Hurricane sweeps through English Leicester ring at Australian Sheep & Wool Show

A ram with a champion pedigree claimed supreme in the English Leicester ring at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show on Friday.

Melton Park 82 Hurricane was awarded the title amid a clean sweep of the breed judging for stud principal Brenton Heazlewood, Whitemore, Tas, under the eye of judge Nick Cole, Camperdown.

Mr Heazlewood said the ram's sire, Spitfire, was "one of the best rams I have ever bred".

"I exhibited Spitfire for three years in Bendigo, and he was undefeated," he said.

For Hurricane, this was his first appearance at Bendigo, and Mr Heazlewood said it won't be his last, with his high-quality breeding shining through.

"I like his structure, and I think structure is really important," he said.

"You've got to have the structure right and then you can put everything else around it."

Mr Heazlewood said the champion ram also had good length and hindquarter.

Pictures by Alexandra Bernard

Mr Cole said it was hard to go past the ram's carcase.

"He's also got good wool on him," he said.

"What is outstanding about him is his hindquarter.

"He stands extraordinarily square and has a nice, well-shaped hindquarter on him."

Melton Park was on a winning streak, also claiming grand champion ewe with Melton Park 94.

"She's got a good carcase and what I describe as ideal wool," he said.

"It's got good style, lustre and a good size loch for a ewe."

Mr Heazlewood currently runs 50 ewes in the stud, but the family history of breeding English Leicesters dates back to 1871.

"My great-grandfather and my grandfather exhibited regularly at Sydney and Melbourne from about 1890," he said.

He said the family had two studs for a time.

"My grandfather was given 30 ewes as a wedding present and they formed the start of the stud I now have," he said.

Melton Park was awarded most successful English Leicester exhibitor.