PRE-TRAINING RACE 3 & TRAINING RACE 1 & 2 RESULTS -

[willie reynolds]

PRE-TRAINING RACE 3
&
TRAINING RACE 1 & 2 RESULTS.
OFF WE GO ON ANOTHER RECORD BREAKING RACE SEASON.

It should be noted the Organising Committee and Loft Managers have decided this year not to try to rush the
youngsters up to the 80km (50 miles) mark because quite a few of the daily training tosses have had to be cancelled because of heavy rain. So with the pigeon’s best interest in mind, the first two Pre-Training Races 1 & 2 the distances were shortened to give the pigeons more experience. Please watch the Race Programme listed on the dedicated web
site:- www.samdpr.com for more information on the distances for some of these earlier races as they may change
slightly. Of course only races of 50km (31 miles) actually counts in the SAMDPR Ace Pigeon Overall Averages and only fully paid up pigeons can win any of the cash prizes.

TRAINING RACE 1 should of taken place on Wednesday 23rd October 2013 from 50km (31 miles) but it was decided to have PRE-TRAINING RACE 3 instead from 26km (16 miles) and a world record breaking 5,967 pigeons were basketed from 40 different countries, this total was made up by 399 South African pigeons and 5,568 International pigeons and this included 461 from the United Kingdom and 87 from Ireland. This race will not count in the Overall Averages.

The convoy were liberated at 08.30 in cloudy conditions, with a moderate head wind, 15c (59f) and a good race was anticipated. It should probably be mentioned that in the same race last year 4,595 pigeons were sent, so this means that 1,372 more pigeons made it to this Training Race this year than the same race during last year.

CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st OPEN goes to JOCHEN HUENTEN from GERMANY with pigeon named ALWAYS AFTERNOON, which was officially clocked at 09.01.55.66 to record a velocity of 1288ypm (44mph), 2nd Saad Alqanem from Kuwait, 3rd Guido Barth from Germany, 4th Ed McGowan from United States Of America, 5th Team Germany – Christoph Groene from Germany, 6th Karel Klemens from Czech Republic, 7th Mishel Ead from Kuwait, 8th Warren Bloomfield from Australia, 9th Dominik Ott from Switzerland, 10th Mary and Jerrys Loft from United States Of America, 11th Uwe Neubauer From Germany, 12th Peter Schacht from Germany, 13th Team Esser – Klaas from Germany, 14th Eros Carboni from Italy, 15th Defaulter Pigeon, 16th Nick and Eddy Didden from Belgium,17th Nemelka – Petzer from South Africa, 18th Erich Mueller from Germany, 19th Team Maskam from South Africa and 20th Pleasant Task Farm from United States Of America. The top twenty in this result were separated by just 12.05 seconds and had 9 different countries represented which was a good start to the 2013/14 race series. This race resulted in 5,884 pigeons being officially recorded by 15.31, leaving just 83 pigeons to make it back to the lofts.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 33rd OPEN went to GEORGE CHADWICK with pigeon named TINA C, which was officially clocked at 09.02.13.63 just 17.97 seconds behind the actual race winner, 2nd UK, 60th Open Manchester Maestros with pigeon bred by Crehan & O’Connor from Salford, 3rd UK, 68th Open Tweed Lofts with pigeon bred by K. Turner, 4th UK, 73rd Open Woodhouse Lofts with pigeon bred by Nev Proctor from Brown Edge, 5th UK, 80th Open Fairways Lofts with pigeon bred by Steve Burton from Pinxton, 6th UK, 81st Open Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 7th UK, 85th Open Planet Brothers from Noak Hill, 8th UK, 94th Open Syndicates Beacon UK with pigeon bred by Ian Parsons from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 9th UK, 101st Open Pieter Oberholster from Keysoe, 10th UK, 105th Open another for Woodhouse Lofts with pigeon bred by Nev Proctor from Brown Edge, 11th UK, 108th Open Carlos Dream Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, 12th UK, 112th Open another for Fairways Lofts with pigeon bred by Steve Burton from Pinxton, 13th UK, 124th Open Lucky Devils Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith, Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Bob Fenech from Attleborough, 14th UK, 154th Open Whiskey Galore with pigeon bred by Wally & Ian Gray from Birgham, 15th UK, 158th Open Tony Kent + Bill Lindon with pigeon bred by Tony Kent from Wareside, 16th UK, 165th Open Packer and Clarke with pigeon bred by this partnership from Braintree and Grays, 17th UK, 198th Open Dave Waterhouse NFC Nom Saintes with pigeon bred by Dave Waterhouse from Portsmouth, 18th UK, 231st Open another for Lucky Devils Syndicate with another pigeon bred by Bob Fenech from Attleborough, 19th UK, 252nd Open Crammond and Langstaff from Fontwell and 20th UK, 255th Open Paul Bamford from Pembroke Dock. This race resulted in 454 pigeons being officially clocked by 15.31, leaving just 7 pigeons to make it back to base camp.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 48th OPEN went to MM BRYNE with pigeon named WAYNES WORLD, which was officially clocked at 09.02.17.01, just 21.35 seconds behind the actual race winner, 2nd Ireland, 58th Open Jos Reilly – Team Ireland, 3rd Ireland, 122nd Open Safet Duran, 4th Ireland, 225th Open Moran + Bowden, 5th Ireland, 238th Open Brammer and Nasher and then 6th Ireland, 263rd Open another for Jos Reilly – Team Ireland. This race resulted in 87 pigeons being officially clocked by 15.31 making 100% returns.

