19th SAMDPR - Final Race Report 24/01/15

[willie reynolds]

“INTERNATIONAL PRESS REPORT”
THE 19th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR
(THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD)
(THE GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD)
DUE TO BE HELD IN LINBRO PARK, SANDTON,
SOUTH AFRICA ON SATURDAY 24th JANUARY 2015.

FINAL RACE RESULTS IN THE 19th SAMDPR.

The UNITED KINGDOM TEAM wins 38th, 56th, 60th, 64th, 67th, 94th, 152nd, 170th, 181st, 182nd, 187th, 216th, 224th, 268th & 289th OPEN and the IRISH TEAM won 107th, 148th & 283rd OPEN.

After months of hard training and thousands of miles under their belts it was time to basket the pigeons for The 19th SAMDPR, so we travelled to Linbro Park, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday 22nd January 2015 to mark the pigeons for this great International Pigeon Race. Once again fanciers were greeted at the lofts and they enjoyed a braai (barbeque) prior to the basketing and for those that had never visited the lofts before it was a chance for them to view the inside and the outside area of the two lofts. Whilst this was going on the loft staff were busy basketing the pigeons and loading the baskets onto the transporter to take them across the road to the building where the pigeons were to be basketed. Everything was set up at Zinto Marketing, Linbro Park to start at 12 o’clock and four marking tables were ready to go, the Auditors EW Coetzee & Associates were again all present and lots of willing fanciers joined in and helped during the basketing of the pigeons. After a few pigeons were marked there was a slight problem with the computers and after the problem was resolved we started again and everything went like clockwork. Everybody was complimenting the loft staff and race organisers the way the pigeons handled and many fanciers that have done this race marking for numerous years stated it was the best condition the pigeons had ever been in. This after a very trying and testing year in training and racing because of the unusual amount of rain during the race series, with many training and races having to be cancelled or shortened. However, as is usual with this great race, if the pigeons are basketed then they sure are ready for their final hurdle. After about four and a half hours the task was completed and thanks must go to all the fanciers and friends that assisted us during the race marking because without their help this massive task would have taken much longer to achieve. A few pigeons were taken out because of injuries and these were placed in separate baskets for the Veterinary Officers Dr. Marthinus Hartman and Dr. Francis Le Grange to check them out and in total 10 pigeons were withdrawn from the race as not being fit to compete, these were 3 from Australia, 2 from Kuwait, 2 from United States Of America and 1 each from Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These fanciers will all receive a refund as per the rules of the race. A few other pigeons were given new electronic rings and these details were added to the database and finally at about 17.30 the Auditors announced that we had basketed 2,453 pigeons from 33 different countries for the 19th SAMDPR.

After this massive task we all made our way back to the HYATT REGENCY JOHANNESBURG HOTEL in ROSEBANK which was to be a new venue for the new few days. After a few beers to unwind with fanciers from many countries, it was off to the room to get showered and changed for the evening. Then down to the reception area and bar to enjoy a couple of beers before going out to a really nice Katzy’s Restaurant for something to eat then back to the bar in the hotel to finish the night off.

Friday soon dawned and this was a day of rest for most but for those involved in making sure the race goes ahead it was work as usual as everything had to be set up in the AYANDA ROOM on the 1st Floor of the HYATT REGENCY HOTEL, so that all visitors can enjoy the race during Saturday. I wandered up a met a few friends and talked to some of the Trade Stand people. For those that arrived late on Thursday or early on Friday morning there were buses that would take them to the lofts at Linbro Park so they could see the set up before the race pigeons were liberated on Saturday. All the Race Shippers/Co-ordinators had a meeting with Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale, The Presenters of this Race) and with Michael Holt (Race Director), Pieter Saayman (Systems Administrator), Willi van Beers (Loft Manager), Marion Brandford (Administration) to discuss the next race, which was going to be called the “PLATINUM EDITION” as it was the 20th year of this race.

During the day fanciers from all over the world started to arrive and soon it was time for the WELCOME FUNCTION to start at 19.30. Fanciers, friends and guests met outside the Ballroom on the ground floor and we all made our way to our tables. Keith Lindsey our Master of Ceremonies for the night welcomed everybody and showed a few slides on the screens around the room and this got the evening off to a great start. He then called for Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale) to say a few words and she welcomed everybody to the race weekend and hoped we would all enjoy the new venue and she wished everybody good luck for the forthcoming race. It was then the turn of Michael Holt (Race Director) to get up and greeted everybody and stated that pigeons had left early on Friday morning and had arrived safely in Douglas which was to be the liberation site on Saturday morning. He also stated that the transporter had stopped twice to feed and water the pigeons during their long journey. The weather forecast for the Saturday morning looked fine and he was hoping for a 06.00 liberation. He closed by wishing everybody good luck for tomorrow. Willi van Beers (Loft Manager) then took to the stage and welcomed fanciers and friends in German but unfortunately only the German fanciers and a few others could understand what he was saying. Then after all these formalities over and done with Joan-e Holt (Public Relations) was called to the stage to present gifts to the race sponsors Sudhoff, Brother, Medpet, Unikon, Rohnfried, Turf Pet Hyper, Pigeons On Line and Shine Interactive, plus Deirdre Kallmeyer from African Olive Travel Concepts and of course to all the Country Co-ordinators/Shippers that were present, as these were called to the stage one at a time Joan-e Holt with the help of Sara Blackshaw handed out these awards and gifts. Without these willing people the race would never get off the ground, as a BIG THANK YOU goes to all of them, even those that could not make the event. It was now time to enjoy the food which was outstanding to say the least. The function finished about 10pm and fanciers and friends made their way back to the reception and bar area and rounded the evening off with few drinks.

As per the race rules of this great International Race any UN-ACTIVATED pigeons after one week after the 5th HOT SPOT CAR RACE has taken place are listed on the SAMDPR Web Site FOR SALE at US$1,100 (£734) each and anybody in the world can purchase any of these pigeons and whatever Prize Money they win in the Final Race goes to the new owners. However, if one of the UN-ACTIVATED pigeons that has been purchased wins a position in the top ten, the GOLD MEDAL goes to the person that originally entered it, plus the original owner gets any funds raised from the auction after the Final Race. About 200 pigeons were NOT-ACTIVATED by their owners and 102 of these were sold prior to the race, meaning that 96 pigeons were actually not flying for Prize Money in the Final Race. As usual quite a few of these pigeons will win Prize Money for their new owners. GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED.

