KAROONDA'S Wingamin stud continued its midas touch at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show with both ram and ewe champions in the White Suffolk judging at Bendigo, Victoria last Friday.
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In a total dominance of the judging of 150 entries from three states it won seven classes, as well as the group of three and sires progeny classes with their 12 head and was most successful exhibitor.
It continued the Shillabeer family's impressive tricolour ribbon-run at the event - five grand champion ram awards in the past nine years, and its second supreme White Suffolk win in a row. It made the seven-hour trek worthwhile.
Its May 2012-drop ram sired by Detpa Grove 070678 was elevated from senior champion to grand before taking the supreme gong.
He had a great weight-to-muscle ratio, raw data measurements, and weighed 118 kilograms with an eye muscle depth of 48 millimetres and fat depth of 8mm.
Judge Andrew Donnan, Anden stud, Woomelang, Victoria, described him as a "well-muscled ram, very correct with hindquarter capacity".
"He handled very well with meat through his whole body," he said. "He will return to Bendigo in September to be offered at the Elite White Suffolk Show & Sale."
Wingamin's grand champion ewe - a July 2012-drop - was sired by an Iloura blood ram and weighed 97kg with an eye muscle figure of 39mm and fat of 10mm.
"She had meat in the right places and was a well-shaped, feminine ewe," Mr Donnan said.
Both champions contained Depta Grove 060335 in their pedigrees- the same genetics which produced Trifecta - a ram the stud recently exported to the United States.
Wingamin stud principal Clive Shillabeer said it was always a thrill to win a broad ribbon and achieve consistency in the breeding program.
"It gives you confidence that you have achieved what you set out to achieve," he said.
*Full report in Stock Journal, July 25 issue, 2013.
