Tullamore - 21/04/12

[willie reynolds]

Higgins Tops Combine from Tullamore

The East Down Combine were in Tullamore, Co Offaly for their second race of the season. With the birds off in a light west wind the race turned out to be very similar to the corresponding race last year. On that occasion the winner of the East Down Combine Open was Annalong’s Bobby McConnell on a velocity of 1697 and the Annalong club had 21 birds in the Open result. This year the Open winner is Annalong’s Billy Higgins on a velocity of 1701 and Annalong have 26 birds in the Open result.

With the NIPA liberating in Tullamore at 10am, the East Down Combine race controller waited an hour to give them every opportunity to clear the race point. As a result the East Down fanciers had another excellent race with great returns throughout the Combine.

The winner of the South Down Fed this week and as mentioned above of the East Down Combine is Annalong’s Billy Higgins who had a superb race here with three birds in the top ten of the Combine and another one at 18th Open.

The winning pigeon is a three-year-old Van Reet cock winning its fourth race. This cock first won as a young bird when he was 1st in the Corrigs club from Mullingar and was 14th Sect F that day. As a yearling he was 1st club Tullamore in the Corrigs, and last year he was 1st club from Mullingar in Annalong. As well as a having a great race record he was also the sire of Billy’s Open winner from Navan last year. His sire is a Hession Van Reet while the dam is a Kevin Lawson Van Reet on loan from Kevin and Kristopher Rooney.

Billy’s second pigeon taking 5th Fed, 7th Open is a two-year old Van Reet cock. This bird was 13th Open in this race last year and has had two other club positions. The sire of this one is a brother of this week’s winner and of the pigeon at 6th Fed, 8th Open. The dam was 17th Open Skibbereen Classic in 2006.

The pigeon at 6th Fed, 8th Open is a nest mate of the Open winner and another terrific racer. This one was 1st club Fermoy in Annalong last year and has also won twice in the Corrigs club. With Billy’s first and third birds both pooled in the Fed and this one winning the Nom he has winnings of £69.10 on the day.

Billy Tremlett Annalong is 2nd Fed 2nd Open with a yearling Flor Engels cock. This pigeon is a full brother of Billy’s Open winner from this race in 2005. This yearling cock had only one race last year and this was his first race this year. The sire is pure Flor Engels from Geoff Kirkland while the dam is Flor Engels x Marcellis. The winner of the Open in 2005 was the first pigeon off this pair while the pigeon timed here is the last one off the pair as he was the only young one they had last year.

Annalong’s McLoughlin Bros are 3rd Fed 3rd Open with a yearling Van Reet cock. The parents were gift birds from good friend Len McKinstry Dundonald. These birds have done particularly well for the Ballymartin partnership with the sire of this one having a great record from Skibbereen having been 2nd club Skibbereen Derby as a young bird, then last year as a yearling he was 1st club Skibbereen Classic and 1st club Skibbereen National.

J Trimble & Son Annalong are 4th Fed, 4th Open this week in their first old bird season since they returned to the sport last year. The pigeon timed here was a yearling cock from K Rooney & Son. The sire is a Lindelauf and is a son of ‘Provins’. This cock has bred several winners for different lofts. The dam is a Gust Jansen, which is a dam of many winners including three section winners for McCartan & Woodsides, Crossgar.

K Rooney & Son Annalong have another great race here with three birds in the Fed result and five in the Open result, taking 9th, 10th, 12th, 15th and 23rd Open. Their first pigeon is a yearling whose sire is Gust Jansen while the dam is from top Belgian fancier, Rudi Diels. The dam is a daughter of ‘Goud Haantje’.

Kevin and Kristopher’s second pigeon is two-year-old Gust Jansen that was 8th Open in this race last year, as well as having a first and second as a young bird. He is a brother of the hen that was 3rd Open Talbenny Young Bird Derby in 2009.
Their third bird is from their number one stock pair with the sire being a Schoffield Janssen and the dam a daughter of their old Van Wildemeersch pair. This pair has been responsible for many winners for Kevin and Kristopher as well as for others around the country.

The result is completed by Telford Bros Tyrella who take 9th Fed, 11th Open. Their pigeon is a yearling cock that was unraced as a young bird. The sire is a Soontjens from Colin Gibson, Dromara while the dam is a Lindelauf from K Rooney & Son. Colin and Alan had a good race here with another bird taking second in the Downpatrick club and 6th Open.

Full Result: 1, B Higgins Annalong 1701 ABCD £41; 2, B Tremlett Annalong 1676; 3, McLoughlin Bros Annalong 1671; 4, J Trimble & Son Annalong 1666; 5, 6, B Higgins 1661, 1659 ABCDNom £28.10; 7, 8, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1658, 1657; 9, Telford Bros Tyrella 1656.44; 10, K Rooney & Son 1656.36; M Jennings Annsborough 1655.2 ABCD £12.40

* Around the Lofts: E & A Rogan had a super race in Newcastle taking the first seven positions. In Dundrum A Murray & Son make it two wins in a row, with S Foster, Connor & Parry taking second and third. In Annsborough Michael Jennings had the first bird to scoop the pools and DTW, with last week’s winners G & P Brown in second and Mickey Croskery third. As above Telford Bros are the winners in Tyrella ahead of S Halpin & Sons who had the next four. The first three in Annalong are as per the Fed result.

• 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 this week from 2nd Mount Charles with the final from Bude. The draw will be available in the clubs on Friday night.
• Pool race this week from 2nd Mount Charles

Brendan McLoughlin PO.