Fermoy/Talbenny (2) - 05/06/10

[willie reynolds]

Around South Down by Brendan McLoughlin

Brown Tops Combine from Talbenny

The East Down Combine pigeons were in Talbenny and Fermoy on 5th June. A few showers in the early part of give way to better weather as the morning progressed and the pigeons were released at 11.15am in Fermoy and at 12 noon in Talbenny. Wind at both race points was light north westerly which is a favoured wind for South Down fanciers and when we look at the Open results for both races we can see why with Patrick Brown topping the Combine from Talbenny and Jim Newell taking the top position from Fermoy. Both races see a host of South Down fanciers in the Open results. At the home end there were heavy blankets of fog which caused some concern but these were obviously only patches as the pigeons made good progress on the day.

Looking first of all at the Talbenny race, for most fanciers this race provided much better returns than the previous week and this was despite having to face into a north westerly wind. Velocities are relatively high which suggests that the winds were indeed not too fresh.

The winner of the South Down fed this week and as mentioned above the East Down Combine is Annsborough’s Patrick Brown who has been having a superb season. Last week Patrick was 2nd section, 5th Open, and with two more pigeons in the Fed result this week is definitely a loft in form. Patrick tells me that all these pigeons are actually in Geraldine’s loft and he paid a glowing tribute to contribution to his success.

The winning pigeon is again from Annalong’s K Rooney & Son and is a yearling Busschaert cock. Kevin and Kristopher received the parents from Davy Shields of the Cragshead club in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The dam is a direct daughter of a Queen’s Cup winner with the Queen’s Cup being the equivalent of our King’s Cup.

Patrick’s second pigeon taking 9th Fed, 9th section and 12th Open is a yearling hen. The dam is down from a hen obtained from Peter Martin, Fortfield, while the sire is a son of the old ‘19’ cock that won the Penzance Classic two years in a row in the Corrigs club. Patrick’s third pigeon is another yearling cock from K Rooney & Son. This one is a Janssen x Van Wildemeersch. The sire is a son of ‘Portos’, a winner of the Leeds Amalgamation two years in a row from 480 miles. The dam is a top Van Wildemeersch breeding cock that has bred an Open winner for Billy Higgins as well as many prizewinners for both the Rooneys and Patrick.

R J Keown Annsborough is 2nd Fed, 2nd section, and 2nd Open and he too is enjoying another fine season. The pigeon timed here is a yearling hen that is a daughter of the ‘National’ cock and he is also the sire of the pigeon that was 2nd Open from St Malo. The dam of the pigeon timed this week is grand dam of the sire and was the Meritorious Award winner in 2004. This hen was 2nd Open Talbenny and 2nd Open Lamballe. In 2007 another daughter was 10th Open St Malo and a son was 40th Open Vannes last year when it was the second Combine pigeon in the race.

Tyrella’s S & E McGaw are 3rd Fed, 3rd section, 3rd Open this week as Eric and Stephen try to get them ready for the Derby and Natioanl races. This bird is a two-year-old cock whose dam is a Joop Koch from Fountainhead while the sire is from Eric’s own Busschaert lines which, go back to birds obtained from Alan McDonald in Portadown. The pigeon timed here was timed on the second morning from the Yearling National last year.

J Ringland & Son Dundrum take the next two positions for 4th and 5th Fed, 4th and 5th section and 4th and 5th Open. Both birds are yearling cocks racing on the natural system. John paired the pigeons later this year and they are just hitting their peak form now. The dam of the first of their first pigeon is a Busschaert from John’s father’s pigeons while the sire is a grandson obtained from Patrick Brown. Their second pigeon is again Busschaert on the dam’s side while the sire this time is a Louella Vandenabeele.

Dundrum’s Brendan Chambers is 6th Fed, 6th section and 6th Open in only his second race of the season, due to work commitments. He got off to a flying start taking six positions in the club. The pigeon timed here is a four-year-old Verheye hen that no doubt will be set up for one of the French races.

Gallagher Bros Annsborough are 7th Fed, 7th section, 7th Open with a yearling hen from their own old distance bloodlines. These birds have been well and truly tested from France and have put up some great performances in recent years.
The result is completed by Annsborough’s Michael Jennings who has had a very successful season so far. This pigeon is 8th Fed, 8th section, 11th Open and is also the winner of the East Down Combine Two Bird Club. It is the exact same way bred as the pigeon that was 7th Fed, 8th section, 22nd Open last week and the bird that was 2nd Fed, 2nd section, 4th Open in the young bird Talbenny last year. The dam is Van der Wegan that also bred the section winner from Nenagh last year. The sire was a latebred from D Croskery & Son; out of D McNabb & Ptrs white hen and the good ‘02’ cock.