TRAINING RACE 1 was held on Saturday 26th October 2013 from 39km (24 miles) and another world record breaking total for the SAMDPR and for this race 5,955 pigeons from 40 different countries were basketed and this included 400 South African pigeons and 5,555 International pigeons and this figure included 460 from the United Kingdom and 87 from Ireland. A total of 4,454 pigeons were sent to this same race last year, so this year showed a massive increase of 1,501 more entries. This race would not count in the Overall Averages because it was not over 50km (31 miles).

The convoy were liberated at 7.50 into a moderate head wind, partly cloudy conditions and a temperature of 18c (64f) and a good tough race was anticipated. At 09.25 the weather was fine and windy with a strong head wind with temperature of 21c (70f).

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st OPEN goes to TEAM DIE ZERNSDORFER from GERMANY with pigeon named HERTHA, which was officially clocked at 08.31.47.34 to record a velocity of 1006ypm (34mph), 2nd Josef Huber from Germany, 3rd Defaulter Pigeon, 4th Omahas Midwest Express from United States Of America, 5th Fayez Q8 from Kuwait, 6th Defaulter Pigeon, 7th Billy Wallace from Republic Of Ireland, 8th Jamal Mutlak from Kuwait, 9th Peter Toth from Canada, 10th LYC Loft from United States Of America, 11th Jan Hooymans – Hu Zhen Yu from Netherlands, 12th Thorsten + Finn Leon Daum from Germany, 13th Lenka Machara from Slovakia, 14th Southern Comfort Lofts from Zimbabwe, 15th Karl Fuermsinn from Austria, 16th Don and Judy Hart from United States Of America, 17th Team Bertlich from Germany, 18th Emila Loft UK from United Kingdom, 19th Wolfram Coesfeld from German and 20th Defaulter Pigeon, the third in the top twenty. The top twenty were separated by just 41.75 seconds and had 10 different countries represented in this result. A total of 5,557 pigeons were officially clocked up to 18.15. This figure meant that a total of 398 pigeons had failed to make it back to the lofts before darkness. Sunday dawned and another 186 pigeons were recorded by 17.32, leaving just 212 still missing. The Monday loft list showed that 5,763 were in the lofts, which meant 192 pigeons had failed to make it home from this race.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 18th OPEN went to EMILA LOFT UK from SOUTHAMPTON with their pigeon named MISS LEWANDOWSKI and bred by SEBASTIAN SUSKI which was officially clocked at 08.32.29.09 just 41.75 seconds away from the actual race winner. 