The fine wool champions triumphed in an outstanding quality field for the March-shorn Poll Merino judging.
A Poll Boonoke 948 son from the McGauchie family’s Terrick West stud, Prairie, Vic, was awarded the grand tri-coloured ribbon.
The 16.7 micron ram, TW7.63, named Forbes after Poll Boonoke stud master Forbes Murdoch, had already had several big wins this year.
This includes the All Purpose class at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show and Vic champion in the Australian Hogget Championship at the Hay Sheep Show, in June.
Forbes shone again in Adelaide with fine wool judge, Garry Cox, Langdene stud, Dunedoo, NSW, saying the ram was the most fault free of their three category champions.
“We are at the business end of the judging so we need to get down to the nitty gritty, it is a lot more complete, a lot more balanced, a lot more finish than the other rams,” he said.
Forbes was out of one of Terrick West’s show ewes and had been earmarked as showing potential as a lamb with the stud’s trademark cross on the ear tag.
“It was not the biggest sheep at the time but it has really come through in the last few months,” stud principal Ross McGauchie said.
Its other wool tests included a 3 standard deviation, 18 coefficient of variation and 99.8 per cent comfort factor.
Forbes sold for $27,000 at the Adelaide Merino sale.
Geoff and Bernadette Davidson, Moorundie, Keith, took out the reserve grand champion with the winner of the largest class of the day- the medium wool ram under 1.5 year-old class which had 41 entries.
The 20.1 M ram was ET-bred from NE73, a stand out sire for Moorundie.
“It is a big, growthy fella with big length of staple and cut a lot of wool but just on the day he wasn’t quite there,” Mr Cox said.
The 118 kilogram ram with 41mm of eye muscle sold for $32,000 – the second highest price at the Adelaide Merino Ram Sale.
The grand champion March shorn Poll Merino ewe sash remained in SA with the fine wool champion from the Meyer family’s Mulloorie stud, Brinkworth and Tintinara, catching the judges eyes for its exemplary structure and well nourished wool.
“We went for the fine wool ewe for its type, its length of body, great depth of body, and test 16.6 (micron) so it’s a pretty good package there,” Mr Cox said.
The 16.6M ewe was a daughter of Mulloorie Kenny, the 2012 grand champion Poll Merino ram and was carrying a fleece with a 3.2SD, 19.3CV and 99.7pcCF.
Champion strong wool ewe from the Brooks family’s East Bungaree stud, Hallett, gained the reserve grand champion ribbon.
“It’s a big framey ewe and it can cut a lot of wool,” Mr Cox said.