It was all about the basics of carcase and structure in the White Suffolk judging ring yesterday at the NSW State Sheep Show, held as part of the Dubbo Show.
The broadribbons were battled out between two studs in particular – the Gilmore family’s Baringa stud from Oberon and the Wall family’s Borrehma stud, from Braidwood.
However, the ram from Baringa stud took out the eventual supreme award in what was ultimately a splitting of hairs type decision for judge, Anthony Hurst, Seriston Suffolk and White Suffolk stud, Lucindale, South Australia.
In making his decision to pick the Baringa ram as the grand ram, Mr Hurst said he liked its structural correctness and breed type and it had adequate muscling in the topline and hindquarter.
“It’s probably the best balanced ram that we’ve seen all day,” he said.
It was this balance that got the Baringa ram over the reserve ram, Premier 17P015, exhibited by Braydon Gilmore, Premier stud, Oberon.
Braydon Gilmore, who’s family also owns Baringa stud, said the champion ram, Baringa 17W005, was an embryo transfer lamb by Baringa Triumph and from Baringa Princess Kate, the 2014 supreme prime lamb dam at Sydney Royal.
He said 17W005 was just 12 months old, but would be offered at the Adelaide Elite sale in September.
When Mr Hurst placed the Baringa ram over the Borrehma ewe for champion White Suffolk, he said it was splitting hairs, but the sire appeal of the ram, its structural correctness and muscling “that we’ve talked about all day”, and its trmendous wool and skin, were what got it the top award.
Mr Gimore said the Premier ram in reserve, 17P015, was an August-2017 drop ram by Premier 15P021, which was sold to the Westleigh stud, Arrarat, Victoria, but semen was retained and used in the Baringa stud.
His dam was a half sister to Premier Optimum, sold privately to Seriston stud, owned by the judge, for $16,000 in 2014.
This ram will also be offered at the Adelaide sale.
Borrehma also cleaned up in the objective measurement classes, taking both the ram and ewe first places.
The 11-month-old Borrehma 31, by a Wingamin ram from South Australia, took first place, weighing 100.5 kilograms and having scanned a 43 millimetre eye muscle depth and seven millimetre fat depth.
The Borrehma ewe, 198, by a homebred sire called Borrehma Larry, weighed 85.5kg, and scanned 42mm EMD and 7mm fat depth.
