Royal show winning ram continues success in the sale ring at Wiltipoll sale
A ram with a successful track record in the show ring continued to rise to the top at the 16th annual NSW Combined Wiltipoll Breeders sale on Saturday, November 23, held at the Gulgong Showgrounds.
Producers travelled from Wingham, Yass, Murringo, Orange and Wisemans Creek to offer a total of 73 head across stud and commercial animals.
The top-price ram, Westmoreland Blue 569, was purchased for $4000 by Murringo breeders, Ian Hopwood and Loris Denyer, Reavesdale Wiltipoll stud.
Sired by Westmoreland Yellow 365, the 15-month-old ram weighed 88 kilograms.
The ram won the pair of rams class at 2024 Sydney Royal Show and his sire won the Wiltipoll Ram class in 2023 at Sydney Royal.
Mr Hopwood said he liked this ram as it was a good size and displayed a strong muscling pattern.
He said the ram allowed the stud to introduce a new bloodline to the program, which would complement their long-established stud flock.
The top-priced stud ewe, Carthona 2400, was purchased by J and E Rinaldo, Orange, for $550.
The 15-month-old ewe was sired by Carthone 2096 and out of Carthona 1690.
In the commercial section, there were two rams to claim the $1500 top price, both offered by the Westmorelands Wilitpoll stud, Wisemans Creek, and purchased by BW Farm Trust, Minhamite, Vic.
The first ram was Westmorelands Red 455, a two-year-old, twin-born ram that tipped the scales at 101kg.
Westmoreland Red 435 was the second equal top-priced commercial ram weighing 94kg, also as a two-year old.
The commercial ewes reached a top of $300.
The proceeds of $2000 from the first ram offered, Westmoreland 639, were donated to the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse.
But the generosity didn't stop there, with $500 being donated to the Gulgong Ladies Auxiliary as the proceeds of the sale of Colla Collina 37, a 15 month-old ram.
Overall, eight of the 17 stud rams sold to a top of $4000, to average $1750, while six of the 10 commercial rams offered sold to a top of $1500 to average $1150.
For the ewe portion, 17 of the 23 stud ewes sold reached a top of $550 to average $394, while six of the 11 pairs of commercial ewes sold to a top of $300.
The sale was conducted by McDonald Lawson Carter Pty Ltd, Mudgee.
