This week we move to County Armagh the Orchard County of Northern Ireland and feature a top winning loft in Portadown. Jason Whitten and young son Jay have been setting a lot of top results in Portadown & Drumcree up to and including 1st Open NIPA. Local member Allan McDonald is a past Secretary of the INFC, assisted at the time by his good friend the late Jackie Patience who when racing won both the NIPA Old Bird Derby in 1994 from Dinard, and set the record in winning 1st & 2nd Open in the Kings Cup from Rennes in 1995, a record that still stands. Allan McDonald himself was to win the Kings Cup also from Rennes in 1988, and more recently the NIPA Penzance and Penzance Old Bird Classic and came very close in 2017 from St Malo only a handful of birds home to win 1st Sect E & 4th Open NIPA. Two years after the win for Allen McDonald the Portadown Club were successful in another Kings Cup from Rennes, George Willis won a hard race on velocity 778. Mid Ulster in the form of Gilford & Dist enjoyed recent success with Dan Campbell the winner from Vannes in 2011 to be followed by O Fitzpatrick & Son 1st Open from St Allouestre in 2018, back in the day Thompson Bros won from Redon in 1954 on velocity 706 and a few years later in 1966 Doran Bros won the race from Nantes on velocity 885. The Portadown area has a big France record, as good as any around the country, my first memories of that was Ralph Wilson winning the NIPA Dinard in 1968 and 1973, some racing at the time. The late Mervyn Maben won the race for Edgarstown in 1975, he always said Homer did not know where Portadown was, two years later in the same club the race was won by W V Troughton and then by Bertie Fletcher in 1989. Paul Dunlop won it for Bondhill Social in 1991 to be followed by Ron Williamson for the same club in 1992, and he won again in 2016 flying in Newry & District, one of the all-time greats in Ireland. Back to Bondhill John Greenaway was winner in 2000 and Malcolm Robinson in 2003. In Annaghmore we will always remember the achievements of Glen Buckley & Son 1st Open in 2004, 2005 and 2007. W G Neill won for Annaghmore in 2010 and Hector Cordner was 1st Open in 2014. Tom Wilson won the race for Gilford in 2011, following in the steps of great fanciers locally Stanley Calvert and S S Cairns in the 60’s and in the same decade the winner of 1st Open was J McKeown of Annaghmore. Now right up to date overall winner in 2018 was Bobby Creaney for Portadown & Drumcree, another loft with a super distance record.
LOFT FEATURE
Q1. When started racing, what club and was any family involved? Why did you start in the pigeons and what birds did you start with?
I started racing pigeons in 1985 with my father and brother in Edgarstown HPS under the name of W Whitten & Sons. The first pigeons we raced were gifted from a friend, the late Billy Clements.
Q2. What organizations do you fly with currently?
I currently race in the NIPA & INFC with my young son Jay. We are also members of the Portadown & Drumcree club.
Q3. Your Loft, Structure, length and how many?
We have two lofts at present, the racing loft is 26ft x 8ft with three sections and the stock loft is 10ft x 6ft. Both lofts have aviaries attached, a very good job.
Q4. Racing/training methods for old birds and young birds. Do you put YB’s on Darkness System, and what about Old Birds – Widowhood, Roundabout or just Natural?
Jay and myself have 40 old birds and are raced on the Roundabout System. We also like to keep about 50 young birds and race them on the Darkness System. The old birds are trained approx. 3 times a week from a 20 mile radius. The young birds we like to give them as many training tosses as possible up until the first race to give them plenty of education. Once the racing begins, we then cut back to three tosses a week again from a 20 mile radius.
Q5. Feeding and systems etc. over the season?
Old birds are fed twice daily on Superdiet & Super Widowhood which we purchase from C & H Beattie of Tandragee. Young birds are fed the Jet Mix again purchased from C & H Beattie.
Q6. Treatments, what and when used? Do you use Vitamins, if so what?