Saturday morning dawned and the weather in Rosebank was superb, the sun was shining and the forecast for the day looked promising. Everybody was coming down for breakfast and the words GOOD LUCK was being said by lots of fanciers. After a first class breakfast it was off to the Ayanda Room on the 1st Floor to meet and greet fanciers from all over the world before I departed for the race lofts to act as the International Race Co-ordinator.
I met lots of top class fanciers and also met my old friend Alan Jordaan from South Africa who would be assisting on the stage during the day festivities. Alan then took to the stage and announced that a video of the liberation was coming onto the massive screens, everybody stopped what they were doing and watched what can only be described as a spectacular liberation, with about 100 cameras showing every angle, the pigeons cleared the race point within a couple of minutes. Inspectors from the NSPCA were once again present at the liberation and one of them described it as the most amazing thing she had ever seen. One of the camera crew present was heard to say “FLIP THAT WAS FAST” although he used more colourful language. We both thought the pigeons would take around 9 hours to complete their journey back to the lofts at Linbro Park. Throughout the day video clips of all the 5 Hot Spot Car Races would be shown on the massive screens around the Ayanda Room, plus regular updates on the weather on route and the progress of the pigeons. I think most fanciers present thought it was going to be a tough race because of the heat and the isolated thunderstorms that might occur later in the day, which of course is a regular occurrence in South Africa. Food was available and all enjoyed a memorable meal. Now all that was left to do was sit down enjoy the food, drink and entertainment and wait for the first arrivals. Then at 15.02 the room went deadly quite as two pigeons arrived, please read the results further down this Press Release.

After meeting more fanciers in the Ayanda Room in the Hyatt Regency Hotel it was finally time for me Paul Smith (International Race Co-ordinator) to depart for the race lofts. I have always been at the race lofts on race day from the first race as I get my excitement actually watching the pigeons drop from the sky and go through the traps. Michael Holt (Race Director) and Pieter Saayman (Systems Administrator) would accompany me and drive me to the lofts as they are the guys that put everything onto the computers so that the results can be seen all over the world within a few seconds of the pigeons arriving at the lofts. It took us about 20 minutes to drive to the race lofts and we arrived at the lofts about 12.30. Everything was set up, the clock checked, the traps opened, Willie van Beers (Loft Manager), Andre van Wyk (Loft Manager) and all the loft boys were ready. The camera crew making sure that all the shots were being relayed to the Ayanda Room in the Hyatt Regency Hotel and of course going out on Livestream literally all over the world so that fanciers that could not make the race weekend could watch the race unfold in their own home. Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale) and her husband also turned up to watch the pigeons arrive home. Dave van der Merve (Trainer) and his wife also turned up to watch the race unfold.

David Samuals from Harper’s Magazine in the United States Of America had travelled out to South Africa to cover the whole race weekend and he also attended the race and met and chatted with many of the entrants and visitors that attended over the race weekend. He covered every aspect of this great International Pigeon Race, including the basketing of the pigeons in the lofts prior to loading them onto the transported before being taken to the marking station over the road, the actual race marking, he even got up exceptionally early on the Friday morning to travel down with the pigeons to the race point. He covered the liberation live and then travelled back in the support vehicle and even arrived back at the race lofts in time to see some of the winning pigeons arrive home. He also attended all the official functions and the auction of the first 100 pigeons. He seemed to have enjoyed every minute of the experience. We all enjoyed his company and it will be very interesting to read his article when it appears in Harper’s Magazine.

The Final Race entry consisted of 2,453 pigeons from 33 different countries and was made up as follows:- Australia 91, Austria 24, Bahrain 12, Belgium 140, Bulgaria 10, Canada 30, Czech Republic 51, Denmark 22, France 4, Germany 532, Hungary 3, Iraq 10, Ireland 39, Italy 5, Kuwait 213, Malta 1, Moldova 1, Netherlands 167, Norway 15, Poland 61, Portugal 2, Puerto Rico 1, Qatar 13, Romania 56, Saudi Arabia 25, Slovakia 50, Slovenia 15, South Africa 169, Switzerland 10, United Arab Emirates 2, United Kingdom 146, United States Of America 505 and Zimbabwe 4. This total was made up of 2,284 International pigeons and 169 pigeons from South Africa.

The convoy were liberated at Douglas on Saturday 24th January 2015 at 06.00 in fine and clear conditions with a temperature of about 22c (72f) with light head wind. The race distance was 521km (324 miles). As the day moved forward the temperature would rise to around 31c (90f) mid-morning, moderate head wind with the possibility of some thunderstorms late afternoon with a temperature falling to 27c (82f). A reasonably steady race was anticipated by the loft staff and the view of most was that the winning pigeons would arrive in 9 hours (15.00).

The weather on the route was hot with temperatures going into the upper 30c (98f) with variable winds but mostly light head winds. At around 14.30 we received reports of thunderstorms brewing about 100km (62 miles) south west of the lofts and directly in the pigeon’s flight path. This was confirmed by the NSPCA inspector who drove up from the liberation site through rain at Lenasia. I was present at the lofts and whilst there was a big thunderstorm to the Johannesburg side of the loft site we did not get any rain at the lofts at all but we could all se the lightning flashing around us. However, we did get reports that it was raining heavily in other parts of Johannesburg and surrounding areas. As in the past few years we had a few NSPCA inspectors present at the race lofts watching the race pigeons arrive after their journey.

LIVESTREAM was available to watch online and pigeon fanciers from literally all over the world were logging on to watch the race unfold. The figures run into thousands watching at the same time. The work and effort these guys put into doing this job professionally is remarkable, everything has to be done correctly for it to be seen by all who log on to watch what they cover. They film at all the 5 Hot Spot Car Races, at the liberation and of course the Final Race and of course this gives all the pigeon fanciers or interested parties the chance to view these events LIVE and as they happen. THESE GUYS DO A SUPERB JOB AND ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD.

