For the third consecutive year, the Gilmore family of Tattykeel stud, Oberon have claimed the esteemed Peter Taylor Memorial Perpetual Trophy for a group of three outstanding sheep in the meat and dual purpose breed at the Sydney Royal.
The Peter Taylor group is awarded for the best group of one ram and two ewes, bred by the exhibitor, showing milk teeth only.
Included in the group was the supreme prime lamb ewe won with their earlier sashed grand champion Poll Dorset ewe.
Praised by Poll Dorset judge Garry Armstrong, Marrar, for her ability to do nothing wrong, Tattykeel 16032, an April 2016-drop ewe, was by Tattykeel Immortal, the ram that won a number of broad ribbons in 2014 including supreme exhibit at NSW Sheep Show, Dubbo, and out of a Tattykeel stud ewe. She weighed 97 kilograms.
Leading the group was the earlier judged reserve grand champion Poll Dorset ram.
Tattykeel 160117 climbed the champion ranks after being part of the pair that claimed the blue ribbon for the pair of rams class showing milk teeth only.
The imposing 130kg ram is also by Tattykeel Immortal and was explained by James Gilmore, Tattykeel stud, as having a particularly good carcase and squareness from behind.
Making up the group was another offspring of Immortal a young ewe out of the wining pair of ewes alongside the supreme prime lamb ewe exhibit.
Tattykeel stud principal Graham Gilmore said the 98kg ewe has terrific overall balance. She had a beautiful top-line with well laid shoulders, Mr Gilmore said.
The Immortal offspring trio were all from winning pair classes, classes Mr Gilmore believes are the most important as it proves their consistency.
The difficult thing is to get two animals that are even in breed type, he said. So, if we can, we put our best sheep in the pairs. Often there are times the difference between our best animal and the next best is not very much that pair of ewes is a good example.
He said Immortal has bred particularly well for them because of his tight pedigree and the quality of his dam.
Immortal, who was only shown as a ram lamb, was only ever beaten once, that was at Sydney Royal by the Tattykeel junior champion ram that year, Torque.
This year Tattykeel came in third position with their Australian White team with the White Suffolk trio exhibited by Boorehma, Braidwood, awarded second place.
This was Tattykeels 18th time winning the Peter Taylor trophy in the 34 years the class has been in place.
