Royal Adelaide Show 2017: Toljar ewe shines in Polwarth class

The ewe from Taljar stud, Parndana, had previously won junior champion, supreme and reserve senior champion at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Vic, across its 2.5 years.

Judge Gavin Wall, Melbourne, described the ewe, which had a lamb at-foot, as a “really magnificent example of the breed”,

“Its fleece, it’s structurally correct and it is doing a superb job on the lamb,” he said.

“The only way it could be given more points was if it had two lambs like that.”

The ewe weighed 98 kilograms with a 21.6 micron fleece, 16.7 coefficient of variation, 3.6 standard deviation and 99.3 per cent comfort factor, as well as a 93 millimetre eye muscle width, 42mm eye muscle depth and a fat depth of 8mm.

Taljar principal David McArdle said the ewe was from the black tag family – one of their oldest bloodlines, going back to when his father began breeding Polwarths in 1959.

“It’s been a very good ewe for the stud,” he said.

The lamb was the offspring of one of their new sires, with Talisa McArdle saying it appeared to be a successful mating.

Taljar stud also bred the champion ram, a two-year-old, 127kg male with 22.1M, 16.6CV, 4SD, 99.1CF, 80EMW, 40EMD and 6mm fat depth.

Mr Wall said it was a “sheep that took my eye”.

"It’s very true to type for the breed – it’s got the wool you expect to see, is structurally correct and well-grown,” he said.

“It’s run commercially so the ram is proving it can do what the commercial breeders expect,” he said.

Mr McArdle said the ram, on its first showing, was also from another of their older families.

“It is typical of the type of Polwarth we are trying to breed,” he said.

“It has length, huge depth and beautiful soft wool.”