GRAND champion White Suffolk ram was a standout right from when he walked into the judging ring, according to the judge, Nick Lawrence, Pinnacle stud, Bordertown, South Australia.
He judged the 16 classes in the section, which included 35 rams and 27 ewes from nine exhibitors at the 2018 Sydney Royal Show.
Mr Lawrence said there were a number of good rams within the classes, but the grand champion struck him straight away in his class as an easy winner.
When I got all the first-placegetters out in line, without touching them I could see he was my winner.
His comments were for the woolly milk-tooth ram class winner from the Gilmore familys Baringa stud, Oberon, who returned to Sydney Royal after a two year absence.
This was the first outing by the son of Baringa Triumph, the sire of Baringa Magnum in which a half-share was sold to Delta Grove stud for $20,000.
The grand champions dam is Baringa Princess Kate, the supreme Prime Lamb Dam of Sydney Royal in 2014.
Baringa stud was most successful exhibitor of the breed.
Reserve grand champion ram was exhibited by Mick Wall, Borrehma stud, Braidwood, and sired by a SA bred Wingamin sire and from a homebred Borrehma dam.
This ram was a class-winner at Canberra Royal Show in February and among 12 exhibits from Mr Walls stud at Sydney Royal.
The Wall familys Borrehma stud returned to feature in the ewe section exhibiting the grand champion with the under one year milk teeth shorn class-winner by a homebred sire and was the champion ewe at Canberra Royal and Braidwood this year.
Mr Lawrence said the grand champion ewe was a very good type.
She had plenty of meat through the loin and an exceptional topline, and for feet, shes probably the best sheep Ive seen here today.
The success for Borrehma stud adds to those in the past six years of exhibiting at Sydney where it was most successful exhibitor in 2016 and 2017.
Reserve grand champion ewe award went to Merton stud of Bruce Stanford and family, Mudgee.
This ewe was a lone entry in the woolly under one year milk teeth class, but was not missed by the judge.
Mr Lawrence said he found the ewe exceptional for type.
The only reason she didnt get champion is that the champion was slightly better in the feet and slightly better through the muscling on the topline.
In group classes Borrehma stud was selected as the trio to represent the White Suffolk breed in the Peter Taylor interbreed group class.
Other studs featuring in ribbon distribution included Macarthur stud of Macarthur Anglican School, Camden, showing first and second in the ewe one year milk teeth shorn class; Kinellar stud of the Patterson family, Cudal, winning the under one shorn milk teeth ram born April-May 2017 and second born June 1 to July 17 class, and the production class.
Mr Lawrence said considering the numbers entered, the quality was exceptional.
