SOME great stories played out as champions were sashed at the 2021 Make Smoking History Williams Gateway Expo on April 10 and one of the more exciting was the contest for the Supreme champion sheep in the British and Australasian breeds' section.
Just two animals stood side by side for the ultimate award and it was something of a beauty and the beast contest with all eyes bedazzled by Codji Springs' flashy White Suffolk milk tooth ewe that had been prepared to perfection for the Williams event.
Up against her was a stretchy, well-muscled Poll Dorset ram that had already been a class winner and reserve champion ram at the Make Smoking History Wagin Woolorama last month and, like most sheep at the show, it displayed five to six weeks wool growth that looked unruly up against the clean freshly shorn surfaces of the Codji Springs' team appearing at their first show.
There were plenty of people in the audience who tipped the ewe to win but judges Laurie Fairclough, Stockdale White Suffolk and Poll Dorset studs, York and Rivers Hyde, Kohat White Suffolk stud, Ongerup, applied some good old basic commercial thinking to help them make the decision to award the top prize to the ram.
As spokesman Mr Fairclough said the ewe was outstanding in her presentation but once they put their hands on the ram, they could feel the carcase, and with the sheer amount of muscling, the meat, along with its commercial attributes, it had the slightest advantage.
The ram was bred by long-time breeder Wally Mills' Lakeside Park stud, Aldersyde, who in his later years has teamed with Stephen Eales from Popanyinning to manage and run his sheep alongside his own Elspeth Poll Dorset stud.
He said Mr Mills rarely exhibited sheep during his career and the win was his first major broad ribbon in more than 60 years of breeding Poll Dorsets.
The judges' decision was backed up by the Lakeside ram's impressive set of Australian Sheep Breeding Values that showed a Terminal Carcase Plus of 152.2.
The ram, ear tag 117/20, by Valma 492/18, also had +11.46 weaning weight, +17.3 post weaning weight and +2.7mm eye muscle breeding values and had proven early maturity attributes when it weighed 54.5 kilograms at 13.5 weeks of age.
At the other extreme, the supreme champion ewe of the Expo was owned by Ryan and Courtney Marwick's Codji Springs stud, Wandering, who were competing for only their second time since registering a stud in 2018.
Both times they have made a huge impression.
Their ewe CS 20/021 was one of the first drop of progeny by Baringa Jetsetter (18W159), a ram they bought in 2019 from New South Wales, that has a rare classic look-at-me photogenic outlook that captivated all onlookers.
Standing right at the top of the interbreed judging was Glenn and Kay Cole, Sasimwa Suffolk stud, York.
They won both interbreed reserve championships with a ewe and ram.
The big prize of the day was the Farm Weekly two-wheel motor bike and all seven breeds taking part at the show were represented by a group of two rams and two ewes in the contest.
Again, it was a great story with the Shepherd family from Narrogin scribing another chapter in their 2021 book of success.
After winning supreme sheep for the first time ever at Woolorama they followed it up by winning the motorbike at the expo.
The team included their Woolorama champion (ewe) but apart from winning the Poll Dorset group Leween did not win another blue ribbon and it was high overall quality and the evenness of their sheep that carried them to success.
Family spokesman Tim Shepherd said this year had been the most successful they had ever had in the show ring and he attributed it to the support from customers who allowed them to make the right decisions in pushing, year after year, to get more muscling into their breeding.
He also thanked the Williams Gateway Expo committee for their efforts and other breeders for their continuing support of the event.
The Leween team consisted of two sheep from their own breeding and two by the NSW sire Palana.
After a gap year in 2020 because of COVID-19, the expo was well and truly back on breeders' calendars with head steward Grant Bingham capping shed capacity at 226 sheep and turning away more than 30 late entries.
The show carried a reminder of the missing 2020 event with the grand champion ribbons all carrying a neat patch over last year's date, surely making them collectors' items in the future.
Poll Dorset
Poll Dorsets were represented by seven breeders and were the first into the ring and immediately presented judge Mr Fairclough with the biggest class of the day comprising 11 milk-tooth rams born before June 1.
The first to receive a blue ribbon was also the last sheep to receive a ribbon when the Mills/Eales combination started on the pathway to the supreme champion show exhibit.
Unlike some other classes it was a clear-cut decision for the judge with Mr Fairclough saying the Lakeside Park ram was a very well put-together sheep with a great top line and good shoulder settings.
"He is a very good carcase sheep with great length and you can't go far wrong breeding with a ram like that," Mr Fairclough said.
The reserve champion Poll Dorset ram (from the pairs class) was from the Squiers family's, Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading, and although it had good structure it wasn't carrying the condition of others and it was only when the judge felt the muscling that he made his decision.
