With much of the U.K and surprisingly Northern Ireland also basking in glorious sun-shine all of last week, it was without any doubt the best racing conditions of the O/Bird campaign thus far, with some fanciers getting an early tan rather than early pigeons.
The NIPA participating lofts in Lisburn City & Around area where racing from both Talbenny in South Wales for the second consecutive week and many also where participating in the Yearling Cocks and Hens National from Rosscarbery.
The NIPA Yearling National pigeons where the first to be released on Saturday morning at 7.30am in a North Easterly Wind. With 331 lofts entering 1,341 pigeons in the Hens National and 372 lofts entering 1,664 pigeons in the Cocks National the combined convoy of 3,005 pigeons made good time, with especially two Dromore Lofts that being 1st Club, 1st Section D and 4th Open in the Yearling Cocks National for Philip & Joe Boal on a velocity of 1324ypm and 1st Club, 1st Section D and 2nd Open in the Yearling Hens National for Jeff Greenaway. Exceptional flying from both lofts, but firstly I want to go back to the loft of P & J Boal for as well as finishing 1st Section in the Yearling Cocks National they also finish 4th Section and 13th Open. Now for good measure add 2nd, 3rd & 4th Section D and 3rd, 5th and 7th Open Yearling Hens National on the same day, what a year the loft is having this the first full season flying from the newly constructed spacious loft, remembering that only over the last fortnight the brothers Philip and Joe have finished 1st, 3rd, 42nd, 44th and 80th North Section INFC Skibbereen flying 236 miles followed by 2nd Section, 9th Open; 4th Section, 16th Open; 9th Section, 27th Open; 11th Section, 36th Open; 32nd Section and 184th Open; 40th Section and 217th Open in the NIPA O/Bird Rosscarbery National, exceptional consistent flying by the brothers. This latest Section Winner for Philip & Joe is a Cheq Pied on Semi Widowhood, Pure Van Herck and you couldn’t ask for better breeding direct from a son of the No 1 Pair when mated to a daughter of the No 2 Pair in fact the Sire and Dam are cousins as two fathers are full brothers. He was timed at 12.35 flying 230 miles. Finishing 4th Section and 13th Open in the same race the brothers timed there Cheq Cock at 12.44pm this one 50% Van Herck and 50% Leo Hermans this one already a multiple winner on the road scoring 9th Section D and 27th Open in the Rosscarbery Inland National with some 6,200+ pigeons competing also 4th Section D and 7th Open NIPA Roscrea against 17,691 pigeons. Now in the Yearling Hens National first pigeon into the clock for the brothers recording 2nd Section D and 3rd Open was a Blue Hen she is pure Leo Hermans and a G/Daughter of “Safiar” and “Samson”. The 3rd Section D and 5th Open in the National was also a Blue Hen this time the best of the Willy Van Herck pigeons with its nest mate next into the Clock to record 4th Section D and 7th Open in the National Event, this same pigeon was also 1st North Section INFC Skibbereen only a couple of weeks ago finishing 7th Open in the Over-all National Result lifting a cool £1,000 for the brothers. A fantastic racer for the brothers this one having already this year finished 1st Club, 1st Section and 26th Open NIPA Roscrea 14,733 pigeons. Her sister ’Nishi’ last year was 1st Club, 1st Section and 2nd Open in this same race.
Now lets go back to the other Dromore Loft and that of Jeff Greenaway the current Section D Fancier of the Year, and what a 2013 he is having in his attempt to win the Section Fancier of the Year Crown for a seventh time. I have lost count of the number of 1st Section D Diplomas this loft has won over recent years, equally I have lost count of the number of times he has finished 2nd Open, yet again and yet again it’s a loft from the Ligoniel Area that beats him the second time this season alone. Jeff finishes 1st Club, 1st Section D and 2nd Open NIPA Yearling Hens National on a velocity of 1326ypm. He timed his Yearling Blue W/F Hen at 12.34 flying 229 miles. I suppose the fact that his blood was involved in the National winning pigeon gives some consolation to the defeat, with Nigel Hanna of the McClurkin & Hanna partnership letting Jeff know that his winner was off a son of Jeffs famous racer ’Back to Back’ when paired to a hen via Jeff’s good friend Sheldon Leonard. Back to the details of Jeffs Section Winner finishing 2nd National, her Dam is the best from Andre Roodhooft the legendary Emperor of Belgium, who Jeff has had the privilege of knowing now for a number of years and has some excellent articles of Roodhoofts at stock, which Jeffs admits are exceptional. To produce this winner the Roodhooft Hen was paired to a Dark Cock, a pigeon admired by all who see him, source of this one Mr Ian Gibb of the Gibb & Byrne Stud. Ian Gibb is making a bit of a habit of producing winners recently having supplied a pigeon to win the EDC Skibb Derby for McCartan & Woodside three weeks ago, supplied Ricky McCullough with a pigeon to win 1st Open NIPA Talbenny and the pigeons to produce the 2nd Open Winner in the same race, also a 3rd East Coast Fed winner from the same race point this year and just past on Saturday Ricky McCullough was a winner from Talbenny yet again finishing 1st Club and 2nd Section with one direct from a Van Dyck hen loaned from Ian Gibb this one now Dam to 9 x 1st prize winners.
