By The Late Millar McAllistar
Smyth Bros, the world famous partnership from Ballymena in Co.Antrim N.Ireland finished 2nd Open to the McDowell loft from the Nantes Kings Cup of 1973. Their performances from French race points into N.Ireland haven’t just caught the attention and admiration of the fanciers in Ireland for their performances are such that Wing Commander Lea Rayner once arranged to visit their loft. But due to circumstances which prevailed at the time was unable to fulfil that engagement. I kept my appointment and acquired all the info to enable to complete this loft report. I should point out right away that I most likely will not do the brothers Bobby and Hugh Justice. What I would like, however, is to see an article written by Bobby because he is such a great thinker, remembers the smallest things in great detail and has a great head for ring numbers. I could best describe him as a great pigeon studier – A Student of the game.
Hugh and Bobby Smyth from Ballymena finished 2nd Open INFC Nantes, who in the world haven’t heard of this partnership.
I will give you an idea of just how deep he goes. Just before I started to write this article I was talking to him on the telephone about the NIPA Y/Bird Derby in which the Bros won 2nd Club, 5th Section and 12th Open, 6,731 birds. They had entered 4 birds including 2 brothers from one of their stock cocks which Bobby says always breeds a good one with a gravel eye. Of the pair he sent to Haverford Y/Bird Derby one was in excellent feather with a nut brown eye, the other was the gravel eyed bird but his feather, although not bad, was not quite as good as the first bird. So studying the two Bobby decided to go on past form and pool the gravel eyed pigeon. Unfortunately, the lesser pooled dark-eyed bird was the one timed. This was only one little mistake but a field in which he seldom goes wrong is in the breeding.
The Smyth Bros loft management – feeding - training etc is a combined effort, Bobby and Hugh doing their fair share of the chores. The one thing that is left entirely to Bobby is the matings. This is where the top lofts excel, in their ability to mate the pairs properly and breed the future champions. Bobby has the happy nack of selecting the correct pairs and their long list of French Champions from the 1940’s to the present day is proof if it were needed that the Smyths are Master Breeders.
The good craftsman must have the proper tools to work with and the Bros got these from the great Jim Kenyon in 1944. They searched pigeon lore in the war years looking for a suitable loft from which to purchase and they choose wisely when they purchased the Black Pied based strain from the Old Master of whom the brothers speak most highly. Bobby says of him “There is a deep sincerity in him which is hard to find nowadays”. The friendship between the Smyth family and the Kenyon family is very close, many visits have been made to the Old Master. In fact, I saw a photograph of Bobby and Jim Kenyon taken at the latters home this year. To say that the Smyths struck oil when they purchased the Kenyons from their founder would be the under statement of the year. To the originals they later added Kenyons from their now good friend, R H Caskell of Upholland. Bobby says that the Kenyons from Mr Gaskell were very similar in breeding to their own but when crossed with the originals they were like a tonic. The famous ‘Leading Lady’, winner of 4th, 6th, 9th and 21st Open Redon in 4 consecutive years, although not in the order given, is the result of the Gaskell Kenyons and the originals crossed. I know of no other pigeon which has taken 4 such good positions in French racing to N.Ireland, flying over 500 miles, a truly great performance by a magnificent pigeon. She also left her mark at breeding – to mention but one – a G/Son won 1st Open Y/Bird National in 1964.
However this is not a one bird loft, there have been many outstanding performances like ‘Rennes Queen’ and her daughter, ‘Northern Leader’ and quite a number more which did not receive names but which were equally good birds.
Behind every good pigeon there is a story worth telling. The story behind ‘Rennes Queen’ reads like this; the Bros had two direct Kenyons mated together but unfortunately the hen of the pair escaped and flew back to Jim Kenyon. Rather than lose valuable time waiting until she was returned again a Kenyon hen was acquired on loan from a friend with the stipulation that he receive a Y/Bird from the other hen when she was returned. This was agreed and when the pair of Y/Birds where ready the friend was sent for to come and take his pick. However, when he arrived he said that due to circumstances which prevailed he had decided not to take the Y/Bird but for curiosity’s sake he was invited to pick the one which he would have taken. The Y/Bird he chose was the famous “Rennes Queen”. A lucky break you may say, but we all need a little luck sometimes.
