Rangeview and Terrick West share fine medium wool ribbons in the Merino shed

Pictures by Joely Mitchell, Petra Oates and Barry Murphy

A Western Australian stud's sheep have dominated in the August-shorn portion of the fine medium Merino judging at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show.

Rangeview stud principals Jeremy and Melinda King, Darkan, WA, brought their biggest ever contingent of sheep to Bendigo, with seven rams and two ewes hitting the showfloor.

Mr King said they had been coming to the ASWS "on and off" for 14 years.

"We had a really good lambing a couple of years ago, and the sheep came up really well," he said.

"I wasn't sure which ones to leave at home, so we brought them all."

Their trip was made worthwhile, with the champion August-shorn fine medium ram and ewe titles both going their way.

Mr King said the ram was embryo transfer bred out of a home-bred ram who had had success in the showing in 2023.

"We ET bred him to one of our best show ewes, and he's the result," he said.

"I thought all of our rams were quite even, and we've had good success with all of them so far, but he's gone better than I'd hoped, and that's always a bonus."

He said the ram was a good example of what they were striving to breed in WA.

"We're just trying to maintain our wool quality on that finer end and increase our size and frame at every opportunity," he said.

Mr King said he liked the length and balance of the ewe.

"She's got a fair bit of soft wool and she'll cut a lot of it," he said.

READ MORE: 'Best ever' Collinsville ram reigns supreme Merino at ASWS in Bendigo

While the Kings planned to sell all of their rams at the multi-vendor Merino sale on Sunday, he said he would take the ewes home to WA.

Judge Murray McKenzie, Kilfeera Park Merino stud, Benalla, said the champion August-shorn ram was the "whole package".

"He's well balanced, has magnificent wool on him and is good on his feet," Mr McKenzie said.

Closer to home, Terrick West Poll Merino stud, Prairie, took out the two champion March-shorn ribbons in the fine medium classes.

Terrick West stud co-principal Claire McGauchie said their champion ram had been a standout since he was a "young fella".

"He's so well balanced and very correct," she said.

"It's his barrel and wool type; he's very well covered.

"We're excited to see him stand up and come through against the other rams."

She said the ram would be the first lot offered for sale in the stud's on-property sale next month.

"He has the same dam line as the ram that topped the sale last year," he said.

"So we'll sell him as a bit of a feature."

Mr McKenzie said the ram was a "very big sheep" given he still had his lambs teeth.

"The wool is the same all over him, he's very even," he said.

READ MORE: Victorian stud ends its 20-year campaign with a national fleece victory

Ms McGauchie said the ewe was the female highlight of their show team and had been a standout since birth.

"There's a lot of competition here, so we are really proud that she stood up and won," she said.

"She's quite big for her age (14 months).

"We plan to take her home and do an embryo transfer program with her and breed future all-purpose rams for sale.

"We are looking for all-purpose type sheep, and she is a really good example of that."

Terrick West brought nine rams and three ewes to ASWS this year, including five rams entered in the all-purpose class.

"This is our local show so we like to bring a range of sheep," Ms McGauchie said.

Mr McKenzie said the standard in the fine medium classes was "excellent".

"Particularly coming to this pointy end, it was getting hard to choose, it could have gone either way," he said.