Making their show debut at the NSW State Sheep Show, the grand champion Australian White ram and grand champion Australian White ewe have turned heads and shown great potential in what they could offer the shedding sheep industry.
Judged by Jason Barker of Timor Australian Whites, Parkes, some 33 exhibits took to the mat from four studs from New South Wales and South Australia, but it was the breed founders, the Gilmore family of Tattykeel Australian Whites, Black Springs, that rose to the top of the stiff competition.
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Champion ram went to Tattykeel 'Platinum' 210184, a twin-born embryo-transfer (ET) bred ram which had previously not been shown as he was being collected for ET work. He was sired by Tattykeel 200085 whose first five sons - the only to sell to this date - have averaged $62,000.
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"He is a beautiful, powerful sheep with lovely muscle down the outside high leg and through the twist," Mr Barker said. "He is balanced with dark points, good structure, beautiful type - he is difficult to fault."
James Gilmore of Tattykeel said there had been a lot of interest in the champion ram, so they were weighing up whether to keep him or sell him in their September production sale.
Tattykeel 210264 was the reserve champion ram which won the same title at the 2022 Sydney Royal Show.
Mr Gilmore said he had been used heavily in the stud and was by a ram they kept last year, Tattykeel 190144.
Also on debut, the champion ewe was Tattykeel 210244 which came from the pair of ewes born April/July 2021 class.
"She is a lovely moderate, feminine ewe with good black points," Mr Barker said.
"She is well-fleshed, and was placed up over the other ewe with more scale because I come from a self-replacing background and believe it is important to keep weights of animals in check."
Also sired by Tattykeel 200085, she was out of a Tattykeel Ruger 180204 daughter, the April-drop ewe which is 13 months of age has been flushed three times.
"Her first flush was at seven months... so we should have lambs by her by now," Mr Gilmore said. "Last flush she transferred six, only two weeks before the show."
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Disturbing the Gilmore family's winning streak was Alanna Armstrong from Deep Creek Australian Whites, Oberon, who won reserve champion ewe with Deep Creek 210028.
Sired by Tattykeel 191003 and out of 190048, she came from the ewe lamb born June/July 2021 class.
Tattykeel placed first in the group of one ram, two ewes class and took home the sash for most successful Australian White exhibitor.
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