Back to Jeffs winner racing roundabout she has already proved her worth this year and been very consistent to the loft from all the races that she has participated in finishing more recently 21st Section D and 113th Open Rosscarbery NIPA O/Bird National and 201st North Section from the INFC Skibbereen the following week.
As mentioned above Jeff is having a cracking season following probably one of his extreme best last year, Dromore being the hot bed of competition that it is since Jeff joined the Dromore HPS in 2009 he has not yet failed in being Top Prize Winner ever since joining and this year has started equally as strong. As he bids to retain the Section D Fancier of the Year Title a team close behind hoping to retain there NIPA Section D O/Bird Fanciers of the Year are the partnership of Ian Gibb & Sons. And to be fair all three lofts mentioned thus far are the ones in the mix at this stage and all equally had a fantastic weekend.
Ian Gibb & Sons also had a smashing race topping the Club in both Hen and Cock Nationals finishing 9th & 10th Section and 21st & 22nd National in the Yearling Hens and 2nd Section and 5th Open in the Yearling Cocks the two Club winners both nest mates, how’s that for picking. The Blue cock finishing 2nd Section was timed at 12.49 flying 239 miles and records a velocity of 1320ypm. The Winning Blue Cheq Hen in the National event was timed at 1.00pm. Now as mentioned they are nest mates and are both G/Children of “The Golden ACE” What a producer she is proving to be, just look at the detail below plus the breeding, one of the best without any doubt around in these current times.
Prior to adding any positions linked to the “GOLDEN ACE” for 2013 these results where all achieved by her G/Children from 2010/2012 :- 1st SECTION 2,502 Pigeons finishing 1st OPEN NIPA FERMOY 19,604 Pigeons; 1st SECTION 3,300 Pigeons finishing 6th OPEN ROSCREA 27,017 Pigeons; 1st SECTION 2,987 Pigeons finishing 10th OPEN NIPA ROSCREA 25,007 Pigeons; 2nd SECTION 2,538 Pigeons finishing 2nd OPEN NIPA ROSCREA 19,768 Pigeons; 2nd SECTION 1,392 Pigeons finishing 3rd OPEN TULLAMORE 9,167 Pigeons; 4th SECTION 627 Pigeons finishing 33rd OPEN BUDE 4,489 Pigeons; 7th SECTION 3,677 Pigeons finishing 29th OPEN CLONMEL 28,688 Pigeons; 8th NORTH SECTION 2,215 Pigeons finishing 112th OPEN SKIBBEREEN Y/B NAT INFC 3,037 Pigeons; 8th SECTION 3,212 Pigeons finishing 11th OPEN FERMOY 18,268 Pigeons; 9th SECTION 2,912 Pigeons finishing 55th OPEN CLONMEL 20,559 Pigeons; 9th SECTION 213 Pigeons finishing 28th OPEN ROSSCARBERY YEARLING NAT + GOLD MEDAL 1,548 Pigeons; 11th SECTION finishing 33rd OPEN NIPA ROSSCARBERY YEARLING NATIONAL; 12th SECTION 3,707 Pigeons finishing 25th OPEN FERMOY 28,178 Pigeons; 13th SECTION 3,707 Pigeons finishing 29th OPEN FERMOY 28,178 Pigeons; 13th SECTION finishing 38th OPEN NIPA FERMOY 5 BIRD 2,488 Pigeons; 14th SECTION 3,707 Pigeons finishing 33rd OPEN FERMOY 28,178 Pigeons; 16th SECTION 2,502 Pigeons finishing 48th OPEN NIPA FERMOY 19,604 Pigeons; 18th SECTION 2,122 Pigeons finishing 97th OPEN TULLAMORE 16,200 Pigeons; 19th SECTION 3,677 Pigeons finishing 62nd OPEN CLONMEL 28,688 Pigeons; 19th SECTION finishing 94th OPEN CLONMEL 20,559 Pigeons; 23rd SECTION finishing 163rd OPEN PENZANCE; 24th SECTION 1,182 Pigeons finishing 282nd OPEN TULLAMORE 16,200 Pigeons; 28th SECTION finishing 66th OPEN ROSCREA 19,768 Pigeons; 29th SECTION 2,122 Pigeons finishing 129th OPEN TULLAMORE 16,200 Pigeons; 30th SECTION 3,707 Pigeons finishing 82nd OPEN FERMOY 28,178 Pigeons; 30th SECTION finishing 105th OPEN FERMOY 10,529 Pigeons; 31st SECTION finishing 91st OPEN FERMOY; 35th SECTION finishing 107th OPEN FERMOY; 38th SECTION finishing 136th OPEN FERMOY 10,529 Pigeons; 39th SECTION 2,538 Pigeons finishing 106th OPEN 19,768 Pigeons; 43rd SECTION finishing 154th OPEN FERMOY 18,494 Pigeons;
Now on top of the above this super breeder is also now G/G/Dam of 2nd SECTION 1,116 Pigeons finishing 2nd OPEN NIPA TULLAMORE 8,339 Pigeons; 2nd SECTION 2,805 Pigeons finishing 4th OPEN NIPA TULAMORE 24,133 Pigeons and 3rd SECTION 2,805 Pigeons finishing 5th OPEN NIPA TULAMORE 24,133 Pigeons.
