15th Sun City - Dinner & Prize Night

[willie reynolds]

It was now time to attend the PRIZE PRESENTATION & DINNER in The Pilanesberg Ballroom at 20-00 and as I entered the room it looked stunning with a wonderful buffet set up on two sides. As soon as people were sitting down at their tables Zandy Meyer (Race Director) gave a short speech about the very tough race and stated that around 50 pigeons had been officially clocked and he was sure many more would work back during Sunday and the next few days. He then he passed over to Paul Kelly, General Manager of Sun City who had a few kind words to say about the successful race and event that had taken place earlier in the day and he closed by saying he hoped we had all had a great time and he wished everybody a safe journey home and looked forward to seeing them all again next year. It was now time to present the prizes and as Zandy Meyer read out the prize winners name the appropriate award was handed over by Joan-e Holt and the winners started to arrive at the stage to collect their awards. Starting off at tenth prize and working down to the actual race winner, all as listed above in the race result and all were applauded to the stage to get their awards, trophies and Gold Medals.

However, as we all know there is only one winner and this was the now world famous KITCHENBRAND LOFTS from the SOUTH AFRICA with their great pigeon named VICTOR and owned and entered by this lovely couple MARK & NAOMI KITCHENBRAND and bred by HELMUT & ALFONS KLAAS from GERMANY were then all called to the stage to collect the coveted Winners Jacket, Winners Trophy, Gold Medal and a massive cheque for US$200,000 (approx. £129,000), amidst tremendous applause. Many fanciers were congratulating the winners as they returned to their table, which is usual in an international pigeon race of this standing. Then as soon as the presentation was finished the dancing started and continued until midnight but I had left before then as I had to go back to the lofts with Michael and Pieter to switch over the electronic clocking system to the next day and Andre van Wyk one of the Loft Managers let us into the locked loft complex. Also earlier on Cornay Smit (Attorney) had placed the first three winning pigeons in individual show pens before he went to the Prize Presentation so that their droppings could sent off for dope tests the following day. We finally left the lofts at 12-15am to head back to our hotels to catch up on lost sleep but not before I popped into the Vista Bar in the Cascades Hotel to have a final celebratory drink with the great guys and gals that had travelled out to support the United Kingdom Team which of course is always greatly appreciated. However as usual, one drink turned into two and then three and we finally decided to call it a day about 1-30 a.m., still everybody present thought that this was a great excuse to enjoy ourselves even though we had not won 1st but once again the good news for the UNITED KINGDOM TEAM was that we had finished 3rd, 5th, 24th and 40th in this very testing race, which in itself is a fabulous team effort.

The bad news was that I had to get up bright and early on the Sunday morning because there was still a lot of cash prizes, pools and nominations to be won. I was awakened by my alarm at 05-00 and met Zandy outside the Cascades Hotel and we were down at the lofts by 05-30 to be greeted by the Loft Manager who offered us a hot cup of tea. As we started to drink it the first pigeon arrived and was clocked at 05-41-35.51 to take 56th OPEN for BLUE DREAMS SYNDICATE. More fanciers arrived as the morning progressed and the pigeon literally fell out of the skies and by 10-35 all the prize money had been taken. Back to the Superbowl for the auction, which had been put back by about an hour to allow the other pigeons in the top 100 to have some food before being auctioned off.

