A classy ewe from Allendale stud, Bordertown, won over NSW judge Ian Gilmore with her femininity and structural correctness to claim both grand champion ewe and supreme exhibit in the Poll Dorset judging.
"I knew I had a grand champion ewe as soon as it walked into the ring in that first class," he said.
"It has a tremendous barrel, tremendous muscling through the loin and handles unbelievably well right down through the hindlegs."
The 15-month-old ewe ensured exhibitors Alastair and Jayne Day continued their reign over the ewe broad ribbon at Adelaide.
The female was sired by homebred ram Allendale 326/16 who also sired Allendale's reserve senior champion ram.
The ewe had a post weaning weight figure of 16.1, fat of -1.0 and eye muscle of 0.8.
Mr Gilmore chose the ewe ahead of a ram from Tas breeders Andrew and Caroline McLauchlan, Valma stud, Whitemore, which was also the junior champion ram.
"The ram is a beautiful fronted sheep but carrying that same muscling through the hindleg and through the spine and is very good on his feet but on the day I would like to see him better in one place- I would just like to see a more sirey head," Mr Gilmore said.
"Then it comes to the ewe and everything that I have said about the ram I can say about the ewe except she has a beautiful head."
The Valma ram will be offered as lot 11 in the stud's online sale on September 23 which is held while the sheep are at the Melbourne Royal Show.
Mr McLauchlan, whose grandfather was one of the first to breed Poll Dorsets was chuffed with the win.
'We have been coming to Adelaide for 10 years and have had a junior championship but never a grand championship," he said.
"This ram is a combination of years of breeding and putting the pieces of the puzzle together so it is great to get all the pieces to come together right like this one.
"Our focus is selling rams to the industry which will do a job for people with the carcase qualities so to do well at the show tops the cake."
The Valma ram tossed an April 2018 drop ram from the Hart family's Glendevon stud, Two Wells, which will be the lead ram in their on-property ram sale on September 16.
Mr Gilmore said the senior champion ram from Glen Devon had "more stand up and look at me" than its competition.
"I love the twist through his backleg and muscling through his spine and to me for a moderate sheep he ticks all the boxes," he said.
Allendale stud again got their name on the most successful exhibitor award with the success of their 10 rams and six ewes which also including a win in the sire's progeny.
"Our structure and early maturity really helped with what the judge was looking for," Mr Day said.