I must also give a “SPECIAL MENTION” to “BEN (THE BLOG) WILLIAMS” who for years now has taken photographs of fanciers, friends and of course the winners on his iPad at every function and event during the race weekend. He then places everything he does on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for fanciers and friends to see what is happening from thousands of miles away. YOU DO AS STERLING JOB MY FRIEND, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Then all of a sudden at 15.02, I yelled out here they come as two pigeons approached the lofts bang on line, they swung round the lofts, then they hit the top. It was then going to be a trapping battle and as usual somebody was going to come second. The excitement grew as these moved towards the trapping area and then one finally went in followed closely but the other.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st OPEN went to KARL-HEINZ KOCH from GERMANY with his pigeon named SANJAY 1, which was officially clocked at 15.04.18.94 to record a winning velocity of 1048ypm (36mph), winning a GOLD MEDAL and US$150,000 (£100,000) Prize Money, plus the WINNERS BLUE JACKET and 1st OPEN TROPHY. 2nd Saad Al Abhoul from Kuwait with his pigeon named Robben Island, officially clocked at 15.04.40.28, winning a GOLD MEDAL, Trophy and US$100,000 (£66,667), this was another of the all time great pigeons to compete in either the SCMDPR or the SAMDPR series, it actually won 31st, 8th, 62nd, 14th, 181st, 77th, 45th, 74th, 33rd, 177th, 9th, 114th and now 2nd OPEN in the 2014/15 race series, this pigeon also won 1st Grand Overall Averages and US$15,000 (£10,000) for its efforts over the 23 race series, a true champion in every respect. The next pigeon home was for Garentown Syndicate from Australia, with pigeon named Melton Moment bred by Pat Murphy which was officially clocked at 16.57.06.55 but this pigeon had not been Activated by its owners and also nobody purchased it as a Punter Pigeon, so unfortunately this pigeon was not eligible to win the GOLD MEDAL and the US$75,000 (£50,000) cash prize, 3rd George Oswald from Germany with pigeon named Welfen-Fuerst, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$75,000 (£50,000), 4th Nanez Family Syndicate from United States Of America with his pigeon named HORSE-RELIABLE, winning GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$50,000 (£33,334), 5th Fayez Q8 from Kuwait with pigeon named Q8 3, bred by Fayez Jaaman Alotaibi, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$50,000 (£33,334), 6th Bakker - Zwartemeer from Netherlands with pigeon named Jan L, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$40,000 (£26,667), 7th Team Waldeck from Germany with pigeon named Catchmeifyoucan, bred by Wandrach-Boeke, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$17,500 (£11,667), 8th Josef A Lang from Germany with pigeon named Ali, winning a GOLD MEDAL and US$15,000 (£10,000), 9th Team Ruhr - Schink from Germany with pigeon named Black Champ, bred by Helmut Schulz, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$12,500 (£8,334), this syndicate won 1st Open in the last race at Sun City, 10th Jim Norton from United States Of America with pigeon named Loretta, winning a GOLD MEDAL, trophy and US$10,000 (£6,667), 11th Walsh - Peterson from United States Of America with pigeon named Penny, bred by Paul Walsh, winning US$7,500 (£5,000), 12th Comb vd Berg from Netherlands with pigeon named Southern Speed, winning US$7,500 (£5,000), 13th Bader Al-Jwesr from Kuwait with pigeon named Al-Juwaisri 1, winning US$7,500 (£5,000), this fantastic pigeon won 1st OPEN in HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1, winning a BRAND NEW MOTOR CAR, then in this race won the ZANDY MEYER MEMORIAL CAR NOMINATION, winning a BRAND NEW MERCEDEZ SLK CAR worth US$85,000 (£56,667), this great pigeon won 77th, 2nd, 1st, 166th, 116th, 146th, 84th, 2nd, 294th and now 13th OPEN, what a fabulous pigeon, 14th Jan Hooymans – Hu Zhen Yu from Netherlands with pigeon named Peterle, winning US$7,500 (£5,000), 15th Satam Al-Zufairi from Kuwait with pigeon named Golden Ring, winning US$7,500 (£5,000), 16th Andre Lazarus from South Africa with his pigeon named Lady Rose, winning US$5,000 (£3,334), 17th Dominique Velghe from Belgium with pigeon named GOING FOR GOLD 4, winning US$5,000 (£3,334), it should be mentioned that this fanciers had a fantastic race with four pigeons clocked in the top 100, what a remarkable achievement, 18th Ute Fenten from Germany with pigeon named Nadine III, bred by Heinz Fenten, winning US$5,000 (£3,334), 19th another for Jan Hooymans – Hu Zhen Yu from Netherlands with pigeon named Woodhouse 8, winning US$5,000 (£3,334) and 20th i-Threes from Germany with pigeon named Burning Spear, bred by Thomas Sauer, winning US$5,000 (£3,334). Only 17 pigeons were officially clocked on the day up to 19.10 with the first pigeon being clocked at 05.42 on the Sunday morning. The top 20 pigeons had 6 different countries represented in this result and it should be mentioned that German fanciers took the 7 positions in this top 20, Kuwait and Netherlands had 4 each, United States Of America has 3 and South Africa and Belgium had 1 each. Australia unfortunately had a pigeon that was Not-Activated that would have taken 3rd Open if it had been Activated and then a pigeon from Qatar finished 21st, Austria 24th, Slovenia 25th, Saudi Arabia 26th, Poland 35th, United Kingdom 38th and then Romania 40th Open. This actually if you count the Non-Activated Australian pigeon it makes 14 different countries were represented in the top 50 Open positions. Also 3 other countries were represented by pigeons in the top 100 Open in this great race. A total of 553 pigeons were officially clocked by 12.30, then 710 by 15.00 and 844 by 18.39. Pigeons started to roll in on Monday morning at 05-28 and a further 392 pigeons returned throughout the day to take the total by Monday evening at 17.58 up to 1,236 pigeons in the lofts. More pigeons of course returned over the next few days and the total home now listed on the SAMDPR Web Site shows 1,429 pigeons have made it back to the lofts in Linbro Park. Full result can be seen on www.samdpr.com

