A first for supreme Will Schilling in spirited Border Leicester competition

Border Leicester breeder Will Schilling is no stranger to the winners' circle at various shows, but he achieved a feat that was a first for even him at the Royal Adelaide on Saturday.

Based at Gerang Gerung, Vic, in the heart of the Wimmera, Mr Schilling has been making the journey on the Western and Duke Highways to the Royal Adelaide since 2018 with much success.

His stud Glenlee Park again picked up a swag of ribbons on Saturday, but the supreme marked a new notch in the belt.

"I've never actually won supreme with a ram, I've only ever won with a ewe here," Mr Schilling said.

"It's a big thrill to win it with a ram that I think a lot of. Every year you say 'this is the best one we've ever bred', but he's something pretty special this sheep.

"If I could breed a paddock full of them I'd be pretty happy."

Mr Schilling said there was no great secret to his breeding success, giving some sage advice to Westminster School students who competed against stud breeders in the Border Leicester competition.

"If you live and breathe it, and love it enough, you hope to become okay at it," he said.

"I just love breeding Borders. Everyone has their own breeding philosophies and what track they take, but I just love showing my sheep and today I had some success doing it, so it's all part of the journey."

Westminster was by no means making up the numbers in the Border Leicester judging, winning several first and second place class ribbons in their debut.

Glenlee Park scooped champion ram, champion ewe and supreme exhibit.

Its winning ram was an August 2024-drop weighing 132.5 kilograms, with a fat depth of 17.5 millimetres and eye muscle depth of 43mm.

Judge Cherie Pagan, Cooinda Border Leicester stud, Gilgandra, NSW, found the champion ram and ewe hard to split, saying they could both have easily got the nod.

"That ram's overall presence, and the way he carries himself made for an eye catching entrance and it's a wonderful representation of the breed," she said.

"He's strong, powerful, well-boned, he's got a beautiful clean head, is well-muscled and has a beautiful fleece."

The champion ewe's mother had previously won supreme exhibit at Adelaide, and supreme long wool exhibit, with its full sister doing the same in 2023.

Ms Pagan said there was a lot of variation in type and scale amongst the Border entries, making it a tough competition to judge.

While Glenlee Park won nine classes and the major ribbons, there was plenty of good competition in the remaining classes.

Koonawarra, Angaston, took out two senior ram classes, a junior ram class and a junior ewe class, while Westminster was awarded novice junior ram and was second in classes like objective measurement, pair of shorn sheep and breeders' group.

Pebblestone, Macclesfield, was triumphant in pair of shorn junior rams, while Morton, Lucindale, won ram best head, group of four sheep and a senior ewe class.

Aurora Park, St Helens Plains, Vic, was awarded junior reserve champion ram, which was also the reserve champion ram.

It was a competition with good spirit, which Mr Schilling said was one of the reasons why he kept coming back to compete every year.

"I love driving through the Bordertown, Keith and Tintinara area and looking at the lucerne through there," he said.

"Then you get here and it's the best setup in Australia I reckon. It's a great venue, a good atmosphere and very well-run.

"The people that run the show are very good at what they do."