NSW stud sells top Poll Dorset ram for sizzling $20,000 at special sale
Two Tasmanian studs picked up the top-priced ram at the Australasian Dorset Championships Show & Sale in Bendigo on Sunday.
The ram, exhibited by the Abelene Park Poll Dorset stud, Woolomin, NSW, was knocked down for a sizzling $20,000.
Sunnybanks Poll Dorset stud, Penguin, Tas, and Rangeview Poll Dorset stud, Pipers Brook, Tas, made the purchase after travelling across the Bass Strait for the special breed event.
The bidding for the ram, Lot 10, Abilene 111-24, started at $6000 and was brought the whole way to $20,000 by Sunnybanks stud co-principal Paul Day and Rangeview stud co-principal Will Milroy.
The duo's new purchase was sired by Tattykeel 155-21 and out of Abelene Park 101-22.
The August 2024-drop ram weighed 133 kilograms and had an eye muscle area of 54.52 square centimetres.
Abelene Park retained a 50 per cent share in the ram.
The stud had a cracking result, selling five rams in total at the sale with prices ranging from $13,000-$20,000, averaging $15,200.
Overall, the sale saw 21 rams sold from the 38 offered for an average of $8302.
It was the second year in a row that the Abelene Park stud topped the sale.
Abelene Park stud co-principal Marshall Douglas said his team loved coming to the championships each year.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to get our sheep out and benchmark them against some of the best in Australia," he said.
He said the five rams the stud sold went interstate.
"We had some inquiries we knew about, others we didn't, which goes with the territory," he said.
"We've had good results from clients across a wide range, so for them to get spread around like that is fantastic for us.
"To get the genetics out there is excellent."
Mr Day said his new ram was a standout.
He said the sale topper had great "overall correctness" and width of loin, and it was a "very structurally correct" ram.
The stud had purchased a ram from Abelene Park three years ago, and Mr Day said they were very pleased with the results so far.
He said the joint purchase of Lot 10 with the Rangeview stud would bring top Poll Dorset genetics to Tasmania.
"We thought we'd try and secure him today at the sale, and we were very lucky that it happened," he said.
The ram will be joined to select ewe bloodlines in both operations.
"We'll see how he clicks with them and we'll hopefully bring some progeny back [here]," Mr Day said.
The Sunnybanks stud also sold three rams at the sale, including Lot 17, Lot 35 and Lot 36 for $10,000, $3000 and $9000, respectively, and an average of $8000.
Mr Day said bringing the rams across to the mainland had proven worthwhile.
"We're very impressed and humbled by what we've done over the past couple of days," he said.