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 38th OPEN went to GUYS LOFTS and with pigeon named WENDYS LITTLE GEM bred by GRAHAM GUY from WOLVERHAMPTON which was officially clocked at 07.25.04.85 on the second day, winning US$3,500 (£2,334). This pigeon had previously flown well during the race series and won 169th, 222nd, 128th, 184th, 162nd, 298th, 235th, 35th, 24th and now 38th Open, this little cracker also won US$17,127.50c (£11,419) in Nominations through the race series, 2nd UK, 56th Open S. Bannister and LJ Leech & Son and with pigeon named Rafael and bred by Stephen Bannister from Featherstone, winning US$2,000 (£1,334), 3rd UK, 64th Open Wayside Syndicate with pigeon named Wayside Among Equals and bred by Iain & Dave Maddison from Hartlepool, winning US$2,000 (£1,334), 4th UK, 67th Open Amblers of Oxenhope with pigeon named Ribot and bred by Ken Ambler from Oxenhope, winning US$2,000 (£1,334), 5th UK, 94th Open Alan Richardson from Whitby with pigeon named Millie-Ann-R which won US$1,750 (£1,167), 6th UK, 152nd Open Lucky Devils Syndicate, administer by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon named Lucky Countess bred by Fenech Brothers from Attleborough which won US$1,250 (£834), this extremely consistent pigeon won 5th, 12th, 15th, 23rd, 29th, 30th, 38th, 45th, 50th, 84th, 92nd, 125th, 133rd, 143rd & now 152nd OPEN in this race series, plus she has also won US$22,547.5c (£15,032) in Nomination winnings, she must rank as one of the best pigeons ever to fly in the SCMDPR and SAMDPR series over the past 19 years, she also won and 3rd Ace Pigeon Country Challenge Averages in the UK, plus 8th UK in the Grand Averages after 23 races, Lucky Countess was sold at the Pretoria auction on the 14th February for ZAR14,000 (£824), 7th UK, 170th Open The Royal Lofts with pigeon named Royal Flush bred by Peter Farrow (Loft Manager to Her Majesty The Queen) winning US$1,250 (£834), well done Peter, it was great to see THE ROYAL LOFTS up the top again, 8th UK, 181st Open Ian Crammond and Nigel Langstaff from Fontwell with their very consistent pigeon named Fontwell Foxtrot Romeo, winning US$1,250 (£834), this pigeon won 13th, 167th, 105th, 17th, 9th, 101st, 13th, 131st and now 185th Open and it also won US$3,595 (£2,397) in Nominations, plus 1st UK, 25th Open in the Grand Overall Averages after 23 races and also 1st Ace Pigeon Country Challenge Averages in the UK winning US$2,560 (£1,707), 9th UK, 182nd Open Team Lincs with pigeon named Silver X bred by Mr & Mrs. Paul & Tracey Stacey from Sleaford, winning US$1,250 (£834), this pigeon also excelled in the race series and won 76th, 165th, 25th, 66th, 176th, 93rd, 98th and now 182nd Open, this little cracker also won US$4,351,15c (£2,901) in Nominations, plus she also won 1st UK, 2nd Open in the Hot Spot Car Race Averages being beaten by just 55 seconds for the premier position, her Hot Spot positions were 611th, 76th, 165th, 66th & 93rd Open, also won 3rd UK Country Challenge & US$896 (£598) in HSCR5, then 2nd Ace Pigeon Country Challenge in the UK after 23 races being beaten by Fontwell Foxtrot Romeo. This lovely couple travelled out to South Africa to celebrate their Silver Wedding Anniversary that is why they named all their entries with the word Silver prefix. I am sure they really enjoyed the experience. 10th UK, 187th Open another for Lucky Devils Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon named Lucky Mistress bred by Fenech Brothers from Attleborough, winning US$1,250 (£834), this pigeon also flew very well during the race series winning 348th,382nd, 69th, 83rd, 129th,120th, 56th, 40th, 47th and now 191st Open. Then we had New Forest Syndicate with pigeon bred by Mr & Mrs. Derek Boyes from Southampton which had not been Activated so was not eligible to win any prize money, 11th UK, 216th Open Guys Lofts Elite with pigeon named Grahams Gem bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton, winning US$1,100 (£734), 12th UK, 224th Open Fairways Lofts with pigeon named KW Courtney bred by Steve Burton from Pinxton, winning US$1,100 (£734), 13th UK, 268th Open Pigeon Corporation with pigeon named Blue Water bred by Leon Viljoen, winning US$1,100 (£734), 14th UK, 289th Open Carlos Dream Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon named Carlos Glory bred by Fenech Brothers from Attleborough, this pigeon was entered by Paul Smith and Eamon Kelly to keep the name of our good friend Carlo Napolitano (The Past Royal Loft Manger) who so enjoyed travelling out with us to South Africa for many years, 15th UK, 319th Open another for Carlos Dream Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon named Carlos Treasure bred by Fenech Brothers from Attleborough, this pigeon had also flown well and won 127th, 56th, 17th, 53rd, 203rd, 95th and now 335th Open plus it had won US$1,373.60c (£916) in Nominations, 16th UK, 293rd Open Keith & Graham Jones from Aylesbury with their pigeon named Rickys Choice, this pigeon made a mistake then returned and flew well over the last four races, 17th UK, 377th Open Planet Brothers from Noak Hill, Romford with their pigeon named El Gaitero, which went back to their famous pigeon Champion Scrumpy which won 30 x 1sts, 18th UK, 434th Open Tadt Syndicate with pigeon named Not Red bred by Tadt Truszkowski from Melton Mowbray, Tadt travelled out to South Africa with me and although he never hit the jackpot he had a fantastic time, there is always next year mate, 19th UK, 449th Open Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet with pigeon named Stansted Pearl bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon and 20th UK, 470th Open Golden Mile with pigeon named Golden Teddie bred by Gary Moody from Portsmouth, this pigeon won 44th Open in HSCR5 and won US$1,000 (£667) for its efforts. Sorry I can’t mention everybody that clocked pigeons but space does not permit, if anybody wishes to look at the full results they can log onto www.samdpr.com A total of 39 UK pigeons were officially clocked by 17.36 on the Sunday and now the race results show a total of 69 have returned to the lofts in Linbro Park. The last Loft List now shows 75 UK pigeons in the race lofts.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 107th OPEN went to MAURICE O’DONNELL, with pigeon named UNCLE DAVE which was officially clocked at 08.50.42.53 on the second day, winning US$1,500 (£1,000), 2nd Ireland, 148th Open another for Maurice O’Donnell with pigeon named Deise Rocket, winning US$1,500 (£1,000), Maurice O’Donnell has a remarkable record in one loft races winning 2nd & 19th Open in the French Race in 2014, 2nd Open NCC in Northern Ireland, the previous year in the same race he won the ACE Pigeon. Both these winning pigeons are from his Joss Joosen pigeons x Syndicate Lofts pigeons and are the same way bred as the 5 pigeons that did well in 2012, winning 8 x 1sts, 9 x 2nds Ireland, plus 1st Country Challenge Semi Final and also the first Irish pigeon ever to win the Cascade Challenge, plus all 5 pigeons were clocked in the Final Race. This likable jolly Irishman also rode shotgun for me when we went on a safari together at Sun City, just as well nothing approached us because he would have run a mile in under 4 minutes. No all joking apart Maurice an outstanding loft performance, 3rd Ireland, 283rd Open Philip + Mark Smith with pigeon named Doonanore Lad, winning US$1,100 (£734), these fanciers have a remarkable record in past Final Races winning quite a few times 1st Ireland and once again getting one of their pigeons in the top 300, 4th Ireland, 328th Open David Brown with his pigeon named Mariana, this fancier won 8th Open in the Final Race a few years ago and won a nice cash prize and a Gold Medal, 5th Ireland, 424th Open Peter Lucas with his pigeon named Peters Choice and 6th Ireland, 431st Open Blue Light Syndicate with pigeon named Brae Jets bred by RS Homan. A total of 10 Irish pigeons were officially clocked by 16.43on Sunday and the race results now shows that 22 Irish pigeons have returned to the race lofts in Linbro Park.