CONGRATULATIONS for taking 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 3rd OPEN & US$75,000 Prize Money (approx. £48,388) and “FLYING THE FLAG” for the UNITED KINGDOM went to MYRTLE LOFTS – EVANS + WALKER from WHITLEY BRIDGE with their great pigeon MYRTLE VENTURE which was also bred by MARK & DICKIE EVANS from WHITLEY BRIDGE, which was actually clocked at 16-41-03.14 and unfortunately just missed out by 3 minutes 39.34 seconds from winning 1st OPEN. The results of this great pigeon were 2669th, 269th, 1083rd, 3030th, 1361st, 1418th, 1367th, 655th, 1167th, 1154th, 791st, 2650th, 1011th, 122nd, 1765th, 520th, 986th, 274th, NOT CLOCKED, 2096th, 2419th and then 3rd OPEN in the 22 races that counted in this race series, 2nd UK, 5th Open & US$25,000 (approx. £16,130) went to FENLAND LOFTS with pigeon named FENLANDS LYNDISE which was bred by DARREN PETERS from EAST HECKINGTON, 3rd UK, 24th Open & US$3,500 (approx. £2,258) went to PREMIER STUD UK SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named PREMIER JOE which was bred by PREMIER STUD, PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 4th UK, 40th Open & US$2,500 (approx. £1,613) went to LLOYD and KELLY with pigeon named THAT’S A FRET and bred by EAMON KELLY from DIDCOT, 5th UK, 65th Open & US$2,000 (approx. £1,290) another for PREMIER STUD UK SYNDICATE with pigeon named SPREMIER MATTHEW and once again bred by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 6th UK, 66th Open & US$2,000 (approx. £1,290) went to MNFC NOM LESSAY TEAM with pigeon named DICKO 2 bred by COLIN DIXON, 7th UK, 77th Open & $1,500 (approx. £968) went to JOHNNEY BURNS from BICKERSTAFFE with pigeon named SNYDALE MOON, which was bred by CHRIS GORDON from SNYDALE, this pigeon was purchased and Activated by John who also pooled and nominated it and he won an extra US$4,998 (approx. £3,225). WELL DONE MATE, 8th UK, 100th Open & US$1,500 (approx. £968) went to JURGEN & CAROLINE JOSCH from HAILSHAM with pigeon named HAILSHAM BLITZ which was bred by this charming couple, 9th UK, 102nd Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) went to PREMIER AUSTRALIA VAN BOXMEER and with pigeon named PREMIER MY PRICE which was once again bred by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGTON HAVEN, 10th UK, 118th Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) a third pigeon for PREMIER STUD UK SYNDICATE with pigeon named PREMIER STEVE which was bred again by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 11th UK, 124th Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) went to N+A EVANS and CUTHBERT with pigeon named BURNTOFT BETH and bred by this great partnership from WOLVISTON, 12th UK, 128th Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) a fourth pigeon for PREMIER STUD UK SYNDICATE with pigeon named PREMIER ALISON and once again bred by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 13th UK, 129th Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) another for LLOYD and KELLY with pigeon named BRAVE DREAM and once again bred by EAMON KELLY from DIDCOT, 14th UK, 141st Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) went to FRANK QUINLAN from LEEDS with pigeon named OLIVIA, 15th UK, 144th Open & US$1,250 (approx. £807) for MARK GILBERT from WINDSOR with pigeon named SOUTHFIELD DREAM, 16th UK, 161st Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) for PREMIER KELLY VAN BOXMEER with pigeon named PREMIER KELLY which was once again bred by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 17th UK, 162nd Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to KEITH WARNES IBONHART with pigeon named NEXT IN LINE and bred by KEITH WARNES from NORWICH, 18th UK, 173rd Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to SYNDICATE LOFTS UK with pigeon named HEART OF GOLD and bred by PETER FOX from BANGOR who has always done well in past SCMDPR series, 19th UK, 198th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to NFC SPONSOR TEAM FOURGERES YB with pigeon named JAKEY BOY and which was bred by LEE BASTONE from BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH, 20th UK, 199th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to DEAN PALLETT from SHEARSBY with his pigeon named SADDINGTON, 21st UK, 202nd Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) another for N+A EVANS and CUTHBERT from WOLVISTON with BURNTOFT BABY, 22nd UK, 206th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to PETER ATHERTON with pigeon named ROTTERDAM, 23rd UK, 217th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to SCOTLAND THE BRAVE with a pigeon bred by MR & MRS DUNSMORE from EDINBURGH, 24th UK, 223rd Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) another for FRANK QUINLAN from LEEDS with pigeon named NATALIE, 25th UK, 228th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to TUMLEY LOFTS STUD with pigeon named TLS GOUDMYN and bred by MR & MRS J. COOK from BEAWORTHY, 26th UK, 239th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to GRAHAM JONES with his pigeon named BRENDA, 27th UK, 246th Open & US$1,000 (approx, £645) went to MILLER FAMILY with pigeon named TRINKIE TREASURE and bred by CALLUM MILLER from Wick, 28th UK, 249th Open & US$1,000 (approx. £645) went to PET SHOP BOYS and GIRLS with pigeon named ASTONS TURBO and bred by JOHN ALDERSLADE from BRIDLINGTON, 29th UK, 264th Open & US$500 (approx. £323) went to PAUL SMITH SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, with pigeon named TOUCH OF SPEED and which was bred by JIMMY RICHARDS from LAINDON, 30th UK, 274th Open & US$500 (approx. £323) another for PAUL SMITH SYNDICATE with pigeon named MILLION DOLLAR BABE again bred by JIMMY RICHARDS from LAINDON, 31st UK, 285th Open & US$500 (approx. £323) another for PREMIER KELLY VAN BOXMEER with pigeon named PREMIER SPARKY bred by PREMIER STUD from PATRINGHAM HAVEN, 32nd UK, 286th Open & US$500 (approx. £323) for FIN JIM with pigeon named SKYWALKER which was bred by from JOHN FINLAY from LEEDS and then 33rd UK, 298th Open & US$500 (approx. £323) went to CABERFEIDH LOFTS with pigeon named SMACK ATTACK which was bred by SR McKENZIE.

THIS WAS CERTAINLY A TRULY OUTSTANDING UNITED KINGDOM TEAM RESULT AS WE ACTUALLY HAD 33 PIGEONS CLOCKED IN THE TOP 300 COMPARED WITH ONLY 17 LAST YEAR. THIS ONCE AGAIN SHOWS THAT NUMBERS DO COUNT AND OUR RECORD ENTRY OF 609 PIGEONS FROM SOME OF THE TOP FANCIERS AND LOFTS IN THE COUNTRY JUST ONCE AGAIN GOES TO PROVE THAT THE PIGEONS BRED IN THIS COUNTRY WILL PERFORM WELL AGAINST THE BEST IN THE WORLD TODAY.

