A Border Leicester ram with a "beautiful, sirey head" has been judged the winner of the 29th Border Leicester Show at Horsham.
The winning ram, from Ian Baker's Geraldine Border Leicester stud, Clydebank, also took out champion ram at this year's Royal Melbourne Show.
It also made top price in the sale, which followed the show, selling for $11,000 to Tasmanian buyers Stan and Frances Hazelwood.
Horsham judge Trevor James, Coolawang Border Leicester stud, SA, said it was hard to choose between the six sheep he picked as finalists.
"It's pretty hard to judge, certainly when you get to the top three, you could raffle them," Mr James said.
"On a different day, you might do something different, but the top three were so close."
He said the top ram was one that would breed sires.
"This is a stud sale, not a commercial sale, so I am looking for a stud ram to produce stud sires," he said.
"I just love the head on that top ram, he has a beautiful, sirey head, as good as I have seen on a Border Leicester."
He said the second sheep was probably slightly thicker and better covered, but the head was just a fraction behind.
"It depends whether you want that coverage and carcase, or whether you want to start at the head," he said.
He said Border Leicesters were doing "pretty well" at the moment.
"They would do a lot better in NSW if it wasn't so dry," he said.
"But I think this is where you want to come if you want to see a group of vendors and different types of sheep within the breed."
The ram weighed 128.5 kilograms, had a muscle depth of 48 millimetres, a muscle width of 98mm, fat depth of 14mm and and eye muscle area 36.22 square centimetres.
Mr Baker said the competition had been very strong, with a lot of good rams.
"They may have tailed off a little bit, but even the ones that went back to the pens early were good," Mr Baker said.
The ram was 14-months-old, out of a Pina ram, which Mr Baker said he bought from the Rathjen family three years ago.
Mr Baker said he agreed the ram had a good "sirey" head, was balanced and had lovely, even wool.
"We've had a few good ones, he is probably on a par with some of the others," Mr Baker said.
He said he had bred "a few good rams" and the winner was on par with them.
Victorian, NSW and South Australian studs were represented at the show and sale.