GLOBAL NOMINATIONS on the FINAL RACE amounted to a staggering US$242,499.05c (£161,667) which included US$102,850 (£68,567) entries in the Zandy Meyer Memorial Car Entry and a total of 852 pigeons including 69 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 12 pigeons from Ireland and with 4,366 Global Nominations were placed. Once again the UNITED KINGDOM TEAM MEMBERS did well with GUYS LOFTS winning a staggering US$15,096 (£10,064) for its efforts with his consistent pigeon named WENDYS LITTLE GEM bred by GRAHAM GUY from WOLVERHAMPTON that won 38th OPEN, which took its total winnings including Regional Nominations during the race series to a fantastic US$17,127.50c (£11,419) in this race series. We then had ALAN RICHARDSON from WHITBY who won US$850 (£567) for its efforts with his pigeon named MILLIE-ANN-R which took 97th OPEN. WELL DONE TO BOTH THESE FANCIERS. IT REALLY HAS BEEN AN OUTSTANDING RACE SERIES FOR FANCIERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AS THEY HAVE WON MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE OF GLOBAL NOMINATIONS RIGHT THROUGH THE 2014/15 RACE PROGRAMME.

REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for the UNITED KINGDOM TEAM in the FINAL RACE amounted to US$9,152.80c (£6,102) had 4 fanciers sharing to spoils and these were as follows:- GUYS LOFTS with pigeon named WENDYS LITTLE GEM bred by GRAHAM GUY from WOLVERHAMPTON that took 38th OPEN and won US$1,122 (£748) for its efforts. Then AMBLERS of OXENHOPE with pigeon named RIBOT bred by KEN AMBLER from OXENHOPE that took 67th OPEN and won US$229.50c (£153) for its efforts. Then the LUCKY DEVILS SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET and with pigeon named LUCKY COUNTESS bred by FENECH BROTHERS from ATTLEBOROUGH, which won 152nd OPEN and won US$6,951.30c (£4, 635) for its efforts, which took the Nominations winnings of this outstanding pigeon in this race series to a staggering US$22,547.95c (£15,032). Finally TEAM LINCS with pigeon named SILVER X bred by MR & MRS PAUL & TRACEY STACEY from SLEAFORD which won 182nd OPEN and won US$850 (£567) for its efforts, this win took this pigeons Nomination winnings in this race series to US$4,351.15c (£2,902). WELL DONE TO THESE WINNERS.

REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for the 12 countries that participated in the FINAL RACE gamble had a staggering total US$51,406.95c ($34,272) up for grabs. It really was amazing to see that when you added all the Nominations to be won in the Final Race, including the Car Nominations, the final total went up to a massive US$293,906 (£195,939) that could be won in this FINAL RACE.

THE OVERALL AVERAGES after 23 official races in the 2014/15 race series finished as follows:- 1st KUWAIT, 1st OPEN and US$10,000 (£6,667) went to SAAD AL ABHOUL from KUWAIT with pigeon named ROBBEN ISLAND bred by SAAD AL ABHOUL with a total flying time of 45.09.50.98, winning this category by just over 45 minutes, this pigeon has won 3083rd, 2294th, 1118th, 1595th, 2467th, 2752nd, 31st, 8th, 62nd, 14th, 181st, 2150th, 77th, 45th, 74th, 33rd, 1224th, 1654th, 2094th, 177th, 9th, 114th and now 2nd OPEN in the 23 races that count, moved up 862 positions from the last race. 1st UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2nd OPEN and US$5,000 (£3,334) went to NANEZ FAMILY SYNDICATE from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with their pigeon named HORSE-RELIABLE bred by NICK NANEZ that took 45.45.18.56 to cover the 23 races that counted. 1st SOUTH AFRICA, 3rd OPEN and US$2,500 (£1,667) went to ANDRE LAZARUS from SOUTH AFRICA with his pigeon named LADY ROSE bred by ANDRE LAZARUS that took 46.23.29.29 to cover the 23 races that counted. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 25th OPEN went to IAN CRAMMOND and NIGEL LANGSTAFF from FONTWELL with their pigeon named FONTWELL FOXTROT ROMEO bred by this partnership with a total flying time of 58.35.55.29 this pigeon has won 2488th, 1426th, 13th, 167th, 515th, 105th, 17th, 9th, 529th, 101st, 13th, 478th, 1329th, 587th, 216th, 131st, 1066th, 1007th, 973rd, 822nd, 624th, 685th and now 181st OPEN in the 23 races that count, moving down 9 positions from the last race. 1st IRELAND, 361st OPEN wen to PADRAIG and CAOIMHE with their pigeon named FOOTSTEPS IN THE SAND bred by PJ NANGLE with a total flying time of 68.54.09.71, this pigeon has won 2723rd, 2883rd, 349th, 402nd, 1355th, 1574th, 2400th, 1318th, 1645th, 2941st, 858th, 1843rd, 1779th, 2224th, 1985th, 885th, 2016th, 1605th, 874th, 927th, 1891st, 1870th and now 656th OPEN in the 23 races that count, moving up 662 places from the last race. WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED, YOUR PIGEONS DID YOU PROUD.

Because of the interest shown in the 2-BIRD and 3-BIRD AVERAGES in all the 5 HOT SPOT CAR RACES during the 2014/15 race series, the Race Organisers decided to run these two competitions again during THE FINAL RACE.