2nd UK, 26th Open D. Gruzelier from Kempston, 3rd UK, 36th Open Lucky Devils Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Bob Fenech from Attleborough, 4th UK, 56th Open Gorse Syndicate, 5th UK, 108th Open Syndicate Lofts UK with pigeon bred by Peter Fox from Bangor, 6th UK, 138th Open Alistair Hogg from Winchburgh, 7th UK, 153rd Open Tweed Lofts from the Horncliffe with pigeon bred by Kenny Turner, 8th UK, 155th Open another for Lucky Devils Syndicate and once again with pigeon bred by Bob Fenech from Attleborough, 9th UK, 191st Open Fairways Lofts with pigeon bred by Steve Burton from Pinxton, 10th UK, 199th Open Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 11th UK, 216th Open Aylesbury Speed Birds, entered by Peter Entwistle from Aylesbury and with pigeon bred by Simon Humphrey, 12th UK, 225th Open Ken Darlington from Barry, 13th UK, 229th Open Turton Lofts Syndicate entered by Karl Duckworth from Edgworth with a pigeon bred by J + J. Lowe, 14th UK, 233rd Open Dream Team Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Dave Atkin from Lincoln, 15th UK, 237th Open CaberFeidh Lofts with pigeon brede by Smack McKenzie from Ferryhill, 16th UK, 252nd Open The Three Tom-Boggies with pigeon bred by the late Eddie Thompson from Romford, who named this pigeon after his late wife Annie, 17th UK, 261st Open Mark Gilbert from Windsor, 18th UK, 272nd Open another for Dream Team Syndicate with another pigeon bred by Dave Atkin from Lincoln, 19th UK, 278th Open Roger Sutton from Congleton and 20th UK, 299th Open Keeping Up With The Jones with pigeon bred by Robbie Jones from Southampton. A total of 430 pigeons from the United Kingdom were officially recorded on the day by 17.55, leaving 30 still to make it back to base camp. On Sunday a further 12 pigeons were recorded, leaving just 18 missing from this race. The Monday loft list showed 444 were now in the lofts, leaving 16 still to return to base camp.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 7th OPEN went to BILLY WALLACE with his pigeon named MAUREEN, which was officially clocked at 08.32.06.79, just 19.45 seconds behind the actual race winner, 2nd Ireland, 61st Open Jos Reilly – Team Ireland, 3rd Ireland, 85th Open Moran – Bowden, 4th Ireland, 317th Open Bernard Smyth – Gordon Brothers, 5th Ireland, 449th Open MM Byrne and 6th Ireland, 468th Open another for Moran – Bowden. A total of 82 Irish pigeons were officially clocked by 13.03, leaving just 5 to make it back to the lofts on the day. On Sunday 2 more were recorded, making 84 in total. The Monday loft list showed 85, leaving just 2 pigeons to make it back home.

TRAINING RACE 2 was held on Wednesday 30th October 2013 from 46km (28 miles) and another world record breaking entry of 5,791 pigeons from 40 different countries were basketed, which included 390 South African pigeons, 5,491 International pigeons and which included 447 from United Kingdom and 85 from Ireland. In the same race last year we had a total of 4,454 pigeons, so everybody can see that we actually had 1,337 more pigeons entered than in last year’s race. This race would also not count in the Overall Averages because it did not meet the qualifying distance of 50km.

