A superior embryo-donor ewe within Roseville Park stud produced her second consecutive leading sale team son at last Wednesday's Dubbo Merino National sale selling for the fixture's top price of $31,000.
The ewe, RP13-400, has produced the leading standout poll ram of the stud's drop for each of the past four years and is sired by Coddington Uardry Eclipse, the 2013 Bendigo ram that sold for $28,000 and a son of the stud's noted sire, RP09-14.
Stud co-principal, Matthew Coddington, said RP13-400 was flushed twice each year for embryos and joined to different rams.
"It doesn't matter who we join her to, her lambs have always been the fastest growth rate lambs with the heaviest body weights of the drop at weaning," Mr Coddington said.
So far, she has produced more than 30 progeny.
The stud's $31,000 Dubbo sale-topper, RP18-0043, is a poll ram sired by Willandra GP and a full brother to the stud's 2019 top selling poll draft ram which sold at $10,000 for the Coddington family's Merino enterprise just south of Dubbo, to Rodger Glover, Mallibee stud, Wannamal, WA.
Five Merino studs combined to purchase 0043, three from Victoria, one from NSW all buying a semen share while full possession goes to New Zealand. Hay-based stud consultant and sheep classer Chris Bowman, bid on their behalf.
Other buyers included Jim Darmody, Wantana Hills stud, Boorowa, and three Victorian studs including Wurrook at Rokewood; Melrose at Horsham, and Salt Creek, Woorndoo.
The Small family, Blenheim, New Zealand, who takes full possession saw the drop's standout when a lamb.
Mr Bowman said Tom Small was impressed with this ram when he saw it as a ram lamb last year.
"At 15 weeks of age this ram weighed 53 kilograms, so he was a standout then and has gone on positively since," he said.
"This ram has tremendous structure, a really good head, jaw, length of staple, and data.
"Most importantly, he's already got excellent lambs on the ground and is out of one of Roseville Park's best ewes. So their predictability and repeatability in breeding is very high."
After the sale NSW shareholder Jim Darmody said he liked the ram's frame, balance and the fact it was a poll.
"His wool quality and his pedigree are all pluses and he's by Willandra GP and his mother is a daughter of RP 13-400 which goes back to RP 14," Mr Darmody said. "So he's got heaps of pedigree.
"I'm hoping to start a prime lamb Merino family like Roseville Park's and his his constitution and do-ability makes him the perfect type of sheep for this."
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