DESPITE competing against more than double the number of sheep in the Prime SAMM judging this year, Galaxy Park stud again rose to the top, claiming its second straight supreme champion ribbon.
The Tintinara-based stud took out the top gong with GP 158-18, a ram weighing 129 kilograms with an eye muscle depth of 52 millimetres.
It was the ram's show debut, and it had already been sold to an undisclosed buyer following Galaxy Park's Tintinara on-property sale last month.
Geoff Gale said the sire of the supreme champion was a pure SAMM embryo ram, imported from South Africa by the Jeancourt stud, that Galaxy Park had used semen out of.
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Judge Geoff Thomas, Wonnara, Hallett, described the line-up in contention for grand champion ram as "big meaty rams, and a good white fleece to go with it".
He described the Galaxy Park champion as being slightly longer in the loin and staple length, getting it across the line.
Reserve champion ram was exhibited by Campbell Lawrie, Lawral Park, Ungarra.
The May 2018-drop ram weighed 129.5kg with 10mm of fat and a 48EMD, and Mr Thomas commended it on its body length.
In the ewes, it was an exhibit from the over 1.5 years class with twin lambs at-foot from Carlton stud, Hahndorf that was declared grand champion.
Carlton stud returned to the show ring with its Prime SAMMs for the first time in three years.
Mr Thomas described the ewe as beautifully shaped, and doing a fantastic job of two lambs.
"It's a perfect example of what our breed is," he said.
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Carlton's Sam Edwards said the ewe was by Sandown 142017, a ram they bought for the top price at Sandown stud's 2015 sale at Badgingarra, WA.
"It's a 2017-drop and these are its first lambs," Mr Edwards said. "They are our first drop of lambs by Carlton 17011, a ram by Galaxy Park 130134 which placed first in its class at this show."
Mr Thomas said he was impressed by the overall evenness of the sheep exhibited this year.
"They've come a long way in the meat and wool in the past five years," he said.
"At the moment, breeding ewes that can do well in harsh conditions, maintain fertility and keep producing quality wool is where the breed sits in the industry."
Galaxy Park exhibited the winning sire's progeny and breeders group entries, and went on to be most successful exhibitor. In the wool section, it won the Prime SAMM lambswool and ewe under 1.5 years classes.
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