The convoy were liberated at 07.50 into a light head wind, clear skies and temperature of 19c (66f) and another good steady race was anticipated by the loft staff.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st OPEN went to CLUB KRANSFONTEIN RESIESDUIF KLUB from SOUTH AFRICA with pigeon named GABBY, which was officially clocked at 08.33.06.50 to record 1187ypm (41mph), 2nd Americas Dream Lofts from United States Of America, 3rd Team Dixi from Germany, 4th Houben Jef, Luc + Nadia from Belgium, 5th Kozak Group from Poland, 6th Outback Aussie Syndicate from Australia, 7th Houben Jef, Luc + Nadia from Belgium,
8th Leideman – Spithoven from Netherlands, 9th Aldahoum Loft from Kuwait, 10th Kasan + Boldiszar from Slovakia,
11th Richard, Friedhelh u Thomas Klein from Germany, 12th Helmut u Alfons Klaas from Germany, 13th Nova Club from Belgium, 14th Ken Darlington from United Kingdom, 15th Yousef Al Sahoo from Kuwait, 16th Helmut u Alfons Klaas from Germany, 17th Alina Patru from United States Of America, 18th Team Klotzbuecher-Steffi from Germany,
19th Ganus Family from United States Of America and 20th High Rollers Syndicate from South Africa. The top twenty pigeons were just 20.50 seconds apart and these positions were made up by 11 different countries. A total of 4,002 pigeons were officially clocked within 29 minutes of the actual race winner, then 4,761 by 09-17 which was 44 minutes after the race winner. By 12.38 there were 5,543 pigeons that had returned to the lofts. A total of 5,578 pigeons were recorded up to 17.47, leaving 213 still to make it home to the lofts. Sure a few more will return before basketing for the next race.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 14th OPEN went to KEN DARLINGTON from BARRY with his pigeon named WELSH TALENT 1, which was officially clocked at 08.33.19.54, just 13.04 seconds after the actual race winner, 2nd UK, 42nd Open Emilia Loft UK with pigeon bred by Sebastian Suski from Southampton, 3rd, 9th & 12th UK, 45th, 121st & 158th Open Lucky Devils Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with 3 pigeons bred by Bob Fenech from Attleborough, 4th UK, 69th Open for Tweed Lofts with pigeon bred by Kenny Turner from Berwick-On-Tweed, 5th UK, 86th Open Common View Lofts with pigeon bred by John Cooper from Pontypridd, 6th UK, 91st Open Eamon Kelly from Abingdon, 7th UK, 102nd Open James Finlay from Pudsey, 8th & 18th UK, 114th & 206th Open Carlos Dream Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with 2 pigeons bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, 10th UK, 139th Open Durkan Brothers from Merseyside, 11th UK, 143rd Open Julta and Chipperfield with pigeon bred by Julta Brothers from Upton Park, 13th UK, 165th Open Mr & Mrs Paul Titcomb from Portishead, 14th UK, 179th Open Guy Barrett from Horsforth, 15th UK, 185th Open Nev & Angie Evans & Steve Cuthbert from Wolviston, 16th UK, 190th Open Bannister and Leech Syndicate with pigeon bred by Stephen Bannister from Purston, 17th UK, 191st Open Ken Ambler from Oxenhope, 19th UK, 219th Open Mr & Mrs Andy Gregson from Preston and 20th UK, 226th Open Premier Stud UK Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Premier Stud in Patringham Haven. There were a total of 310 UK pigeons clocked within 29 minutes of the race winner, then 371 pigeons within 44 minutes after the winner. By 12.38 there were 431 UK pigeons back home. A total of 432 UK pigeons made it back tom the lofts by 17.49, leaving just 15 still to return to base camp.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 167th OPEN went to PADRAIG and CAOIMHE with their pigeon named CAOIMNES CHOICE which was officially clocked at 08.35.49.09, just 2 minutes 42.59 seconds after the actual race winner, 2nd Ireland, 374th Open Jos Reilly – Team Ireland, 3rd Ireland, 386th Open Safet Duran, 4th Ireland, 419th Open Maurice O’Donnell, 5th Ireland, 430th Open another for Jos Reilly – Team Ireland and 6th Ireland, 555th Open MM Byrne. There were a total of 57 Irish pigeons clocked within 29 minutes of the race winner, then 65 pigeons within 44 minutes after the winner. By 12.34 there were 76 Irish back home. A total of 77 Irish pigeons made it back to the lofts by 17.49, leaving 8 still to return to base camp.

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** I am sorry that I can’t add all the information about who bred all the pigeons or where they live but I can only publish details which I am in possession of. If there are no details besides your winning pigeon/s then please contact me on reglofts@aol.com with your details and I will include these in later Press Reports. I like to give all the entrants and breeders all the credit they and their pigeons deserve when they manage to get in the results. Your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

For the first few races numerous pigeons will not trap, so do not worry if yours is clocked late. The main thing to consider over the first few races is that it or they have made it back to the lofts in Linbro Park to fight another day. With each race the pigeons will learn a bit more, giving them more experience to tackle all the tasks that they are going to have in front of them during the 2013/14 training and race series.