I think you would have to agree what a pigeon she is a Kees Bosua Belg 07/575 her breeding as follows her SIRE NL 06 1078723 Kees Bosua bred for Stock coming direct from the famous 2004 bred “Time-Out” when paired to the 2003 bred “Kerkduifje” DAM NL 06 1078715 Kees Bosua Bred for Stock this one direct daughter of the 2002 bred “DAVID” when paired to the famous “MAXIMA”.
SECTION DELIGHT FROM TALBENNY FOR GREGORY’S
As well as having the Yearling National events from Rosscarbery the NIPA where in Talbenny in South Wales for the second consecutive week. Again excellent conditions and the convoy hadn’t long to wait after the sea fog lifted for the conditions to merit release, with the strings cut at 8.30am the convoy of 10,137 pigeons sent by 838 competing lofts hit the skies to face the North Easterly wind on there journey home. Locally in the Lisburn City and surrounding area expectations of a good race where high and for some lofts the Yearling National pigeons where arriving at the same time as the Talbenny ones. This week it was the turn of the Colin outfit of John Gregory & Sons to come to the fore for the top Section D Honours they have been racing very well over recent weeks and I have to say this success was on the cards. For them he was one of the favoured ones having scored 2nd Club last week from the same race point and was there DTW pigeon this week in the Club and was a previous winner last year of 5th Open NIPA from Tullamore well done lads on your recent success including the Skibbereen National.
Having a look through the local results in my area in line with the best velocities in reference to Section positions, my first port of call after the Section Winner is to the runner-up and a very good performance from Ricky McCullough yet again this now his 8th win in the Derriaghy HPS following his 1st and 2nd Open Success last week from Talbenny. This week 2nd Section and 126th Open NIPA. Ricky clocked his good Blue Cock at 12.56 flying 196 miles. This is the cocks 2nd win of the year and come direct from a Van Dyck Hen loaned from Ian Gibb when paired to a Cock sourced from Sheldon Leonard, both having produced 9 x 1st prize winners between them, the Gibb Hen had breed 7 x individual 1st Prize Winners for Ian before being loaned out to Ricky.
It was a return to winning ways for the Clyde Rollins of the Hills & Maze and a superb year this loft is having also it was only a few weeks that I highlighted this loft following there recent excellent performance. Martin & Fred Russell have started to fire on all cylinders topping the Dromore West End finishing 4th Section D this week with a 157th Open NIPA to boot, the loft also records a 6th Section D win and must be feared when in form. In the Dromore HPS it was the turn of the Brown & Burns team to rise to the top on what was a super performance on the day collecting 5th Section D. The Loft of Ian Gibb & Sons top the Glenavy Club making it three from three for the weekend. Ian and Peter timed there Blue Cheq Pied Hen at 12.59 to record a velocity of 1280ypm, this one a Soontjen coming direct from a pigeon named “Williamson” a winner of 4 x 1st before Stock when paired to a G/Daughter of the ’Sabre’. Next on the same yard is Jeff Greenaway keeping close taps on the competition followed by the Kincaid & McCann partnership from Dunedin with Philip and Joe Boal completing the Top Ten in the Section from the second Talbenny event.
Well done to all the winners on what as a busy weekend. Until next week Good Luck.
Adie McCormick
Email celestiallofts@aol.com
http://www.pigeonnetwork.com
Tel. 07921883997
Ian Gibb and Adie on a visit to Kees Bosua (see text ref 'The Golden Ace')
The ACE Flyer Jeff Greenaway Dromore 2nd Open Yet Again including second time
this season already.
Ricky McCullough after topping the Open last week from Talbenny tops the club
this week for the eighth time this season finishing 2nd Section D
The 'Golden Ace' what a breeder for Ian Gibb at the Gibb & Byrne stud see text.