The 2-BIRD AVERAGE and US$2,000 (£1,334) was won by GEORGE OSWALD (TEAM 1) from GERMANY with his two pigeons named WELFEN-FUERST which won 3rd OPEN and HOHENZOLLERN which won 265th OPEN. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 48th OPEN was CARLOS DREAM SYNDICATE (TEAM 1) with CARLOS GLORY taking 289th OPEN and CARLOS TREASURE taking 319th OPEN. Taking 1st IRELAND, 59th OPEN was PHILIP + MARK SMITH (TEAM 1) with pigeons named DOONANORE LAD taking 283rd and DOONANORE STAR taking 500th OPEN.

THE 3-BIRD AVERAGE and US$3,000 (£2,000) was won by WALSH – PETERSON from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (TEAM 1) with pigeons named PENNY taking 11th OPEN, DOLLARS II taking 291st OPEN and SUGAR taking 555th OPEN. There were no teams of 3 pigeons clocked in the United Kingdom or the Irish Teams.

***SPECIAL NOTIFICATION*** GOOD NEWS was that the CASCADE CHALLENGE which was discontinued after the Final Race last year but had a cash prize of US$12,364.50c (£8,244) that was NOT WON because the conditions of entry were that the a nominated pigeon had to actually win the 1st OPEN position. Air Sport Internationale now ran this competition in the FINAL RACE in the 2014/15 race series and the first nominated pigeon will walk away with “POT OF GOLD”, which totalled US$17,617.50c (£11,745). The ENTRY FEE will only be US$10 (£6.67) per pigeon, with only one pigeon per team being eligible, so please make sure you have enough funds in your AS account to have a little gamble. A total of 617 pigeons were entered and this included 64 from the United Kingdom and 8 from Ireland. The winning people that walked away with the “POT OF GOLD” were TEAM RUHR – SCHINK from GERMANY with their pigeon named BLACK CHAMP that was bred by HELMUT SCHULZ. What a fantastic bet US$17,617.50c won for a US$10 outlay, a 1,762 shot to 1. The best United Kingdom pigeon was Guys Lofts with Wendys Little Gem that took 38th Open and the best Irish pigeon was Maurice O’Donnell with his pigeon named Uncle Dave that took 107th Open. WELL DONE GUYS, A REALLY BIG WIN.

THE KNOCKOUT COMPETITION and a US$25,000 (£16,667) FIRST PRIZE awaits the winner of this prestigious competition was HOK JOS VERCAMMEN from BELGIUM with his pigeon named MO CHUISLE that actually won 111th OPEN in THE FINAL RACE being clocked at 08.52.51.25 on the Sunday morning. The first United Kingdom pigeon was clocked in 182nd Open and belonged to Team Lincs with pigeon named Silver X bred by Mr & Mrs Paul & Tracey Stacey from Sleaford. There were no Irish pigeon left in this competition. The original entry was 2,464 pigeons from 37 different countries and this figure included 175 from the United Kingdom and 36 from Ireland. There are 5 rounds including the FINAL RACE, so to win this competition takes a pigeon of some class.
Only 62 entries were still left in and only 28 were officially clocked. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER.

THE CELEBRATION/AWARDS WINNERS DINNER took place in AYANDA ROOM in the HYATT REGENCY HOTEL
and fanciers and guests arrived for the 20.00 start. After everybody was seated Keith Lindsay our MC for the evening showed a few interesting images on the screens around the room, just to get people into the right mood for the rest of the evening. He then introduced Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale) and she welcomed everybody present and hoped they had enjoyed the race weekend so far. She then went on and congratulated the owners of the gallant 17 pigeons that had been clocked on the day and said she was fairly sure that many would return the following day. Sara then closed by thanking everybody for attending the race weekend and hoped she would see them all again next year and lastly she wished everybody a safe journey home.
The MC then called on Willi van Beers (Loft Manager) to come to the stage and say a few words, he explained it had been a tough race series as the weather in South Africa during the training period has resulted in cancelling some training tosses and shortening others because of the weather forecasts. He also said that he thought that if the pigeons had not hit that thunderstorm about 100kms (62 miles) from home, that many more pigeons would have made it back to the lofts by darkness, however he was sure they would roll in early tomorrow. The MC then asked if Joan-e Holt (Public Relations) and Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale) if they would come forward and hand out some “THANK YOU GIFTS” to staff and then to hand out the prizes for the top 10 pigeons in the Final Race that took place earlier today. First the “THANK YOU GIFTS” were handed out to Michael Holt (Race Director), Pieter Saayman (Systems Administrator), Peter Furstenberg (Shine Interactive),
Willi van Beers, Andre van Wyk, Corrie Naude and Dave van der Merve (The Loft Managers & Trainers), Marion Brandford (Administration), Dr. Marthinus Hartman and Dr. Francois Le Grange (Veterinary Officers), all were given much applause. The Loft Lads were also given a mention as without them the race would not take place.
The MC then called for Michael Holt (Race Director) to come to the stage and he gave a detailed report on the race and congratulated all the winners and thanked everybody for attending the race weekend and hoped to see them all again next year when it would be the “PLATINUM YEAR” as the race would be in its 20th year. He said that quite a few “SPECIAL” competitions would take place during the race series and these would be announced when all the final details had been finalised. It was now time to for Sara and Michael with assistance from Joan-e to present the top 10 prizes won earlier in the day. All the winners are mentioned above in the OPEN RESULT and the WINNERS CHEQUE for US$150,000 (£100,000), GOLD MEDALS and TROPHIES were presented to those that were present or their Country Shippers/Representatives were called up to collect them on their behalf. All as usual were greeted with tumultuous applause. Sara Blackshaw closed by saying enjoy the rest of your stay in South Africa and she looked forward to seeing us all again next year at the “PLATINUM YEAR” which was going to be a very “SPECIAL YEAR”. It was now time for the food and everybody thought the way it was laid out was fantastic, it tasted good and there was plenty for all and everybody enjoyed the rest of the evening. Once the dinner was over fanciers, friends and guest drifted off for a drink at the hotel bar. The fanciers from the United Kingdom were joined by the Norwegian, Dutch, German and American fanciers and Sara Blackshaw joined us all for a final drink before she said her goodbyes to all of us.

