Jean - Luc Van Roy And The Playboy
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There
are many who believe that the great strain maker
Van Wanroy won the Barcelona International but
the truth is that it never happened. Of course
pigeons who have won that marathon of marathons
have and do carry the blood of that great strain
of our thoroughbreds. Now our subject in this
article did win the Barcelona International and
because of his name many have mixed it up with
that of Jef Van Wanroy and one can see how that
could be possible. But now that we know the facts
let us proceed.
Luc
Van Roy was, as the saying goes, born into the
sport for his uncle Leon Van Roy was a fancier
of some repute. Luc was in short trousers when
he first took part in club races. Like many others
however he left the fancy when he was a young
man. Also, his place of domicile has changed over
the years although the area of his greatest triumph
was Ronse in Belgium. The new start was in 1983
when he housed some late breds and this was his
nth time of restarting. During this period Luc
had listened to and absorbed the wisdom of such
fanciers as Dejaegher of Melden, Pauwels of Herne,
Cobut of Anderlues, plus Joseph De Ridder of St.Ulricks
Kapelle. In addition he needed the right stock
and he purchased from Beyer, Van der Eynde, and
Van der Wegen. However his core foundation was
his pigeon named Cahors which was successful from
Cahors and elsewhere and who was descended from
his Hoves, a bird which once belonged to a small
local fancier.
Van
Roy believed that management wise a fancier has
to build oneself into ones stock and become part
of it. That the sport was one that required as
much of ones time as possible. That what was put
in would produce a twice fold return or more.
Emphasizing that the fancier must love each of
his pigeons and get to know them individually.
As for the Barcelona International winner this
was a black Van der Wegen cock named Playboy International
who was a son of Parel and grandson of Barcelona.Two
of the legends of the Van der Wegens. In 1991
he arrived earlier than expected beating 27,166
other pigeons at approximately 6.40am on the second
day having been released into a light northerly
wind.
Luc
Van Roy succeeded in the sport on innumerable
occasions and cannot be referred to as a one bird/race
winner. He has taken his rightful place amongst
the elite of Barcelona International winners and
who would not desire that? As for Playboy International,
briefly after his great act of marathon flying
he was sold to a foreign buyer at a price that
Van Roy admitted he could not refuse and has produced
winners since, according to my sources
by: Liam O Comain
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