Full Result: 1, P Brown Annsborough 1517; 2, R J Keown Annsborough 1505; 3, S & E McGaw Tyrella 1478; 4, 5, J Ringland & Son Dundrum 1474, 1465; 6, B Chambers Dundrum 1463; 7, Gallagher Bros Annsborough 1460; 8, M Jennings Annsborough 1448.76; 9, 10, P Brown 1448.76, 1447:

Jim Newell best From Fermoy

The Derek Wishart Classic from Fermoy was held on Saturday 5th June with the pigeons released in a light northwesterly wind in good sunshine. As with the Talbenny race fog patches appeared along the Co Down coast but these did not put the pigeons off as they romped into the South Down area.

The winner of the Derek Wishart Classic this year is Annalong’s Jim Newell who has won many Opens over the years but will derive a great deal of pleasure from this one. Jim has been able to devote a bit more time to his pigeons this year and has raced consistently throughout the year, securing quite a few club positions. The winning pigeon here was itself twice eighth club from Mount Charles (1) and Fermoy (2). It is a yearling cock racing on the widowhood system with the breeding being Soontjens x Schallens. This pigeon had winnings of £183.70 in the Open result.

K Rooney & Son Annalong had another super race with three birds in the Fed and Open results and 2nd, 3rd and 10th Fed, 2nd, 4th and 34th Open with total winnings of £239.94. This pigeon went on to win the NIPA’s 5 Bird Fermoy on 12th June for a magnificent result. This pigeon had previously been 9th Fed from Mount Charles. The breeding is Soontjens and the parents have bred two Open winners for Kevin and Kristopher and are the grandparents of an Open winner for Patrick Brown Annsborough.

The Rooney’s second pigeon is a Janssen x Van Wildemeersch that was twice first club as young bird from Nenagh and Skibbereen as well as 5th club Navan, 9th club Nenagh and 10th club Skibbereen. This year it was first club 33rd Open in the Skibbereen National. Their third bird taking 10th Fed is a full brother of their first pigeon and was 5th club Fermoy.
Annalong’s Donnelly Bros are 4th Fed 6th Open here with a Van Meldert yearling cock and one similarly bred was their second bird from Talbenny on the same day taking 7th club. These Van Melderts have raced really well for Seamus and John this year.

Patrick Brown Annsborough winner of the Talbenny race is 5th Fed, 9th Open here with his only entry in the race. The parents are from K Rooney & Son and are Busschaert x Staf Van Reet. This yearling hen was 3rd Fed Mullingar and 8th Fed from the first Fermoy.

Annsborough’s D Croskery & Son are 6th and 7th Fed, 12th and 13th Open with the two pigeons that were 2nd and 3rd Fed in the Skibbereen Classic in reverse order this time. The pigeon at 6th Fed, 12th Open here was12th section, 23rd Open from Skibbereen while their second pigeon this week was 9th section, 18th Open from Skibbereen. The first bird is a two-year-old cock that is a son of the famous ‘pool’ cock. This bird has had eight club prizes and six Fed prizes to date. Their second pigeon is a yearling hen that was 2nd club, 4th Fed from Mullingar. This pigeon is out of their main stock lines, being a De Klak x Wily Thas cross.

R McDowell & Son Annsborough is 8th Fed, 21st open this week as he enjoys a very steady season. The pigeon timed here is from his Busschaert lines which have produced many prizewinners from Navan right through to France.
James Cleland Annsborough completes the result at 9th Fed, 32nd Open. James has had a very successful inland season and with the National still to come we will no doubt hear a lit more from him. The pigeon timed her is from his Pros Roosen x Soontjens lines.

Full Result: 1, J Newell Annalong 1531; 2, 3, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1523, 1522 Nom £34; 4, Donnelly Bros Annalong 1511; 5, P Brown Annsborough 1507; 6, 7, D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1500.7, 1500.5; 8, J Cleland Annsborough 1467; 10, K Rooney & Son 1465:

• Loft KO was won by Patrick Brown (more on this next week)
• £2 Nom from Penzance Classic the 3 French races.