The training and race programme will consist of daily training tosses (except Sundays) and twenty-four (24) official races on Saturday’s and Wednesday’s. The early races were slightly revamped so the next race will now be Training Race 3 on Saturday 2nd November 2013 from 50km (31 miles), then Training Race 4 on Wednesday 6th November 2013 from 50km (31 miles), then Training Race 5 on Saturday 9th November 2013 from 80km (miles), then Training Race 6 on Wednesday 13th November 2013 from 80km (31 miles), then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1 on Saturday 16th November 2013 from 150km (93 miles), then Training Race 7 on Wednesday 20th November 2013 from 80km (50 miles), then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 on Saturday 23rd November 2013 from 175km (109 miles), then Training Race 8 on Wednesday 27th November 2013 from 80km (50 miles), then Training Race 9 on Saturday 30th November 2013 from 120km (75 miles), then Training Race 10 on Wednesday 4th December 2013 from 80km (50 miles), then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 3 on Saturday 7th December 2013 from 230km (143 miles), then Training Race 11 on Wednesday 11th December 2013 from 80km (50 miles), then Training Race 12 on Saturday 14th December 2013 from 120km (75 miles), then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 4 on Saturday 21st December 2013 from 300km (187 miles), then Training Race 13 on Saturday 28th December 2013 from 120km (75 miles), then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 5 on Saturday 4th January 2014 from 350km (218 miles), then Training Race 14 on Wednesday 8th January 2014 from 50km (31 miles), then Training Race 15 on Saturday 11th January 2014 from 80km (50 miles), then Training Race 16 on Wednesday 15th January 2014 from 80km (31 miles), then the penultimate Training Race 17 on Saturday 18th January 2014 from 125km (78 miles) and then THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE on Saturday 25th January 2014 from 550km (342 miles). All these races will be officially listed for all to see and view on the SAMDPR Web Site. Of course the weather conditions will have to be right for all of these races to take place, if not they will be basketed and liberated on another day when the weather forecast is better and the Race Director’s decision will be final. The object of this great race from day one has always been to get as many pigeons to the “FINAL RACE” as possible and give all fanciers, competitors and entrants a fair chance in the “FINAL RACE”. Only races of 80km (approx. 50 miles) will count towards The South African Million Dollar Overall ACE PIGEON Averages, which has a total of three cash prizes of US$10,000 (approx. £6,666), US$5,000 (approx. £3,333) and US$2,500 (approx. £1,666) for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in this category.

NOMINATION RACES will be held on numerous TRAINING RACES, plus the HOT SPOT CAR RACES 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and of course the FINAL RACE. See SAMDPR Web Site for full details. All these races will have US$1, US$2, US£5, US$10, US$20, US$50 & US$100 REGIONAL and US$1, US$2, US$5, US$10, US$20, US$50 & US$100 GLOBAL NOMINATIONS which can be placed on THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR Web Site. If you wish to enter any of these GLOBAL or REGIONAL NOMINATIONS, you will have to have credit in your ASI Master Account. If you do not have credit then please forward funds to your Race Shipper so that this can be transferred to your Master Account in time to get your NOMINATIONS placed. Please do not leave it to the last minute to transfer funds as the transfer may not go through in time and this could result in your pigeon or pigeons not winning what they should be rewarded with.

GLOBAL NOMINATIONS placed on TRAINING RACE 2 amounted to US$3,802.30c (approx. £2,535) and a total of 276 pigeons were nominated, which included 38 from the United Kingdom and just 1 from Ireland. There was two UK winners and they were as follows:- 42nd Open Emilia Loft UK with pigeon named Princess Izabella which was bred by Sebastian Suski from Southampton and won US$34 (£23), 91st Open Eamon Kelly with pigeon named Jamie Ray, bred by Eamon Kelly from Abingdon and this pigeon won US$306 (£204).

REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for the UNITED KINGDOM were not well supported and only US$40.80c (£27) were flown for and Gribbles Choice won all of this with 2,272nd Gribbles Choice 3 won US$23.80c (£16) and 2,398th Gribbles Choice 1 won US$17 (£11), both these pigeons were bred by Phil Bond from Torquay.

