I'm starting the class with 2 and I believe he wins the class with ease.  This lamb is beautiful on the profile.  Really balanced with long, level top and bottom lines.  Extended neck correctly placed.  Clean at the points, extremely clean through the shoulder for a power lamb.  Really has a long level hip that commands your attention.

From the rear this lamb shows a wide flat top that gets wider as you approach the hip/loin juncture. Really wide and flat over the loin and deep through the loin edge.  This lamb is extremely wide and square through the pins, deep through the twist and exhibits  a tremendous bulge through the stifle, maintaining extreme smoothness of muscle.  He is excellent on his feet and legs, looks big footed with tremendous bone.

This lamb might be the best prospect I have seen since the contest began.  Those of you on the prospect trail should use the lamb as an ideal prospect that would fit the most discriminate judge.

I used personal preference (muscle) in my placing of the middle pair, 4 and 1.  On the profile I would give the advantage of length and balance to 1.  However, also on the profile the shoulder points on 1 disturb me as being too prominent and round.

4 is balanced with a level top and bottom, however, appears short sided and on the negative side of medium frame.  I believe 4 is a early maturing lamb that will finish at a lower weight than 1, however, I sure give the advantage of thickness, flatness over the rack and loin to 4 over 1 and that is why I'm placing 4 second in the class.  He is deep through the twist with a deep stifle, but, I will grant may finish with a little too roundness through the leg muscle.

I placed 1 third in the class, however, if you see this lamb second I can understand why.  It's sure long and level hipped, looks angular from the rear with an extended neck correctly placed.  My question on this lamb is if it will have the required thickness and shape over the rack and loin to be a competitive lamb at a quality show?  I would call it moderate in depth of twist with avereage muscle and fine bone.

I see 3 at the bottom of the class.  This lamb does not exhibit the balance that I require in a top quality prospect.  In fact, he appears taller to me than he does long basing this on the length of the canon bone in relation to the length from flank to flank.  This will only become more evident with age and maturity. He also appears pinched and narrow through the pins (this would sure be a lamb to use the finger measurement on). (Side note between second and third--if finger measurement of 4 at the pins was less than a finger, and 1 was a finger and a half, I would switch this placing).

3 also does not exhibit  the thickness  and squareness over the rack and loin that I look for in a quality prospect.

 

Again, I placed the class 2, 4, 1, 3 with cuts of 10, 1, 2.