Border Leicester East Friesians, Poll Dorsets go under the hammer at Warrawindi

The stud's offering of 136 Poll Dorsets and 65 Border Leicester East Friesian-cross rams reached a top of $4900 for the latter breed, up $300 on last year's top.

The breed averaged $1257 with a clearance of 29 from 65.

In the Poll Dorsets, rams made a top of $2000 and an average of $1000, with a clearance of 131 from 136.

Topping the Poll Dorsets was Lot 1, an Ivadene 180290 son which was a trait leader.

The ram had figures in the top 5 percent for lean meat yield at 5.09, and the top 20pc for for post-weaning eye muscle depth and weaning weight at 2.94 and 11.2 respectively.

Sold to Lindsay Farm Company the ram was a top quality sire according to Warrawindi stud principal David Galpin.

"He was just a standout ram right from the start," he said.

"We had several good rams that we we took some to Adelaide and to Bendigo to sell them there, but this one we wanted to keep and sell at home.

"He's been used in our stud as a ram lamb and he was just a great ram."

In the Border Leicester East Friesian-cross rams, it was two Inverbrackie 194808 sons that topped the auction.

Reaching the sale's top price of $4900, Lot 163 was a 50/50 breed split, which was in the top 5pc for post-weaning weight and the top 10pc for WWT and Maternal Carcase Production with figures of 12.4, 7.61 and 141.87 respectively.

It sold to Boonaroo Pastoral, Casterton, Vic.

A brother of the top ram, sold at Lot 164 to TJ & KA Pietsch, Bordertown, made $4200.

It was also in the top 5pc for PWWT with a score of 12.23, while its scores of 7.32 and 141.65 put it in the top 10pc for WWT and MCP.

It's score of 1.16 for PEMD also put it in the top 20pc of its breed.

Mr Galpin said it was a tight competition for both the top rams.

"They were exceptional sheep with exceptional figures," he said.

"That's what the buyers were chasing that growth, fat and muscle combination."

TDC agent Hayden Lambert said the sale's catalogue was strong from start to finish.

"Warrawindi have put a big focus on getting strong figures throughout their catalogue and it was shown on Friday," he said.

"They're perfecting that balance of good figures combined with quality physical traits which is what people are looking for.

"Their rams are trait leaders for eating quality, weaning weights, post-weaning weights and TCP."

The gallery was filled with regular buyers in addition to new faces according to Nutrien's Sam O'Connor, who said it was proof of the stud's loyal client base.

"The many years of dedicated and hard work by David and Alison and the Galpin family is shown by the buyers who continue to have the results they want from Warrawindi rams and they keep coming back to secure the genetics," he said.

"There were studs active in the buyers gallery as well as commercial producers and it was great to see Warrawindi continuing to expand it's client base."

The sale was conducted by TDC and Nutrien.