The partnership of Willie and Darren Hamilton have, for many years, set their
stall out for channel racing in to Derry up in the North West Corner of
Northern Ireland. This area is not an easy one to fly in to, and the difficulty
increases when you factor in the channel crossing. They have maintained a focus
on developing a family that excels at the distance, looking to produce those
birds that have the single-minded determination to keep going in their aim to
get home. To achieve this, they have sought out the very best 500 +blood from
Ireland, Scotland and England. Put simply, they went to the best, bought the
best, bred plenty from them and tested them flying up in to Derry. Darren will
tell you that 95% of the birds failed, but they fought a few that were up to the
task and they bred around these. Now, 30 years down the line they have a
family that is more than up to the task on their day with the brains and grit
needed to do the task asked of them by the partnership.
‘Willies Legacy ‘– a class act.
The family is now predominantly made up of representatives of the old Irish
families – Tommy Harper, Billy Walkingshaw, Smyth brothers, Gordon
Kirkpatrick, Reynolds and Creighton - and more locally the legendary Robert
Hunter of Limavady. he partnership then pulled across these birds from Dennis
Dall, Jock Trail and Dale Newcombe - 3 of Scotlands finest. This has produced
consistent hard day birds that are on the clock after many will have given up
hope of clocking.
Their results gave them confidence in what they were doing, and as Willie
regularly told Darren –‘if you keep poking around you will find good birds’
Darren Hamilton holding ‘Willies Legacy’
However, this year they had an amazing 13-day period when they had the utter
joy of clocking my blue bar Cock called ‘Willies Legacy’ from St Malo to be 2 nd
Section, 83 rd Open NIPA from 1309 birds. He was raced natural and was still
bouncing about 10 days later so Darren sent him back to St Malo – probably
against the advice of every fancier he knew - and he was up with the leaders
again to be 3 rd Section, 23 rd open INFC Friendship National against 993 birds.
He was their only entry in the INFC as well, an d1 of only 83 in NIPA over the 3
days of the race. Darren is over the moon with the ‘Willie's legacy’, with two St
Malo Races 13 days apart – look on a map and find St Malo and then find Derry
up in the North west corner of Ireland and trace the straight line route that is
measured at 504 miles, (and add a few miles for distance actually flown) and you
will hopefully appreciate the scale of the achievement. Darren is still buzzing
from the result, but is tinged with the knowledge that his dad passed away in
January and didn’t get to witness the results achieved by the aptly named
‘Willies Legacy’. I have no doubt he will have approved of Darren doubling him
back in and most probably have thought ‘told you so’ when he dropped in from
the second St Malo. Well done gentlemen and keep up the good work Darren.