AN 18.2 micron son of the imported New Zealand sire, Blairich 316, sold for the top price of $5500 at Grathlyn Merino stud's 31st annual on-property sale at Hargraves near Mudgee last Thursday.
Blairich 316 sired the 2019 Sydney Royal grand champion ultrafine ewe and Australian Sheep and Wool Show (Bendigo) grand champion ultrafine ram.
The auction cleared 22 of 26 ram for an average of $1432 with the sale-topper heading to Western Australia.
Courtney Sutherland, a WA sheep classing consultant, selected the ram on behalf of James and Peter McLagan, who are forming a superfine stud within their Eungai Merino stud at Miling, WA.
Working with the McLagans for the past five years, Mr Sutherland said the Eungai stud of some 1100 medium wool ewes was founded originally on The Grange blood, however, the McLagans decided to establish a superfine flock within and this ram would be one of the foundation sires.
"This ram's figures and scale are pretty impressive for his age," Mr Sutherland said.
The McLagans will also be using semen of Grathlyn Wang, the 2018 Sydney grand champion superfine ram with August shorn wool, which also won the grand champion short wool ram at Bendigo in the same year and will sire early growth progeny.
The sale was conducted by Australian Wool Network, Mudgee, and Landmark, Dubbo with John Settree, Landmark, the auctioneer.