THE CASCADE CHALLENGE was a new competition introduced three years ago and it has created a great deal of interest. It is basically a SINGLE BIRD NOMINATION and any pigeon can then be entered for just US$10 (approx. £6-66p) but the “POT OF GOLD” can only be won if one of the NOMINATED PIGEONS actually wins 1st OPEN, if not its like the National Lottery, it just rolls over to the following week until somebody finally wins the jackpot. You do not have to enter the same pigeon every race, the choice is yours. The South African Million Dollar Web Site will give you all the information you need to enter this competition. There is already a reasonable starting fund of US$4,074 (£2,716), which was carried over from the 2012/13 race series as this money was not won on the 2013 Final Race. You can enter this competition which usually starts on TRAINING RACE 2 but please check the SAMDPR Web Site for confirmation about the official starting date, plus HOT SPOT CAR RACES 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 and of course the FINAL RACE. Of course to be able to nominate a pigeon or pigeons you will need to either have funds or add funds into your AS Account. The rules for this competition have changed slightly for the 2013/14 race series because before you we only allowed to enter ONE pigeon in your SYNDICATE but now you can enter ONE pigeon in EACH TEAM IN YOUR SYNDICATE, so for instance if you have FOUR TEAMS IN YOUR SYNDICATE, you can now enter ONE pigeon from each, making FOUR IN TOTAL. You can enter either paid or unpaid pigeons into this nomination up to the Final Race, however in the FINAL RACE only entered pigeons (fully paid) can be entered in this final event.
SO WHY NOT HAVE AN EXTRA BIT OF FUN AND LITTLE GAMBLE ON ALL THESE SELECTED RACES?

There was a total of US$4,941 (approx. £3,294) to be won in the CASCADE CHALLENGE on TRAINING RACE 2 and a total of 107 pigeons were entered and this included 15 from the United Kingdom and 4 from Ireland. The nearest pigeon was 22nd Open Eric Wessel from United States Of America with his pigeon named Ginda. The best UK pigeon took 392nd Open Guys Lofts with pigeon named Sophies Rockit bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton. The best Irish pigeon took 2,537th Maurice O’Donnell with his pigeon named Barcelona Babe. This US$4,941 will now roll over to TRAINING RACE 3 on Saturday 2nd November 2013.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED AND REGULAR “PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO ALL COMPETITORS/ENTRANTS AND SYNDICATE SHAREHOLDERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. ALSO WEEKLY “PRESS RELEASES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO BOTH OUR TWO PIGEON PUBLICATIONS NAMELY THE “BRITISH HOMING WORLD” AND “”THE RACING PIGEON” PLUS IT WILL ALSO BE ON THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE www.samdpr.com FOR ALL TO VIEW.

It will also be my eighteenth year of organising a “TRIP OF A LIFETIME” and I am also fairly positive that once again The South African pigeon fanciers and all the staff at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg will be going out of their way to make sure everybody has a fantastic time in the fabulous resort and as in past years I will as usual be organising an 11 day (9 nights) stay in South Africa. We will depart on Economy Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow Airport on Tuesday 21st January 2014 and then depart on Economy Virgin Atlantic from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg on Friday 31st January 2014 finally arriving back at London Heathrow Airport on Saturday 1st February 2014 at 06.50. We will spend 5 nights in the fantastic 5 star D’Oreale Grande Hotel (Classic Rooms) in Emperors Palace, Johannesburg to watch and be part of this fantastic race and meet lots of top fanciers from literally all over the world, whilst the same time enjoying the outstanding South African scenery, weather, food, beer and of course the superb South African hospitality. Included in this part of the trip will be all transfers to and from the race lofts and also the race marking and auction in Linbro Park, all the three Official Functions and meals, plus B & B basis for the duration of our stay. Also included is a day sightseeing trip to Pretoria on the Friday, which also includes a nice lunch in a restaurant. We will then be leaving Emperors Palace on the Monday morning after the race and travelling by road in a luxury air conditioned coach to the outstanding Sun City Resort and Complex and staying in the 5 star Cascades Hotel (Luxury Rooms) for an extra 4 nights on a B & B basis and which includes all transfers. This is the venue where the first sixteen races took place. This will certainly be a trip for all to remember so if you are genuinely interested then please get in touch with me ASAP on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or by email on reglofts@aol.com because flights and accommodation will be as usual at a premium. All accommodation packages are based on a twin or double sharing basis and breakfast is included every morning in my special package deal. The total cost per person for this “TRIP OF A LIFETIME” currently stands at ZAR30,500 or £1,968.00p at 15.50 exchange rate. However, if this exchange rate went up to 16.00 the overall price would then be reduced to £1,906.00p. These prices will only stand if we manage to get 10 or more people travelling out and back on the same flights. If not then the prices could rise slightly. A non-refundable deposit of £200 per person is required on the booking of your place/s. This trip represents great value for money and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. A full itinerary was published in both the “BHW” and the “RP on Friday 25th October 2013.