He said others couldn't see what he could feel and he was prepared to back the ram's potential.
Another ram in contention for the reserve champion ribbon was a youngster from the Elspeth stud that won the older milk tooth ram class and was specially prepared for Williams after standing out in the flock.
It also caught the judge's eye with a "heap of fleshing, a good head and back end that would go well in a stud situation".
The pair of rams was won by Shirlee Downs.
The milk-tooth ewe classes, totalling 11 head, presented Mr Fairclough some of his toughest judgements with all displaying structural correctness and requiring some hair-splitting decisions.
The champion ewe was won by a Brimfield stud ewe bred by Max Whyte and Gail Cremasco, Kendenup.
The ewe won the younger milk tooth class with Leween second and Shirlee Downs third, but the judge said there was nothing in it.
"They are all beautiful ewes, plenty of meat in the back end, good top lines and shoulder settings - it is just my preference on the day," Mr Fairclough said.
Brimfield's champion ewe was a big sheep and would go on to do better things, he predicted.
The ewe had a long line of champions in her pedigree starting with the sire Brimfield 942/18 a former Woolorama champion.
The Squiers family, Dongadilling stud, Quairading, won the older milk tooth ewe class with show ring newcomer Rockalong stud, Wagin, owned by the Bolt family, picking up second place and a minor ribbon in the pair of ewes.
White Suffolk
Six studs contested the White Suffolk section and the inclusion of two studs not at Woolorama made the competition extra interesting.
Neither Ryan and Courtney Marwick, Codji Springs stud, who penned a team of 10 sheep and Rod and Shaun Simpson, Barby Downs stud, Quairading, showing White Suffolks for the first time, found the competition easy against more seasoned competitors.
Glenn and Kay Cole, Sasimwa stud, York, continued their great Woolorama success by winning the champion ram, but in every class Codji Springs had standout sheep and eventually took off the grand champion ribbon with their champion White Suffolk ewe that went on to become supreme ewe of the show.
The Sasimwa ram also had been the Woolorama champion and, for the owners, a second opinion from a different judge meant a lot.
Judge Rivers Hyde said he couldn't fault the ram.
"He would have a huge red meat yield in the hindquarter and carries himself well for such a big sheep," Mr Hyde said.
He found it hard to go past Codji Springs' superbly presented team and the stud picked up ribbons in all but one class.
Only one Codji Springs ewe had the power to prevent Sasimwa taking the grand championship and she received a glowing description from the judge.
"Both are standouts in their classes and the ram will make a bigger impact to the industry but that ewe - I can't fault her," Mr Hyde said.
"She is an elite animal with a great topline, neck extension and great muscling."
Codji Springs won the younger milk-tooth ram, the two-tooth ram, milk-tooth ewe and pair of ewes classes and had four ewes in the champion ewe line-up.
However, the stud found stiff competition at the top end with Shirlee Downs taking off the reserve champion ribbon with a two-tooth ewe based on her "outstanding commercial attributes".
Yonga Downs stud, owned by Brenton Addis, Gnowangerup, won the pair of rams class with one ram continuing on to become reserve champion ram.
The ram was by a Bundarra AI sire and the Expo was its first outing after failing to make the Woolorama team because of an injury.
Still a little bit light in condition, Mr Hyde was prepared to back the ram's potential saying it still had plenty of muscle and would present well later in the year.
Grant and Debbie Bingham's Iveston stud, Williams, collected a place ribbon in the milk-tooth ram class to take a share of the ribbons.
Suffolk
There were four studs in the running for ribbons in the Suffolk judging and it was the Sasimwa stud, York and Alibry stud, Wagin, which tasted success on the day.
Sasimwa stud principals Glenn and Kay Cole walked away with both the champion ram and champion ewe ribbons from the Suffolk classes.
By having a clean sweep of the champion ribbons it also meant the stud was a shoe in for the grand champion ribbon, it was just a case of which exhibit would get the judges nod.
In the end Mr Hyde couldn't go past the Sasimwa ewe for his grand champion exhibit.
He said the champion Suffolk ewe that won best of breed was a very nice ewe and there was nothing against the ram, but the ewe was just a nicer sheep on the day.
"It was a fairly easy decision, it had good hindquarters, stood up well and the meat quality in the ewe was great," he said.
The ewe was in the championship line-up after placing first in its class for ewes showing milk teeth only (born on or before June 30), ahead of nine other ewes.
When it came to Sasimwa's champion ram Mr Hyde said it was a very well-balanced ram.
"It is nice though the hindquarters, it is very correct and has great muscling," he said.
