past the Eastville Park sire for its presence, scale and production capabilities.
Strong wool judge Brad Eaton, Olinda stud, Wyalkatchem, said all five sheep in the line-up were top sheep and a credit to the vendors.
“In the end the Eastville Park ram was our pick for the day,” Mr Eaton said.
“He has scale, size and plenty of production.
“He is up on his feet, has plenty of length of body and is a well-finished sheep with a good crimpy wool.”
Also full of praise for the medium wool sire was medium wool judge John Dalla, Orrie Cowie stud, Warooka, South Australia, who started the ram on its winning way in its equivalent of a first-quarter, its opening class.
Mr Dalla said it was a massive sheep with plenty of scale and production ability.
“It is a big, square, powerful ram, which is extremely well made and well finished,” Mr Dalla said.
“He also is a really productive sire with a lot of good, crimpy wool.”
The ram started on its winning run in the medium wool Poll Merino ram class in front of three other sires.
From there it went on to be sashed the grand champion Poll Merino ram.
The six-tooth, ET-bred ram, is by Kamballie Axle and out of Eastville Park 7 (Coromandel 2 daughter), which was sashed the champion medium wool Merino ewe at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Bendigo, in 2014.
In the ring it carried wool measurements of 20.5 micron, 3.9 SD, 19.0 CV and 99.6 per cent comfort factor (CF).
Poll Merinos
The Eastville Park supreme exhibit, like the Eagles, did get some pressure applied on occasions in the Poll Merino judging and was chased most of the day – like Melbourne was doing to the Eagles – by an impressive woolled ram from the Bolt family’s Claypans stud, when it was sashed the reserve grand champion Poll Merino ram.
Taking home the green reserve grand champion ribbon for the stud was a well-made medium wool ram and when it received its ribbon, Mr Dalla said the ram had a lovely rich skin and showed great nourishment.
“He is a top woolled ram not only in terms of quality but quantity as there is plenty of him,” Mr Dalla said.
“He also has a beautiful head and is structurally sound.
“However he just came up against a much bigger and more productive ram on the day, he just didn’t have the scale of the Eastville Park ram.”
The six-tooth ram is ET-bred by Claypans 683 and out of Claypans 800.
It had wool figures of 18.2 micron, 4.2 SD, 24.2 CV and 98.6pc CF.
The ram came into the grand champion line-up after it finished second behind the Eastville Park ram in the medium wool Poll Merino ram class and was sashed the reserve champion medium wool Poll Merino ram.
The Eastville Park stud took the double in the Poll Merino classes when a ewe described as the ultimate package was sashed the grand champion Poll Merino ewe.
Mr Dalla said the ewe was a great ewe to look at and picture perfect.
“If you had to draw a picture of a ewe, you would draw it of her” Mr Dalla said.
“She has great make and shape and is extremely well-balanced.
“She is also well-finished and carries a quality well-nourished wool all over and there is no variation in it from head to toe.
“She is an absolute picture and the ultimate package.”
Prior to being sashed the grand champion, the ewe was sashed the champion medium wool Poll Merino ewe and won its class for medium wool ewes over 1.5 years, showing a minimum four permanent teeth in front of four other ewes.
The six-tooth ewe is from a syndicate mating of Eastville Park rams based on Coromandel 2 bloodlines and carried wool figures of 17.4 micron, 3.2 SD, 18.4 CV and 99.9pc CF.
Like in the ram championship, it was an exhibit from the Claypans stud which was sashed the reserve grand champion.
Mr Dalla said the reserve grand champion Poll Merino ewe from Claypans had a magnificent fibre which displayed tremendous nourishment.
“She has unbelievable wool quality and wool capacity,” Mr Dalla said.
“She has fantastic skin and it is pumping out plenty of white, nourished, lustrous wool.”
It was also sashed the reserve champion medium wool Poll Merino ewe and stood second to the Eastville Park champion in their opening medium wool class for medium wool ewes over 1.5 years.
The four-tooth, ET-bred ewe is by Claypans 683 and out of Claypans 800.
In the ring it carried wool figures of 19.7 micron, 3.7 SD, 18.8 CV and 99.6pc CF.
Merinos
Top honours were shared in the Merino judging with the Claypans stud, exhibiting the grand champion Merino ram and the Manunda stud exhibiting the grand champion ewe.
Winning the grand champion ribbon for the Bolt family’s stud was ‘Bunga’ – the ram that featured on the Australian Wool Innovation posters with Eagles captain Shannon Hurn and Fremantle Dockers captain Nat Fyfe.
When Bunga received the ribbon it marked the first time the Claypans stud had exhibited a grand champion Merino ram at a show in WA.
When announcing the ram as the grand champion judge Simon Bahr, Meadow View stud, Henty, New South Wales, said the ram had great overall presence and balance.
“He is square on his feet and has a good sirey head,” Mr Bahr said.
“He also has a beautiful, long-stapled, white wool which he carries right down really well.”
Prior to being sashed the grand champion, the ram was sashed the champion medium wool Merino ram and won its class for medium wool rams.
At this point Mr Dalla said it was a big upstanding ram with a soft, nourished wool.
The ET-bred ram is by Claypans 683 and out of Claypans 800.
In the ring it carried wool figures of 19.7 micron, 3.6 SD, 18.3 CV and 99.5pc CF.
Standing reserve to the Claypans sire and being sashed the reserve grand champion Merino ram was a strong wool sire from the Eastville Park stud.
Mr Bahr said the ram had a good barrel and spring of rib to go with a good wool which carries from top to bottom.
“He also has a very good head and body,” Mr Bahr.
“His wool is exceptional and he has a really good lock structure for a strong wool ram.”
The ram is by Navanvale 15 and carried wool figures of 19.8 micron, 3.8 SD, 19.2 CV and 99.7pc CF.
The ram was also sashed the champion strong wool Merino ram.
In the ewe classes it was a strong wool ewe from the Button family’s Manunda stud that was sashed the grand champion Merino ewe.
Mr Bahr said it displayed excellent maturity for a young (1yo) ewe.
“She has good scale for her age and excellent structure,” Mr Bahr said.
“She also has an excellent strong wool, which is long-stapled and extremely white.”
The Manunda ewe was also sashed the champion strong wool Merino ewe and won its class for strong wool ewes under 1.5 years, showing no more than two permanent teeth.
The two-tooth ewe is by Rhamily Daniel, a ram Manunda purchased in partnership with East Mundalla privately at the Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days three years ago and it had wool figures of 19.9 micron, 3.0 SD, 15.1 CV and 99.9pc CF.
The Rintoul family’s Tilba Tilba stud, Williams, exhibited the reserve grand champion Merino ewe.
Mr Bahr said the ewe had exceptional wool for a fine wool but it just lacked the scale of the champion.
“For her type she is an excellent fine wool and has excellent purity which she carries right underneath,” Mr Bahr said.
The four-tooth ewe is from the stud’s dark blue family and had wool figures of 17.0 micron, 3.2 SD, 18.8 CV and 100pc CF.
The ewe stood in the grand champion line-up after being sashed the champion fine wool ewe and winning its class for fine wool ewes over 1.5 years in front of three other ewes.
