MARCH-SHORN exhibits from Merryville, Grassy Creek and Shalimar Park studs shared the grand champion broad ribbon spoils in the 2015 Sydney Royal superfine ring.
Under the eye of judge, Brent Thornbury, Leenavale Merino and Poll Merino stud, Sorell, Tasmania, the Merriman family's Merryville stud exhibited the March-shorn champion and grand ram, the Corkhill family's Grassy Creek stud claimed both the March-shorn reserve champion and reserve grand ram and champion and grand ewe sashes, and the van Eyk family's Shalimar Park stud showed the March-shorn champion and reserve grand ewe.
Merryville's March-shorn ram and grand ram, drawn from the six-tooth class, was sired by Merryville Brilliant Super 14, which was the 2011 Sydney Royal champion superfine ram.
The ram carried a 17-micron fleece, with a standard deviation (SD) of 2.3 micron, a 13.5 per cent coefficient of variation (CV), and a 99.8pc comfort factor (CF).
Merryville also exhibited the August-shorn reserve ram, also drawn from the six-tooth class (32), which was previously champion August-shorn superfine ram at Canberra Royal, sired by EM Supreme, both a Sydney Royal supreme ram and Canberra Royal fine wool champion.
The August-shorn ram's fleece tested 18.8 micron, with a SD of 2.6 microns, a 13.8pc CV, and 99.9pc CF.
Both the Corkhill family's March-shorn reserve champion and reserve grand ram, and the stud's March-shorn champion and grand ewe were both sired by Nerstane 910 through artificial insemination.
The ram, drawn from the two-tooth class, had previously been reserve finewool March-shorn ram at the 2014 National Merino Show and Sale, Dubbo, and carried a 16.2-micron fleece with a SD of 2.6 micron, a 16pc CV and 99.8pc CF.
The ram was out of Grassy Creek's 2011 Tom Culley Award winner; this ewe also was reserve grand finewool ewe at Sydney Royal and champion finewool ewe at the Great Southern Supreme Show (GSSM) in Canberra the same year.
This followed on from the ewe winning champion finewool March-shorn ewe at both the Dubbo National and the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo in 2010.
The Rayner family's Grathlyn stud, Mudgee, exhibited the August-shorn ewe (34), which came to Sydney holding the champion and reserve grand champion superfine titles from this year's GSSM show.
Grathlyn's 2015 Sydney Royal August-shorn ewe carried an 18.5 micron fleece with a SD of 3.1 micron, 16.8pc CV and 99.3 CF.
Armidale stud, Alfoxton, operated by Chris and Cindy Clonan, exhibited the August-shorn ram, Alfoxton Envoy (20), drawn from the four-tooth class, and also sired by Alfoxton President.
The Clonans sold a half brother to President, Alfoxton Diplomat, in 2010 for $46,000 to a syndicate of buyers from NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