Bobby is a great man for reminiscing and another story he told me was about the late Dr Garvin of Coalisland. The Doctor was a great and respected fancier and it was a great honour to the young Smyth Bros when he came and purchased a pair of Kenyons from them. Part of the deal was that Dr Garvin would rear them a Y/Bird from the pair. Bobby went to collect the Y/Bird when it was ready and when he entered the stock loft with Dr Garvin he noticed what he described as a wee weed of a youngster scoot into a nest box on the floor. Bobby looked at me, laughed and said “Boy O I said to myself, I hope you’re not for me”. Well, need I tell you, it was and as they say you don’t judge a book by the cover. It’s looks certainly belied its potential.
I could go on jotting down these stories of the Smyths but I will leave them for now and maybe at a later date encourage them to write an article.
The racing loft is 22ft long, quite broad, with 3 sections, 2 for O/Birds and one for Y/Birds, it is airy and dry. It is cleaned daily and a small sprinkling of sand and saw dust is used on the floor. Opposite the racing loft, at the foot of the garden, is the stock loft which housed 4 pairs of stock birds. 36 racers are kept and approximately 40 Y/Birds reared each year.
Y/Birds are flown once per day and that is in the evening and boy, do they fly? They just go for hours with not a flag in sight. They are not raced hard and only the best feathered youngsters are selected for the races. If a Y/Bird is in bad feather it is stopped for a few weeks. O/Birds are treated entirely differently, they have the Open Hole from Dawn to Dusk, are hopper fed but the hopper is used in such a way that only a few beans are left when the Bros return from work. The only titbit they receive is poultry grain as they don’t believe in these magic potions which make birds home quicker. They say sound birds only need clean food, fresh water, grit and exercise. This method for them has brought to light many great pigeons and as Bobby says, “We’re of the old school – old-fashioned if you like and we’re reluctant to change”.
Now to their latest big winner, “Northern Lady”, a sooty Blue Cheq Hen – 2nd Open Nantes, 570 miles winning the Nelson Vase and over £300. As a Y/Bird she won 1st and 5th Club 500 – 600 birds. As a yearling she didn’t score but flew Haverford twice this year and had four inland raced to Dungarven where she won 1st Club and 4th Section 5,000 birds. Her last race before going to Nantes was Okehampton where she was the Brothers 3rd bird. She was sent to Nantes sitting 8 days although the Bros would have preferred for her to be down a couple of days earlier. Her third flight was just burst through here again she was just wrong by a few days. But she fought gamely on and was timed 2nd morning at 8.17am, flying 570 miles. No birds on the day. Bobby says without doubt she was the freshest bird he has ever timed from France ‘Northern Lady’ has lovely silky feathers, is roomy and has a gravel eye.
The mention of Eye-Sign brings a glint into the eye of the Smyths. Bobby again is the great student of the eye and one only has to look at the quality of eyes in the family that they race to know that it is maintained and preserved when possible. Back to ‘Northern Lady’, she is bred from a Blue W/F Hen, a G/Daughter of their 1964 Y/Bird National winner and as previously mentioned it, in turn, was a G/Child of ‘Leading Lady’
“Silver Wings” One of the Smyth Bros top producers, Sire of numerous winners including a hen to win £1,000 from Dinard in France.
I could go on and on but I’m fast running out of space. It would, however, be a shame not to mention such birds as ‘Silver Wings’, a pencil Blue cock, the Sire of a Yearling Hen to win 2nd Open and £1,000 from Dinard. BCC 6th Open Beauvais on the day. (Loft mate was 2nd Open), a lovely Sooty Blue Hen a full sister to ‘Silver Wings’. ‘Gay Lady’ is the best racing hen in the loft at present, 7 times over the Channel and never further back than 5th. She has also been 6th Open NNFC Haverford and 3rd Club Dinard. Another BCC, the No 1 Stock Cock, G/Son of ‘Leading Lady’ and so it goes on and on there are quite a number more worthy of mention but space!!