***SPECIAL NOTICE*** One point that should be pointed out to all competitors and entrants is that only your NUMBER 1 pigeons is “ACTIVATED” (FULLY PAID UP ENTRY) with the other TWO (2) pigeons in each of your “TEAM OF 3” being your RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS. Another point worth mentioning is if you happened to lose your NUMBER 1 PIGEON, your NUMBER 2 PIGEON would replace it FREE OF CHARGE and likewise if you then lost your NUMBER 2 PIGEON, your NUMBER 3 PIGEON would then replace that one FREE OF CHARGE. If you were unlucky enough to lose all your entries of 3 pigeons in any of your “TEAMS” and they had won no “Special Prize Money” in the new HOT SPOT CAR RACES 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 then you are entitled to a FREE ENTRY into the 19th SAMDPR and all you have to pay is the Registration Fee of US$25 and the official shipping/export costs.

This of course represents great value for your money. All pigeons go to every training toss and Saturday and Wednesday races providing they are fit enough but can only compete for any of the allocated PRIZE MONEY or SPECIAL AWARDS in the 5 x HOT SPOT CAR RACES if they are “ACTIVATED” and that means that these must be paid for prior to the HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1, which is due to take place on SATURDAY 16th NOVEMBER 2013 from 150km (approx. 93 miles). The cost to “ACTIVATE” these “RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS” is US$1,000 (approx. £645)(MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE AT THE TIME) but that will then entitle all these fully paid up pigeons to compete and be eligible to fly for all the extra cash prizes and special awards that amounts to close to US$300,000 (approx. £200,000). The one thing to remember is that once your reserve pigeon or pigeons are fully paid for, if then they get lost and have won no prize money or special awards in the Special Money Races, then you get this money refunded (less about US$15 (£10) for bank charges) or you can have it added to your ASI account, which can then be used to purchase another pigeon at a later date and be entered into the Final Race under your name or syndicate or even under another name of your choice. So as you can see it is “BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY” and pay for them early, after all you have nothing to lose.
HOW MANY OTHER RACES IN THE WORLD OFFER THIS SORT OF OPTION TO COMPETITORS AND ENTRANTS?

***WHAT CAN BE WON DURING THIS 2013/14 RACE SERIES*** Prizes and awards now add up to a staggering US$1.7 Million American Dollars £1.13 Million Pounds) and these include 5 x Brand New Motor Cars, 1 for each of the 5 x Car Races, 95 x US$1,000 Hot Spot Cash Prizes (it should be noted that the Motor Car Winner does not receive a US$1,000 Cash Prize), split into 19 x US$1,000 Cash Prizes for each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots, a US$5,000 Car Race Hot Spot Ace Pigeon Award for the best pigeon in these 5 races, 5 x US$5,000 Country Cash Prizes on the Car Race Hot Spot 5, plus numerous other US$1,000 Cash Prizes, these prizes are for the first pigeon from each country in the result, the first five different countries take the US$5,000 prizes, then after that US$1,000 prizes. A Two Bird Average Competition and a US$2,000 Cash Prize in each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots, A Three Bird Average Competition and a US$3,000 Cash Prize in each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots, The South African Million Dollar Ace Pigeon Award carries US$17,500 in Prize Money, split into three cash prizes with 1st US$10,000, 2nd US$5,000 and 3rd US$2,500 Cash Prizes for the 3 pigeons with the best overall average in all the Official Training Races over 50km (31 miles) and 5 x Car Race Hot Spots and the Final Race. There will also be a Knockout Winner Competition and US$25,000 Prize Money, which starts on the Car Race Hot Spot 2 and the winner is the first one to be clocked in the “FINAL RACE” (over the past few years there has been around 40/60 pigeons still left in this competition). Then in the “FINAL RACE” on the 25th January 2014 there are also 10 magnificent gold pendants to be won and around US$950,000 American Dollars in Prize Money and 300 cash prizes being on offer. THE ZANDY MEYER MEMORIAL RACE & US$1,000 (approx. £645) NOMINATION will also take place on the “FINAL RACE” and the winning will be A BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ SLK 555 AMG MOTOR CAR, worth a staggering US$85,000 (approx. £55,000). (ONLY “ACTIVATED” PIGEONS ARE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE FOR ANY OF THESE SPECIAL CASH PRIZES OR AWARDS). PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATED TO THE 18th SOUTH ARFICAN MILLION DOLLAR “FINAL RACE” IS AS FOLLOWS:- 1st US$125,000 (approx. £83,333), 2nd US$80,000 (approx. £53,000), 3rd US$60,000 (approx. £40,000), 4th US$40,000 (approx. £26,666), 5th US$30,000 (approx. £20,000), 6th to 10th US$15,000 (approx. £10,000), 11th/20th US$8,000 each (approx. £5,333), 21st/30th US$4,000 each (approx. £2,666), 31st/100th US$2,500 each (approx. £1,666), 101st/150th US$2,000 each (approx. £1,333), 151st/300th US$1,000 each (approx. £666). (Subject to terms and conditions of entry). The actual cash prizes stated above represent exchange rates at the current time and may of course change at the time of each race depending what the currency exchange rate is on that race day.

