Mullingar - 14/04/12

[willie reynolds]

G & P Brown off to a Flyer

The 2012 pigeon-racing season got underway on Saturday 14th April when the pigeons were released in Mullingar in a light north northeasterly wind. The weather in the week prior to the first race while cold provided ample sunshine and dry conditions to permit the birds to be trained in preparation for their first race.

Saturday morning started off bright but was once again quite cold in the north northeasterly wind. With showers forecast throughout the day race controller Patrick McComb got the birds into the air at 10am and a super race ensued with most lofts recording full returns.

The East Down Combine Fanciers of the Year in 2011, Gordon Bros got off to a great start with another magnificent race card with 13 of the top 15 in the Open result. Likewise the South Down Federation’s Fanciers of the Year in 2011, G & P Brown got off to a winning start taking 1st, 2nd, 8th and 9th Fed. This was another superb race for the Browns.

Geraldine and Patrick’s Fed winner this week is a Busschaert from K Rooney & Son Annalong who provided the bloodlines for the Browns’ four pigeons in this week’s Fed result. Kevin and Kristopher obtained these Busschaerts from Davy Shiels Son & Dtr, Durham and they have produced a host of winners including the pigeon that was 1st Open for Geraldine and Patrick from Fermoy last year. The dam of the pigeon timed here is a Soontjens that has also bred prizewinners.

The pigeon at second Fed is a Gust Jansen x Van Reet and this pair has also bred multiple prizewinners. Geraldine and Patrick’s third pigeon is from the Rooney’s Bastian Bros lines. The sire of this one is also the sire of Kevin and Kristopher’s Skibbereen Open winner.

The sire of the pigeon at 9th Fed is a full brother of the bird that was 1st Open NIPA 5-Bird Fermoy for the Rooneys and is from their original Soontjens pigeons. The dam of this one is from the Lindelauf lines.

D Croskery & Son Annsborough keen to win back the Fancier of the Year award got off to a good start taking 3rd and 4th Fed. Their first bird is a latebred cock having his first ever race, having been given just a few short tosses last year. The sire is a Kees Bosua cock while the dam is the ‘01’ hen. This young cock is the same way bred as the hen that was 2nd North section in the Skibbereen National in 2010.

Their second pigeon takes 4th Fed and the sire is the ‘02’ cock, a nest mate of the dam of their first bird, and this one has also bred a few winners. The dam is from Rodney & Jason Walker, Killyleagh and this hen also bred the bird that was 3rd Open in the Portsmouth National.

D McNabb & Ptrs Tyrella are 5th Fed here and they have a great record from this race having won the Open in 2010. The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old hen and is a Janssen from Alex Crawford, Ballylesson.

Annsborough’s J McNally & Son are 6th Fed to get their season off to another good start. The sire of the pigeon timed here is a Van der Poel from J Watt & Sons Ligoneil, and is a son of ‘Berbatov’. The dam is a Janssen x Van Loon from Malcolm Taylor.

R McDowell & Son Annsborough are 7th Fed and Robert is another who will compete from the first race to the last. The pigeon timed here is a yearling cock and on the sire’s side he is off a cock from Billy Lecky and a Kenyon pied hen. On the dam’s side he is off a son of Robert’s French hen and a Best hen.

The result is completed by P Brown & Son Annsborough at 10th Fed. This yearling cock was bred by G & P Brown from their K Rooney & Son stock and is from the Marita Vinks lines.

Full Result: 1, 2, G & P Brown Annsborough 1146, 1145; 3, 4, D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1138.7, 138.2; 5, D McNabb & Ptrs Tyrella 1136; 6, J McNally & Son Annsborough 1132; 7, R McDowell & Son Annsborough 1130.8; 8, 9, G & P Brown Annsborough 1130.6, 1130.6; 10, P Brown & Son Annsborough 1126:

Around the clubs: In Annalong Pat Trimble broke his novice status to finish ahead of C McVeigh who was 2nd and 3rd. In Dundrum A Murray & Son took the first four, while in Newcastle Dan Hillen led the way from E & A Rogan who took the next two. In Tyrella it was 1st D McNabb & Ptrs, 2nd S Halpin & Sons and 3rd S Milligan & Dtr. The first three in Annsborough are featured above.

• May Day race will take place on Monday 7th May from Mullingar. Birds will be hampered on Monday morning in Annsborough from 8.30 to 10.00. Cost will be £2.50 for first 5 birds or less and 50p per bird for more than 5. This race is open to Federation members only.
• The loft KO will start from 2nd Mount Charles with the final from Bude.


Brendan McLoughlin PO.