It was once again great to meet up and talk to such renowned fanciers as Frank & Robin McLaughlin, Dr. Alfred Piaget, Gary Berthiaume, Chad Compton & Ann-Marie Houser (USA), Willi van Beers, Alfons Klaas, Hardy Kruger, Paul-Hans Esser, Karl-Heinz & Timo Wagner, Werner Waldow, Klaus Stieneker, Missy Gessner (Germany), August & Frank Daelemans, Thomas Gyselbrecht (Pipa), Michel Wouters, Raf Luyckx, Dirk Jaubin, Philippe Brantegem, Norbert De Schrijver, Stan Van Beemen (Belgium), Gerard Koopman, Kfelt Spithoven & Jan Hooymans (Netherlands), Corrie Naude, Alan Jordaan, Joe Gomes, Butch Einkamerer, Saville Penkin, Henri Stiglingh, Mark Kitchenbrand (South Africa), Gerry McCourt (Ireland), Rui Emidio (Portugal), Stein Thorsen (Norway), plus of course Derek Nicholls, John Crehan, Pieter Oberholster, Paul Stacey, Tadt Truszkowski all from the United Kingdom. Plus over the race weekend I also talked to many other top international and South African fanciers.

As the International Race Co-ordinator for the 19th year Paul Smith would like to personally thank all the Country Race Shippers/Co-ordinators, Frank Nebig from Animals To Fly, Martin Beneke the Auctioneer, the Livestream Team, and all the staff who work for the SAMDPR, all the backroom staff who we do not see and in fact anybody that has something to do for the SAMDPR a really BIG THANK YOU for all your help and assistance during the past year as without your help and support the race could not continue. I would also like to personally thank Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale, The Presenters of this Race) for her continued support and taking this great race forward into the future. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY.

***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 my later International Press Reports. I personally do like to give all the fanciers, entrants and breeders all the credit they and their pigeons deserve when they manage to get in the results so your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

***WHAT COULD BE WON DURING THIS 2014/15 RACE SERIES*** Prizes and awards now add up to a staggering US$1.8 Million American Dollars £1.2 Million Pounds) and these include 5 x Brand New Motor Cars, 1 for each of the 5 x Car Races, 95 x US$1,100 Hot Spot Cash Prizes (it should be noted that the Motor Car Winner does not receive a US$1,100 Cash Prize), split into 19 x US$1,100 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 International Country Challenge 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 worth well over US$1,000 each and now over US$1 Million American Dollars in Prize Money and 300 cash prizes being on offer.

THE ZANDY MEYER MEMORIAL RACE & US$1,000 (approx. £667) NOMINATION will also take place on the “FINAL RACE” and the winning will be A BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ SLK MOTOR CAR, worth a staggering US$85,000 (approx. £56,667). (ONLY “ACTIVATED” PIGEONS ARE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE FOR ANY OF THESE SPECIAL CASH PRIZES OR AWARDS). This new competition is only in its second year and last year it was very well supported in its first year and had 161 entries and was so successful that it was decided to run it again this year.
This year the attracted 121 pigeons and this included 10 from the United Kingdom and just 1 from Ireland and the winners were as follows:- THE BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ SLK MOTOR CAR worth US$85,000 (£56,667) was won by BADER AL-JWESR from KUWAIT with pigeon named AL-JUWAISRI 1 which won 13th OPEN, this outstanding pigeon had also won a BRAND NEW MOTOR CAR in HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1, what a great way to round off a wonderful race series. As the competition was so well supported there was also a very handy 2nd Cash Prize of US$17,850 (£11,900) and that was won by the WOUTERS FAMILY from BELGIUM taking 28th OPEN with pigeon named GOING FOR GOLD 9 which was bred by DOMINIQUE VELGHE from BELGIUM, this fancier had 4 pigeons clocked in the top 100 in this race. I believe I am correct in saying that this pigeon was a Punter Pigeon not Activated by its owner, so well done to the Wouters Family for having the confidence to purchase this pigeon prior to the Final Race. CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH THESE WINNERS.

THE AUCTIONS take place after the race and this year there will 27 auctions in total so far at different venues and all can be seen by logging onto www.samdpr.com and hitting the Auction button. So far there are 1,430 pigeons to be offered for sale. Depending if more pigeons arrive home later, then extra pigeons may be added to the auctions already listed, please keep your eyes open to see where your pigeon/s are being sold. THE AUCTION OF THE FIRST 100 PIGEONS took place on Sunday morning at Zinto Marketing, Linbro Park and as usual the loft staff had put all the pigeons out in individual pens with the Lot Number on each one. Interested fanciers had to purchase a bidding number and this saves too many people handling each pigeon, this has worked well over the past few years, so we have continued to do it this way. MARTIN BENEKE was our auctioneer for today assisted by his daughter and after reading out the conditions of the auction sale was ready to proceed. As usual Paul Smith and August Daelemans would act as spotters for the auctioneer. As usual the place was packed with fanciers from all over the world and Lot 1 was put on the podium and bidding started slowly with this pigeon finally selling for ZAR70,000 (£4,118), Lot 2 then followed and after tremendous interest in this one it finally sold for a staggering ZAR200,000 (£11,765), Lot 3 made ZAR20,000 (£1,177), Lot 4 ZAR30,000 (£1,765), Lot 5 ZAR19,000 (£1,118), Lot 6 ZAR15,000 (£883), Lot 7 ZAR8,000 (£471), Lot 8 ZAR9,000 (£530), Lot 9 ZAR14,000 (£824) and Lot 10 ZAR12,000 (£706). We then came to Lot 13, the Kuwait pigeon that had actually won 2 Brand New Motor Cars in this race series, bidding was furious and it finally sold for ZAR150,000 (£8,824), Lot 14 then sold for ZAR47,500 (£2,795), Lot 17 sold for ZAR34,000 (£2,000). Please look at the OPEN RESULT above to see who owned these top 20 pigeons in this auction. Quite a few other pigeons made between ZAR10,000 (£589) and ZAR15,000 (£883) each and the final total raised for the top 100 pigeons was a staggering ZAR969,000 (£57,000) and average price of ZAR9,690 (£570) each. A BIG THANK YOU goes to MARTIN BENEKE for his auctioneering skills, plus his daughter and all the other SAMDPR staff that helped and assisted during the time it took to sell all these 100 top class pigeons.

PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATED TO THE 19th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR “FINAL RACE” WAS AS FOLLOWS:- 1st US$150,000 (approx. £100,000), 2nd US$100,000 (approx. £66,667), 3rd US$75,000 (approx. £50,000), 4th US$50,000 (approx. £33,334), 5th US$40,000 (approx. £26,667), 6th US$25,000 (£16,667), 7th US$17,500 (£11,667), 8th US$15,000 (£10,000), 9th US$12,500 (£8,334), 10th US$10,000 (approx. £6,667), 11th/15th US$7,500 each (approx. £5,000), 16th/20th US$5,000 each (approx. £3,334), 21st/30th US$4,000 each (approx. £2,667), 31st/40th US$3,500 each (approx. £2,334), 41st/50th US$3,000 each (approx. £2,000), 51st/70th US$2,000 each (£1,334), 71st/100th US$1,750 each (£1,167), 101st/150th US$1,500 each (£1,000), 151st/200th US$1,250 each (£834) and then 201st/300th US$1,100 each (£734). (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 the actual race day.

