EWESAIN Bolt, Lady Baa Baa and Jenson Mutton were among the woolly competitors who took part in a sheep racing competition dubbed the "Lamb National" in Billericay yesterday.
Indeed, the steeplechase was such a success that Barleylands Farm Park will now be holding regular sheep races throughout the spring and summer.
The lambs delighted spectators on a hot and sunny Bank Holiday as they zoomed around a grassy paddock at the Barleylands Road venue while dressed in individual hand-made racing jackets.
Lamb number two, Fleece Lightning, wearing the light blue jacket, was victorious.
As a reward, he was the first to get to at the feeding trough and milk bottle, positioned just beyond after the finishing line.
Sue Chapman, who owns Tylers Patch in the farm's craft village, created the sheep's jackets and had a great time helping out with the races throughout the bank holiday weekend.
She said: "I've enjoyed it so much. I've volunteered all weekend and bonded with the sheep now.
"It's nice to see the jackets in action.
"I had to make adjustments and they were taken up as the lambs are quite small, but we didn't cut the fabric so that they have room to grow into them as they are only young."
She added: "I was surprised how fast they were. Everyone's loved the races."
Egging on the crowd before the race, General manager David Finkle read out the lambs' names and numbers and told the story of how the orphaned lambs had come to live at Barleylands.
Mr Finkle said: "Fleece Lightning hasn't been winning all of them – it's been pretty even.
"It's gone very well – people don't know what to expect.
"The parents find the names hilarious and the children love it when they see the lambs jumping over the hurdles.
"We will keep going with the races right the way through to the end of the summer – twice a day each day.
"So we will be training up more for a larger pool of sheep so they all get enough rest."
