ANGORA exhibits were so good, the judge wanted to take them all home to Texas, USA.
Fred L Specks Junior, is the fourth generation of Angora breeders, his great-grandfather began breeding in 1900.
As he is the third Fred L, he was nicknamed Trey, and while his father now operates Speck Angoras at Kerrville, Trey is an orthopedic surgeon in Galverston, Texas, practicing for the past seven years.
Speck Angoras run some 1000 goats of which 310 are breeding does in the self-replacing stud flock.
But while Trey Speck has precise eye skills for within the operating theatre, his eye for quality breeding stock certainly was just as acute.
Angora judging is divided into three sections, kid, junior and senior with kids and juniors the mainstay in numbers exhibited.
As well as open classes, each section has classes for school entries with Willow Glen stud West Wyalong High School and Bossley Park stud from Bossley Park High School and Dubbo College South Campus.
Mohair Australia Eastern Branch encourages school participation in the breed and during the show offers, among other sponsorship, a trophy for the schools championship.
In a full day of judging of 19 single classes made up from 43 kids, 28 juniors and 13 seniors, Mr Speck adjudicated over championships and four groups.
He chose for his best Angora of show the grand champion junior, Cullbookie Geronimo, exhibited by Debbie Scattergood, Cullbookie stud, Bungendore, winner of the 18 to 24 months class from eight entries and junior buck championship.
Mr Speck said the buck had “great staple and vast amount of hair production”.
Grand champion kid was the six to 12 months doe classwinner Cullbookie Florencia, also shown by Debbie Scattergood and described by the judge as an excellent specimen of the breed.
Grand champion senior Angora was the senior champion doe and 36 months and older classwinner, Rivers 1244, shown by Helene and Wouter Ypma, Rivers stud, Brogo near Bega.
Mr Speck said for a doe nearly five years of age, she maintains a fleece of a kid – “an outstanding animal”.
Willow Bend stud, West Wyalong, exhibited both champion and reserve schools exhibits, both does with the champion earlier winning the school 12 to 18 months class.
Rivalry among friends in Angora goat ring
THREE studs dominated in broad ribbon distribution in the Angora goat showring at Sydney Royal.
The most dominant being Debbie Scattergood of Cullbookie stud, Bungendore.
She has been breeding Angoras for 38 years and currently runs a breeding herd of 400 does.
It started back in the 1970s when she began crossbreeding with Australian Bush goats and later imported eight rams from Africa and Texas.
“Now all three bloodlines are carefully mixed,” she said.
The goats are shorn twice a year when staple lengths are 160 millimetres long.
Ms Scattergood said she expected to get close to $100 from the first fleece off both her champion and reserve kid does.
“Any average fleece will fetch about $19 a kilograms, but I gain on average around $25/kg.”
She said the elite market for super-styled kid fleeces could attract $53/kg from the first kid shearing.
Having exhibited at Sydney Royal for some 35 years and winning best exhibits on multiple occasions, Ms Scattergood said Angoras had always been her love.
Cullbookie stud took home 12 broad ribbons.
Close behind in the ribbon distribution is breeder friends Helene and Wouter Ypma of Rivers stud, Bega, who first started showing at Sydney Royal from the first year the show moved to Homebush.
They established their stud 35 years ago after breeding dairy goats for many years.
“We kept a few Angora wethers to get the dairy goats company, but got hooked on them and began breeding,
Mrs Ypma said.
Herd numbers vary on seasons, but the Ypmas are currently running 300 head including 150 breeding does.
The Ypmas won two champions and two reserves.
Nick and Kate Gorrie, Dulark stud, Hall, exhibited the reserve senior champion doe, Dulark Jamila.
