One of SA's most well-travelled Poll Merino rams - Orrie Cowie Titan - completed his incredible show season with a homeground win as grand champion Poll Merino at the Royal Adelaide Show.
In a unanimous decision, the three judges saw the sire presence and magnificent wool that many judges had already admired this season.
Titan's earlier wins include SA champion ram of the year at Crystal Brook Show in mid-August, and champion August-shorn Poll Merino ram at Sydney Royal Easter Show.
"He is a magnificently structured animal," judge Clinton Blight, Seymour Park Poll Merinos, Narrogin, WA, said.
"You could park a car behind those back and front legs and he has absolutely magnificent white, waxy wool. The natural stance on that animal is incredible."
The 160-kilogram ram, which progressed through the strong wool classes had great test figures for a strong wool.
Orrie Cowie sold Titan for the $25,000 top price at the recent Rabobank National Merino Sheep Show at Dubbo, NSW, to a New Zealand syndicate and two NSW operations: Gundarimbah stud, Parkes and Overland stud, Bogan Gate.
Orrie Cowie stud principals Dennis and Heather Dalla and their son John said it was a huge honour to win the grand championship in a highly competitive field of entries.
It was their first year back in showing since 2006.
"He is one of the better rams we have bred - he is a really good production sheep," John said.
The day after judging, Titan was shorn and cut 19.8kg of wool.
Titan is a son of Orrie Cowie Regal 56, which was bred from Collinsville-bred ram Regent 259.
Reserve grand champion title went to the reserve strong wool ram from Old Ashrose stud, Hallett. The 165kg ram was by homebred sire PF90 and was a grandson of a ram sold to Argentina for $18,000 at the Adelaide Ram Sale a few years ago. He measured 23.3 microns, 3.3 standard deviation, 14.2 coefficient of variation and 98.5 per cent comfort factor.
"He is a gigantic sheep with heaps of wool cut but not quite the polish of the grand champion," Mr Blight said.
It was a case of dejavu with the Old Ashrose ram, which was reserve champion and bridesmaid to Titan at Crystal Brook.
Nyowee, Balaklava, rose to the top in the medium wool ram judging with their Ram of the Year at Burra described by the judge Luke Ledwith, Kolinale stud, Dudinin, as "oozing nourishment."
The 19.6M ram which goes back to a Pooginook line was sold during the Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo, Vic, to Pemcaw stud, Dunedoo, NSW, at $15,000.
The champion fine wool ram was shown by the Meyer family's Mullloorie stud, Brinkworth, measuring 19.1M, 3.1SD, 16.1CV and 99.6CF.
Mulloorie has retained the ram, a son of The Rock as a stud reserve, exhibiting the same carcase and wool traits as his sire which won the all-purpose class at Bendigo in 2010.
Grand champion and medium wool champion ewe exhibitors were Wes and Andy Titley, Sherlock stud, Sherlock, with a rising 2.5-year-old ewe with terrific staple length of about 150 millimetres to 160mm all over.
The ewe Josie had been named after Andy's mother and had also won grand champion at Mundulla Show.
Wes said the granddaughter of Majestic would be used as an ET donor for the stud.
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 18, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