The champion ram also came from the milk tooth class for rams born or before June 30, where it had to beat out four other entries for the first-placed ribbon.
Both reserve ribbons went to Alison Batt's Alibry stud, Wagin.
Mr Hyde said the reserve champion ewe had a good outlook and topline but just didn't quite have the hindquarter of the champion ewe, while the reserve champion from Alibry showed depth and length of body.
Other studs in the Suffolk judging were Kalinda stud, Boyanup and Karinya stud, Boyup Brook.
South Suffolk
In the South Suffolk section, three studs competed against each other for the champion ribbons and between them they presented 19 sheep for Mr Hyde to assess.
Taking top honours in the breed were the Bingham family's Iveston stud, Williams and Tim Beech's Windle Hill stud, Mt Barker.
The Iveston stud collected the champion ram and reserve champion ram ribbons.
Mr Hyde said the Iveston rams were both easy doing, very natural, structurally correct rams.
"They are good paddock performance rams," he said.
Both the champion and reserve champion rams from Iveston stood in the champion ram line-up after finishing first and second for rams showing milk teeth only, born on or before June 30.
Ewe classes were dominated by the Windle Hill stud which collected both the champion and reserve champion ewe ribbons.
Mr Hyde said the champion was a standout of all the ewes presented.
"It caught my eye from the start," he said.
"It has a great topline, good neck extension and great fleshing."
Both the reserve and champion ewes came from the milk teeth only (born on or before June 30) class, where they placed first and second in a field of four.
When the champion ram from Iveston and the champion ewe from Windle Hill went up against each other for the grand champion Mr Hyde presented the ribbon to the Iveston ram.
Mr Hyde said the ram was a clear winner for the grand champion ribbon as it was bigger and more powerful than the ewe.
Wiltipoll
Wiltipoll breeders rallied to present 22 sheep from four studs for judge Laurie Fairclough and contested five classes.
Well recognised stud breeders Brian and Neroli Smith, Neribri stud, Boyanup, entered just four milk tooth-sheep and dominated the blue ribbons.
Neribri took out first and second in the ram lamb class and first and third in the ewe lamb class, but with most sheep just finishing their mating season judge Laurie Fairclough found the breed a little more challenging than others.
He still found good structure and feet in his classes and plenty of fleshing on the top sheep but also found a greater variance in type across the breed.
Neribri won the champion and reserve champion ram as well as the champion ewe.
The reserve champion ewe was won by another experienced breeder Ross and Ruth Miller, Eaglenook stud, Keysbrook, with a five-year-old ewe that had been a fantastic ewe in her day and still maintained a good hindquarter, smooth shoulders, length and good shedding fleece, according to the judge.
The section was contested by newer breeders Pam Goodwin, Patchomama stud, North Dandalup, who won the older ram class and Rose Young, Abasha stud, Coolup, who won the pair of ewes.
The grand champion went to Neribri's ram for its commercial meat traits and was commended as a ram that would do the breed a power of good in the future.
Ile de France
The Ile de France results of the Woolorama were largely over turned at the expo with a different judge taking a different view on the same sheep.
Brothers Ray Batt, Goldenover stud, Cuballing, and Colin Batt and family, Alcostro stud, Wagin, were the only two competitors and although they have shared genetics over the years they have aimed for different types.
This time it was Alcostro's turn to dominate the broad ribbons with thicker, heavier types preferred by judge Laurie Fairclough.
The champion ram and grand champion Ile de France was won by Alcostro with a milk-tooth the judge described as a huge well-structured ram with fantastic muscling and a very masculine head and people would have to go a long way to see a better sheep.
Reserve champion ram went to the second placegetter from Goldenover that had been the supreme champion at Wagin.
Goldenover also took out the champion ewe with a sheep that showed powerful muscling and strength while retaining a good degree of femininity through the neck and shoulders.
The important group and pair classes went Alcostro's way.
Colin Batt, who runs the stud with daughter Alison, said he was reluctant to push his sheep too hard for the earlier show saying there was always a risk of cutting their two teeth and during the five to six weeks since Woolorama his show team had continued to fill out.
His line-up highlighted the full strength and power of the breed especially standing up against other breeds in the group judging for the motorbike.
Texel
JimJan Texel stud, Boyup Brook, has been a stalwart of the Williams Gateway Expo and was the sole stud flying the breed's banner.
Studmasters Jim and Jan Glover's chance to shine in the ring was over in a flash with all six sheep coming into the ring at once and draped with their appropriate sashes in rapid succession.
The all-important grand champion ribbon went to a milk tooth ewe appraised by Mr Fairclough who declared it a well-made young sheep that had the quality and smoothness up-front.
