Collinsville Lustre 565 sparkles brightly among August shorn Poll Merinos
An outstanding, embryo-bred strong wool ram from the Collinsville stud at Hallett continued its unbeaten run in the show ring over the past two years to claim the grand champion August shorn Poll Merino ram.
Merino SA life member Rob Ashby sashed the ram, Lustre 565, which had only a fortnight ago made a 2100 kilometre round trip to Dubbo to clinch the Australian Supreme Merino Ram title.
It was also the supreme exhibit at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic and after winning grand champion March shorn ram at Adelaide in 2024 made a triumphant return as a full wool.
The three judges - Juan Manuel Gonzalez, San Antonio stud from Uruguay, Charlie Brumpton, Jolly Jumbuck stud, Mitchell, Qld and Fraser House, Barloo stud, Gnowangerup, WA- put the May 2023 strong wool ahead of the medium wool champion from Orrie Cowie stud, Nhill, Vic, as their reserve grand champion.
Mr House described the 22.1 micron Collinsville ram - which was by $88,000 ram Lustre 33-as an "incredible sheep".
"He is a terrific animal, he is big, he is well made and has plenty of good quality wool on him," he said.
"The Orrie Cowie ram is a beautiful medium wool that carries it down his pins and his belly really well and is beautifully made but the scale of the Collinsville ram was too hard to go past."
Collinsville general manager Tim Dalla said Lustre 565 was one of the best rams he had bred in nearly 18 years, along with last year's Adelaide supreme exhibit Cruden and the $115,000 ram, Emperor sold at ASWS in 2022.
"They are all different but this ram (Lustre 565) would be the most complete in what we look for at Collinsville, early growth, large frame, heavy wool cut, excellent structure, great constitution," he said.
Tim's son Harry who held the ram as it received the broad ribbon said the double polled ram was very special.
"His size and wool quality and how much wool he has really make him a stand out."
The stud will retain Lustre 565 and are excited about the impact his progeny may have on the industry.
"We think he will be quite predictable so hopefully he will help continue to improve our flock as an all rounder," Tim said.
The Orrie Cowie ram - which had five generations of Orrie Cowie genetics- also had plenty of previous showring success, including grand champion medium wool at the ASWS, Victorian Ram of the Year and member of the winning Victorian Pairs.
"He typifies the make and shape and wool quality we are trying to do at Orrie Cowie," he said. "We have some lambs on the ground by him and they are looking very promising."
Orrie Cowie was on a roll in the August shorn classes with two of the full wool ewe champions, but it was their medium wool which triumphed for grand champion.
Mr Brumpton said the 20.3M ewe was "structurally very correct with a lot of wool on her and not overdone".
Her other fleece tests were a standard deviation of 2.8, a coefficient of variation of 13.6pc and comfort factor of 99.7pc.
The granddaughter of OC King George had also won grand champion medium wool at ASWS, the Victorian state sheep show and Horsham.
"She has done very well for a spring drop ewe. She has only just cut her four teeth," John Dalla said.
"She has a terrific staple, and that overall bulk and carcase and growth she has got and natural doing ability are what we want to breed."
The North Ashrose ewe exhibited by the Ashby family, Gulnare, which stood second to the Orrie Cowie in the over 1.5 year old and under 2.5 year old medium wool class was awarded reserve grand champion August shorn ewe.