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 www.theloftreport.com plus of course they will also be published in the “”BRITISH HOMING WORLD” and “THE RACING PIGEON” weeklies and other world pigeon publications for all to see, read and enjoy.

The race date for THE 20th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE has already been agreed and confirmed and this will once again take place in Linbro Park, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 30th January 2016. 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 20th SAMDPR will take about the middle of MAY 2015 and then the second one should be around the middle of JUNE 2015. 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 about this great race.

These “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES” do take a lot of my time to prepare and I do try to get as much information into them as possible as I know fanciers and entrants like to know what is happening in each race, unfortunately sometimes, 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 for this if I leave something out but I can assure everybody that I do my best to get as much current information as possible to put into each of these International Press Releases.

Once again it has been an outstanding year for “HITS” on the South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race Web Site which is without doubt the most comprehensive and informative one loft Web Site in the world today and the numbers of “HITS” continues to rise on a regular basis, such is the demand that fanciers want to know what is happening with their pigeons. 25 million “HITS” for the 2009 race, 48 million “HITS” for the 2010 race, 50 million “HITS” for the 2011 race, 60 million “HITS” for the 2012 race, 70 million “HITS” for the 2013 race, close on 80 million “HITS” for the 2014 race and probably even more “HITS” for this latest 2015 race, as soon as figures are know it will be added to one of my International Press Releases for all to see.

Sorry for this International Press Release being a bit late but I stayed in South Africa for another 2 weeks after the Final Race and I could only complete the report on my return home, However, I can tell you all that the two racing lofts are undergoing a major alteration to the trapping area and this is that both the lofts will now be joined and a central trapping area has been started and will soon be finished which will allow all the pigeon to trap through the same area, then go into whichever loft they want to go into. If you wish to see photographs of progress on this then please log onto www.samdpr.com and you can see a selection of photographs for all to see.

I would just like to pass on my best wishes to a good friend HENK JURRIENS who is the NETHERLANDS RACE SHIPPER/CO-ORDINATOR, he unfortunately had to cancel his trip to the 19th SAMDPR because he was awaiting an operation. Hopefully, you are now making a speedy recovery and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Every year records are broken at the SAMDPR and it was fantastic to see that the International Report that PIPA produced on the 19th SAMDPR has so far had nearly 36,000 readers. This just to show the power of this great race has literally all over the world. Many great statements over the years have been given by actual race winners but the one that stands out for me is what a past winner FILIP NORMAN from BELGIUM said “That winning the Million Dollar Pigeon Race was better than winning two Barcelona Nationals”. This just goes to show how important the SAMDPR is to the race winner.

Remarkable things have happened in past SCMDPR and SAMDPR but this year DOMINIQUE VELGHE from BELGIUM had 7 pigeons entered in the FINAL RACE that he bred and these pigeons excelled in the tough conditions, in fact they won GOING FOR GOLD 4 won US$5,000 (£3,334) for 17th, GOING FOR GOLD 9 won US$4,000 (£2,667) for 28th, GOING FOR GOLD 1 won US$3,000 (£2,000) for 49th & GOING FOR GOLD 5 won US$1,750 (£1,167) for 95th OPEN, it should be mentioned that 3 of these pigeons were the same way bred, they were the ones that took 17th, 49th & 95th OPEN, (another one the same way bred GOING FOR GOLD 5 won 333rd for the Lucky Dollar Syndicate, this pigeon was also a Punter Pigeon), the first 3 pigeons also won 1st, 2nd & 3rd BELGIUM. Two of these first 4 pigeons were Punter Pigeons and were purchased by Wouters Family which won US$17,850 (£11,900) Cash Prize in The Zandy Meyer Car Nomination, plus US$6,596 (£4,398) in Nomination Money, plus US$4,000 (£2,667) Prize Money (not a bad investment for US$1,100 (£734) plus what it cost him to enter it in the Nominations) and Team Bertlich also purchased this pigeon as a Punter Pigeon for US$1,100 (£734) and this won US$1,750 (£1,167) Prize Money. The 4 pigeons the same way bred were DE RAUW-SABLON x ANDRE VERBESSELT strain. WELL DONE TO THE FANCIER THAT BRED THESE GREAT PIGEONS AND THE FANCIERS THAT PURCHASED THEM AS PUNTER PIGEONS, IT CERTAINLY TURNED OUT TO BE A GREAT INVESTMENT.

Something else that should be mentioned is that JAN HOOYMANS from NETHERLANDS actually had 55 pigeons left in the Final Race and had one gallant pigeon on the day which took 14th OPEN, when only 17 made it on the day from 2,453 pigeons that were sent. However, the next day he took 19th, 83rd, 130th, 163rd, 206th, 231st, 243rd, 244th, 277th, 278th, 279th & 301st OPEN with 12 of these 13 pigeons winning Prize Money to the value of US$24,700 (£16,467). In fact 27 were in the top 1,258 pigeons clocked and 28 of his team have now made it back to the loft in Linbro Park. Jan of course owns that illustrious pigeon named HARRY and the first 3 pigeons home sold in the auction for ZAR47,500 (£2,795), ZAR34,000 (£2,000) and ZAR9,000 (£530). All the others will be sold around South Africa at other auctions, giving fanciers in South Africa the opportunity to purchase pigeons with winning bloodlines.

IF ANY PIGEON FANCIER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR IN FACT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD 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 AND I WILL PUT THEM ON MY EMAIL DATABASE AND I WILL THEN FORWARD THEM ALL THE INFORMATION BY EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.

If you are interested in entering pigeons into the 20th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE and would like me to forward you information on how you can do it, then please contact me immediately on my home telephone number 01279-812005, mobile number 07860-568216, SMS message to mobile number or by email at reglofts@aol.com I will be only too pleased to forward you information about the race and how you can enter it.

Paul Smith.
United Kingdom Race Team Shipper & International Race Co-ordinator for The 19th 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 took place in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 24th January 2015. 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