Rod, Sue and Harry Miller with their supreme Merino exhibit at Bendigo 2019

VICTORIAN Merino stud Glenpaen was all victorious at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show at the weekend, topping the ram sale yesterday and besting all-comers in the show ring.

The Miller family’s stud from Brimpaen in the Wimmera scored a rare grand champion double with its champion fine wool ram and champion 19.2 micron two year-old fine/medium wool poll ewe, before the 17.5 micron two year-old ram winning the supreme Merino exhibit of the show.

And the ram then went onto sell for the equal top price of $26,000 in the ram sale yesterday, shared by rams from the Alfoxton stud at Armidale and the Glendonald stud at Nhill in Victoria.

Glenpaen stud principal Rod Miller said he offered the ram for sale because he thought it was “about time we let a good one go to lift the profile.”

“You can’t keep them all,” he said.

The ram was out of a Nerstane family ewe and by a ram bred at Glenpaen called Glenpaen Magic, whic had been successful in the Victorian Pairs competition and a supreme exhibit at the Dubbo show.

“There is Nerstane on both sides of the dam and the sire of that (supreme) ram.”

Glenpaen’s grand champion ewe is AI bred by a Willandra GP ram out of an East Strathglen (WA) ‘The Duke’ ewe.

“That (The Duke) ram came out of an East Strathglen ‘The Princess” ewe that won supreme here, and I’m not the only person to say this, but it is the best ewe anybody has ever seen.”

He said the East Strathglen blood gave his ewe its depth of barrel, correctness and wool cut.

Mr Miller said he thought the ewe would have taken out the supreme title.

“But the ram, what got him over the line I think was the quality of the wool, the sweetness, the staple.

“You open it up and it has got a sparkle to it.”

Mr Miller said the stud had never won supreme exhibit at Bendigo, despite winning grand champion ewe, and the Victorian Pairs title a couple of times.

“It is something I’ve dreamt about, but never thought I would get the double.”

Mr Miller said he was trying to breed his poll sheep “a bit more fine/mediumish” with a big carcase and he wasn’t to keep the horned sheep going for their quality wools. He didn’t use Australian Sheep Breeding Values and measured his progress in key production traits through doing ability and more lambs.

“I don’t like to over-complicate things – I was always taught with breeding sheep to just keep folding the edges in and I suppose it seems to be working.

“The clients are happy with what they are buying and what they are breeding out of them.”

The Glenpaen ram was bought by a Coryule syndicate. Coryule Merino Stud and Pastoral Company manager Craig Trickey said the ram was bought because of his Nerstane genetics background and his size, structure and wool.