This is the boy I had been waiting for. The only problem with him was that he was on the other side of the country, but he was just too good to pass up -- all of the parts were there. Thus, arrangements were made, and 'Bota came East. How awesome is 'Bota? Well, let's start with his lineage, since that was what really hooked me. His sire, Altair's Vito, is a multiple-champion and proven champion producer. Even more impressive than that is the fact that one of these championships was for fleece … At GWAS – one of the largest shows in the country … For his 66 month fleece! A son of CL9 Altair, Vito's genetics are uncommon on the east coast, and he is a total outcross to all of our herd. It was 'Bota's dam, though, that really caught my attention. A classic harlequin, Calliope had also taken a color championship – for her solid grey fleece – at GWAS. Her lineage traces back to one of the best true appaloosas of all time, Curly Calib, a descendent of the great Peruvian Platinum. So: Fleece champion, bred to fleece champion – we are stacking the deck in favor of some serious prepotency for killer fleece. Not shockingly, “killer fleece” is one of 'Bota's defining characteristics. He is possessed of terrific brightness, excellent fineness (16.6 AFD on his first shearing) and uniformity. His biopsy results confirm this (please see "Histogram" page). He has a high-frequency, high-amplitude crimp style which is consistent throughout his blanket, and excellent fleece organization. His fleece is abundant, with great apparent density despite his fineness. His fleece has been shown three times and received a blue ribbon each time. … Not that the rest of him wouldn't rock the show ring as well. In addition to his fleece, Kubota is a solidly-built, stocky boy with heavy bone and terrific substance. His conformation is perfect. He has the heavyset, compact build that I find most ideal in alpacas, with an ideal tie of his neck and shoulder and flowing lines. His coverage is outrageous – he has fiber absolutely everywhere on his body, including his toes and his muzzle – and he has a beautiful, typey head. A shy juvenile, 'Bota has matured into a very assertive male. He matured rapidly, with excellent reproductive development – another trait that we value in alpacas – and began his breeding career before his second birthday, getting it right on his very first try! Despite this, he is a sweetie who loves people. Kubota's offspring have started to arrive, and ... Oh. My. Goodness. Spots. And fleece. And wow. Kubota is closed to outside breedings. This is a special boy ...

So wow, yeah. This is Hidden Hill Present Perfect, known here as Peach. Peach is the first alpaca that I bought specifically for her fleece traits. By the time I viewed Peach at Hidden Hill Farm, I knew that my herd could use a few animals with really excellent fleece character -- high-frequency, high-amplitude crimp and dramatic brightness. She has that. I also wanted an alpaca with that gorgeous, short-muzzled helmet-head that Dually so reliably stamps on his offspring. She has that, too. For those not familiar, Present Perfect's sire, Hidden Hill Peruvian Dually, is a pretty special dude. He won The Futurity in 2009 -- this is a white male Huacaya from a small farm -- and has, in addition, taken Judge's Choice three times, Championship five times, and numerous blues. Way more important than that, though, is the fact that Dually's offspring are pretty much unmistakable. For the most part, he imparts his gorgeous type, density, and dramatic fleece characteristics -- fineness included -- to his offspring. Present Perfect's dam, Peony, is a daughter of the very famous, very handsome import male, Accoyo Plantel. Her maternal great grandsire is Pachacuti, and her maternal great grand-dam is a daughter of Felix. That is, one could say, a pretty stacked pedigree. In addition to her smashing good looks, marvelous fleece, and killer pedigree, Peach is a friendly, outgoing girl who is invariably the first to greet me at the gate. She also has the added bonus, for my program, of having a unique fawn topline that suggests that she may have more ability to produce color than the average white alpaca. Peach demonstrated her ability to produce grey -- and incredible grey at that! -- in 2016, with a stunning Tuxedo daughter. Her 2018 girl is gorgeous, but didn't get the spot memo ... Peach gets every other year off, so I'll have to think hard about who her date will be for 2019!