Less than a week after being shorn a June 2021 drop ram with great presence from Mertex stud, Antwerp, Vic claimed top honours in the White Suffolk judging.
Judge Laurie Fairclough, Stockdale stud, York, WA, said he would love to own the champion ewe but gave the nod for the supreme sash to the grand champion ram, Mertex 21652 for its "extra depth and finish".
The 132.5 kilogram ram which had an eye muscle depth of 49mm and fat depth of 13.5mm had earlier beaten a younger Mertex ram, Mertex 21652, for grand champion ram giving Basil, Heather and Tim Jorgensen their first supreme White Suffolk exhibit in Adelaide.
The ram was by Idavale 190451 which has bred well for Mertex.
Both Mertex's champion rams are destined for sale at tomorrow's Adelaide Elite Stud Sheep Sale.
In his grand champion ram deliberations Mr Fairclough said the senior champion ram was "finished a bit better in the backend" than the junior champion.
"If I had two champion ribbons it would be great because it is that close I could hardly pick it," he said.
"He stands up very proud with a great White Suffolk head, his topline is superb and follows down through the rump with plenty of meat."
Mertex stud's Tim Jorgensen said the ram had impressed all year winning the under 1.5 year old woolly ram class at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Hamilton Sheepvention and the Bendigo Elite White Suffolk Show & Sale.
" I shore him on Sunday night to bring him because there were no woolly ram classes in Adelaide," he said.
Mr Fairclough, who has been breeding White Suffolks for nearly 20 years, said the quality was "outstanding".
"I am a commercial breeder so I was looking for the structural soundness in the rams, the top rams had it," he said.
Reserve senior champion also headed to Vic with a ram which the Booloola stud, Baringhup, will offer in their annual on-property sale next month.
The son of Ashmore 190016 had been used as a lamb in their stud also won its class at the Bendigo Elite show last weekend.
Fellow WA judge Brenton Addis, Yonga Downs, Gnowangerup, who officiated in the ewe classes selected an August 2021 drop from Wingamin stud, Karoonda, for his grand champion for her superior growth for age.
"To have a ewe that has just gone over a year old look like that is exceptional. She is great on her feet, great through the hindquarter that I was chasing today and her structure is perfect," he said.
The young ewe which weighed 100kg and had a 48mm EMD will be one of the star lots in the stud's reduction sale in October.
"It is one of the best ewes we have ever bred, structurally she is so good," Wingamin stud's Caitlin Hampel said.
Mr Addis said the reserve champion ewe shown by Kylie Wake, Wakeleigh stud, Cavendish, Vic, had a "great topline and tail setting, paraded exceptionally well with a great hindquarter".
Mertex made a clean sweep of the group classes and were both most successful ram exhibitor and most successful exhibitor with their 14 head.
It capped off an outstanding show season which started with the supreme short wool exhibit at the ASWS.
"We never expected this but it tops off an extraordinary showing year- we have been most successful exhibitor at all four shows this year," Mr Jorgensen said.