We treat our birds for canker, cocci, worms and salmonella before racing begins and this is bought from C & H Beattie. The vitamins we use is Med Tollyamin Forte twice weekly and we get that from Jeff Greenaway of Dromore.
Q7. Breeding info when done etc.? - now that the rings are available before Christmas.
All our pigeons both racers and from the stock loft are paired up on the 20th December each year.
Q8. Birds at stock, strains kept and families etc.?
The birds we keep in stock are Hereman Ceusters and Van De Bulck obtained from Cock Crow Breeding Lofts in Dromore and also this year we have introduced Van Hercks from Gerard Delaney, also Dromore.
Q9. Racing results over the years – Club, Sect & Combine and best Open positions with NIPA & Irish National FC?
Over the past few year’s we have achieved some top results to name a few, 6th & 8th Open Rosscarbery National, 9th & 12th Open St Malo with a Bronze Award Winner, and back in my younger years 1st Open Tramore. Both Jay and myself have won Section E some 7 times, 7th Open Penzance Classic, 12th Open Penzance, 1st Open NIPA Talbenny, and 1st Open NIPA Gowran Park. The highlight for Jay last racing season was timing his bird from St Malo, and the only bird in the club.
Q10. Outstanding racers and stock birds since starting the sport?
“Kind of Magic” is one of our most consistent winners, winning 8 x 1st Clubs, 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 15th Section E and was 14th Open from the 5 Bird Championship Race. We also have another two Hereman Ceusters cocks that have won 10 x 1st Club between them.
Q11. What about cross channel racing both old bird and young bird?
Jay and myself have been very successful on the channel these past few years with winning 1st Open NIPA Talbenny, 6th,12th & 15th Open Talbenny. Not to mention winning the club from Talbenny, Bude, Penzance Classic and St Malo in 2019.
Q12. Any positions held past or present? – Any work covered at the club?
At the present time I am the assistant Secretary of our club.
Q13. Special mention of anyone who helped, or influenced you in the sport? Any views for the future?
Yes i have a few, firstly I would like to mention Wayne Doonan of Cock Crow Breeding Lofts as he has supplied myself and Jay with some super pigeons. I would also like to mention C & H Beattie for keeping our pigeons healthy and giving great advice and my long-time friend John Parr for training our pigeons on the transporter. Last but not least, I think my young son Jay deserves a big mention as he really helps myself around the lofts and is very highly thought off for helping out in our club.
Q14. Last but not least your best result, and what was biggest disappointment in the sport?
Our best result has to be topping the NIPA winning 1st Open from Talbenny and Gowran Park. I would say nothing really disappoints myself with Pigeon Racing as it is my passion, but would like to see more youth coming into the sport.
Q15. Anything I missed you would like to mention?
Jason had nothing to add, interesting even with great success he has introduced new stock in an all-out effort to improve. He lives in the perfect area to add to his 2 x 1st Open NIPA and looks like the loft to beat in Portadown. Many thanks Jason for the info.
HOMER. Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw
Email: homerbhw@gmail.com
http://www.pigeonnetwork.com
http://www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
http://www.niparacingpigeons.co.uk
http://www.infc.co.uk
Jason Whitten & Son Jay with trophies collected during the 2019 season.
The racing lofts of J Whitten & Son, Portadown & Drumcree.
The fantastic and neat Stock Lofts of J Whitten & Son.
2018 “Rush Hour” 1st Open NIPA Talbenny 11,441 birds for J Whitten & Son.
2019 “Skyfall” 1st Open NIPA Gowran Park 18,726 birds for J Whitten & Son.
‘Kind of Magic’
The top racer and an absolute superstar pigeon in our loft which has won to date (in two different clubs) over this past few years,
9 club first’s, - 6 two bird club - Achieved many top open & section results.
Bred by Wayne Doonan of Cock Crow Breeding Lofts. Raced by J Whitten & Son.
Allan McDonald won the French Diploma for 5th Open NIPA Dinard OB Derby
and 1st Open INFC Kings Cup Rennes in 1988.