It took a couple of days to get through all of the sheep classes at the 2020 Royal Canberra Show before the interbreed judging was undertaken.
In the shortwool sheep section judges Finlay MacDonald, Fairburn White Suffolks, Porcupine Ridge, Victoria, Tim Ferguson, Mallee Park Poll Dorsets, Hopetoun, Vic and associate Callum Burrell, Canterbury, NZ officiated.
Shortwool breeds represented included Dorset Horn, Poll Dorset, White Suffolk, Suffolk and Texel.
In the individual shortwool gender sections, the supreme shortwool ram was awarded to the Poll Dorset exhibited by James Frost, Hillden Poll Dorsets, Crookwell.
Acclaimed for his growth and balance for a young ram, the powerful animal caught the attention of all for his shear scale and outlook.
At 10 months the Poll Dorset ram weighed 134 kilograms, having been 72kg when weaned at 16 weeks onto crop, where he gained 630 grams per day.
Co-studmaster of Hillden Poll Dorsets, James Frost said his family had already used the ram as a sire and were eagerly looking forward to seeing his lambs on the ground.
Mr Frost said his supreme shortwool ram was a son Hillden 860-17 who was reserve junior champion at the Australasian Dorset Championship Show and Sale held in Bendigo in 2018.
"That ram is proving to be a good sire in our stud and we have a lot of very good lambs coming along by him," Mr Frost said.
"The supreme's dam was the supreme exhibit at the 2018 Dorset Championships at Cowra and supreme short wool exhibit at the 2018 Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo."
Mr Frost said he was impressed by the overall balance for such a large ram.
"I like him for his sirey outlook, carcase traits and good bone," he said.
"He has tremendous stretch and length and depth of body, and softness which is important when we are looking to have excellent meat eating quality.
"Dad started the stud 50 years ago so this is a terrific result for all of the time he has put into the stud."
Mr Frost said the ram would be shown at the 2020 Royal Easter Show in Sydney next month.
The supreme shortwool ewe, a White Suffolk, was exhibited by Doug and Scott Mitchell, Rene, Culcairn.
In what was her first show, she came through the milk tooth shorn White Suffolk classes to be named champion ewe under judge Finlay MacDonald.
Among a classy line of White Suffolk ewes in the breed classes, Mr MacDonald thought she was a very smart ewe with a lot of presence.
Breeder Scott Mitchell said she was one of the better ewes bred in the family run stud and exactly the standard that he and his father, Doug, continually strived to produce with their breeding program.
Sired by Rene 56-18, the supreme ewe was from the reserve champion White Suffolk ewe at the 2019 Royal Canberra Show.
"She has beautiful balance with a terrific constitution," Mr Mitchell said.
"With muscling right through her loin and back legs she has an exceptionally beautiful topline but still retains her femininity."
Mr Mitchell said it was important to have correct structure in the sheep for them to perform and reproduce in the paddock under all seasonal conditions and in various regions.
"You have got to have good structure for longevity and productivity in your sheep," he said.
"We are in the business of producing prime lambs which meet consumer demand and the more lambs we can breed the greater our returns."