POLL Dorsets were confirmed supreme of the 2017 Hillsdale Rural NSW State Sheep Show for the fifth consecutive year at the weekend.
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The Gilmore family’s Tattykeel Poll Dorset stud, Oberon, captured the supreme exhibit for the fifth year with its short wool grand champion and supreme interbreed ram.
As well, Tattykeel exhibited the supreme champion interbreed ewe with its Poll Dorset grand champion, plus the interbreed supreme group with its winning three head, comprising a ram and two ewes.
Co-principal, Graham Gilmore, said this was the sixth occasion Tattykeel had won a supreme exhibit with a Poll Dorset ram, the first being in the inaugural year of the Sandra Wilson-Tink Memorial Trophy established in 2009.
During the breed judging the day prior, judge, Jamie Ramm, Bobar stud, Braidwood, awarded the ram breed supreme because of “his overall presence, balance and sire appeal”.
“Plus his terrific weight for age as he still holds his lambs teeth,” Mr Ramm said.
Supreme award judging was separated into long and short wool breeds, with all breed judges officiating. This resulted in the Border Leicesters emerging from the long wool section to go head to head the Poll Dorsets from the short wool class. The Poll Dorsets ultimately winning ewe and ram supreme titles.
The Grinter family’s Retallack stud, Ariah Park, dominated the long-wool classes with its Border Leicester winning group of three (one ram and two ewes), grand champion ewe and grand champion ram.
Border Leicesters were the feature breed, attracting 71 rams and 86 ewes from 25 exhibitors.
Another record was broken in the inter-school group award by Peel High School, Tamworth, which has now won the Gilgunyah Shield for the fourth consecutive year with its Suffolks.
The school’s group (one ram and two ewes group) paraded by three students, was among eight groups that contested a schools competition, where half the points are derived from the sheep, the remainder from the students’ knowledge of their breed, preparation and feeding.
A total of 740 stud sheep were entered by exhibitors from three states representing 11 individual breeds at the two-day show. With the addition of the prime lamb competition entries and sheep shearing competition entries, the 144th Regional Australia Bank Dubbo Show featured close to 3000 head. The event’s main sponsor was Hillsdale Rural, Douglas Park, near Sydney.
Poll Dorset crosses top hoof and hook
TIME-tested prime lambs by a Poll Dorset sire and from a Border Leicester/Merino dam took out the coveted grand champion hoof and hook Paul Sinclair Memorial Shield at the 2017 Dubbo Show Prime Lamb Hoof and Hook competition last weekend.
October 2016-drop lambs bred by Maree O’Connor and son, Josh, “Lynwood”, Eumungerie, were sired by Tattykeel and Narranmore Poll Dorset rams and from first-cross ewes.
Poll Dorset crosses featured in six of the eight major awards, with White Suffolk crosses taking the other two.
This year the competition attracted 44 exhibitors showing 528 lambs representing nine breeds and shared in $30,000 prize money.
The charity auction later raised $27,000 for 19 charities when 42 lambs and two piglets sold. The proceeds were donated by the buyer. A lamb from the grand champion pen made $3400 for charity, Make a Wish Foundation. A lamb from the reserve grand pen made $1350 for the Dubbo Volunteer Rescue Squad.