It is worth mentioning that six brand new cars have been won by fanciers representing the United Kingdom Team in the last seven years, Richard Elliott and Chris Gordon both won new cars during the 2005/6 race series and Paul & Dave McCarthy won one a new car during the 2006/7 series. During the 2011/12 race series fanciers from the UK won a staggering 3 x brand new cars and these were Nev & Angi Evans & Steve Cuthbert, Robert & Peter Montila and then Phil Bond. This in itself was an outstanding team performance. No other country has ever won three cars on the trot. The Irish fancier named John Nash also won a brand new car in the 2008/9 race series. I am hopeful that somebody from the United Kingdom or Ireland will also win one or maybe more brand new cars during the 2013/14 race series. GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS.

I would also just like to notify fanciers that my weekly “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE”, “NEWSLETTERS” and “UPDATES” can now also be seen on the following pigeon web sites:- www.regencylofts.com www.iprr.co.uk www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonportal.com www.pigeonglobe.co.uk www.cyberpigeon.co.uk www.pigeonbasics.com www.pigeoncare.nl www.starpigeons.com www.pigeonpixels.co.uk plus of course they will also be published in the “”BRITISH HOMING WORLD” and “THE RACING PIGEON” weeklies for all to see.

The race date for THE 19th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE has already been agreed and confirmed and this will once again take place in fabulous Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 24th January 2015. If you are interested in participating or acting a Country Race Team Shipper, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or SMS or email on reglofts@aol.com and I will give you all the information you require. My two proposed shipping dates for THE 19th SAMDPR will take about the middle of JUNE 2014 and then the second one should be around the first week of JULY 2014. Of course these two dates will be confirmed nearer the time.

If you have any questions about any aspect of THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or by SMS or email at reglofts@aol.com and I will do my best to answer any of your questions or queries.

These “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES” do take a lot of my time to prepare and I try to get as much into them as possible, unfortunately some time, some information will not be to hand when the print deadline is reached so can’t be included in that report. I can only apologise if I leave something out but I can assure everybody that I do my best to get as much information as possible to put into each of these reports.

IF ANY PIGEON FANCIER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE MY WEEKLY “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” BY EMAIL, THEN ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS EMAIL ME THEIR ACTUAL EMAIL ADDRESS I WILL PUT THEM ON MY EMAIL DATABASE AND I WILL THEN FORWARD THEM ALL THE INFORMATION BY EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Paul Smith.
United Kingdom Race Team Shipper & International Race Co-ordinator for The 18th South African Million Dollar (The Greatest & Biggest One Loft Pigeon Race In The World Today! and also “The Race With The Proven Track Record”),which is due to be held in Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 25th January 2014.
Regency Lofts Limited, 2, Highmead, off Coltsfield, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. CM24 8LJ. England. Telephone/Facsimile:- 01279-812005 (Int. Code:- +44-1279-812005). Mobile:- 07860-568216.
Email:- reglofts@aol.com Skype Address:- talbot7944 Regency Lofts web Site Address:- www.regencylofts.com
The South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race Web Site Address:- www.samdpr.com
willie reynolds