Another 17 UK pigeons were clocked in the top 544 in the Open before 18-30 Sunday evening, making it a very successful race for the United Kingdom Team and whilst I would like to mention everybody that clocked pigeons in the race, unfortunately it would be impossible, so all I can say is thanks to all concerned for supporting our National Team and I hope you all enjoyed the experience and I look forward to receiving your entries for the 2012 SCMDPR.

CONGRATULATIONS for taking 1st IRELAND, 78th OPEN & US$1,500 Prize Money (approx. £968) and “FLYING THE FLAG” for IRELAND went to TOM CAHILL with their excellent pigeon named POWER No 1, which was clocked at 07-10-30.25, this pigeon had won 1295th, 2252nd, 1865th, 1230th, 2862nd, 854th, 2851st, 1636th, 1934th, 1867th, 1567th, 2593rd, 2154th, 1157th, 1141st, 696th, 1787th, 1240th, 487th, 592nd, 1351st and then 78th Open in the 22 races that counted in this race series, 2nd Ireland, 116th Open another for MOUSIES with pigeon named DAVE THE RAVE, bred by MAURICE O’DONNELL which won US$1,250 (approx. £806), 3rd Ireland, 160th Open went to CANNON LILLIS LOFTS with pigeon named JOS 3 which was bred by JOS REILLY which won $1,000 (approx. £645), 4th Ireland, 293rd Open for HENNIE KALLMEYER with pigeon named VERTIGO, 5th Ireland, 378th Open for PHILIP & MARK SMITH with pigeon named GIGGSY and then 6th Ireland, 394th Open another pigeon for MOUSIES with ST SWITCHES GATE bred by MAURICE O’DONNELL. WELL DONE TO ALL OF YOU, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE IRISH FLAG COMING UP ON THE RESULTS.

IT WAS THE 5th AND FINAL ROUND OF THE VERY POPULAR “KNOCKOUT COMPETITION”, WHICH OFFERS A US$25,000 (approx. £16,130) FIRST PRIZE TO THE FIRST NOMINATED PIGEON CLOCKED IN FIFTH ROUND, WHICH ALSO TOOK PLACE DURING THIS “FINAL RACE” AND FROM AN ORIGINAL 2,983 PIGEONS ENTERED NOW ONLY 75 WERE LEFT IN THIS COMPETITION AND THE UNITED KINGDOM STILL HAD 5 PIGEONS LEFT IN THE RUNNING. WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED THAT GOT PIGEONS INTO FINAL ROUND AND SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS GO TO THE WINNER WITH PIGEON NAMED MIRY WHICH WAS ACTUALLY OWNED AND BRED BY KARL KLEMENS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC WHO FINISHED 9th OPEN, A FANTASTIC WIN FOR A GREAT FANCIER WHO ALSO IT SHOULD ALSO BE MENTIONED 1st OPEN IN THE 2010 SCMDPR WITH PIGEON NAMED ALI.

THE SUN CITY ACE PIGEON GRAND AVERAGES have now been up and running for 22 races that counted and the final results this year for the 2010/11 race series were as follows:- 1st & US$10,000 (approx. £6,452) going to pigeon named FLOP bred by TEAM SCHUESCHUE from the GERMANY and the pigeon being bred by REINHOLD SCHULER, winning by a clear 19 minutes and 6 seconds, performances of this exceptional pigeon were as follows:- 2375th, 292nd, 1131st, 1027th, 70th, 120th, 88th, 369th, 2855th, 636th, 372nd, 730th, 592nd, 1053rd, 1003rd, 1028th, 578th, 1197th, 277th, 461st, 1597th and then 18th in the Final Race, then 2nd & US$5,000 (approx. £3,226) going to HELLE N bred by BENDT NIELSEN from DENMARK, this pigeon actually finished 2nd OPEN in the Final Race and then 3rd & US$2,500 (approx. £1,613) going to NIXON 3 for ALI MUTLAQ AL-MAIEA from KUWAIT. Great to see the first 3 positions in this category were pigeons bred by fanciers from different countries. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THESE WINNERS.

The UNITED KINGDOM competitors did well in this classification and had 10 pigeons represented in the top 147 with pigeon named THAT’S A FRET for LLOYD and KELLY from DIDCOT took 1st UK, 30th OPEN and which won the following positions during the 22 races that counted in this category:- 2708th, 989th, 1503rd, 1128th, 3277th, 943rd, 830th, 3174th, 2116th, 1179th, 1405th, 1930th, 1536th, 1742nd, 1688th, 1828th, 858th, 1806th, 1342nd, 1485th, 657th and then 40th in the Final Race. CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS GREAT PARTNERSHIP.

The IRISH competitors also did well in this classification and pigeon named POWER No 1 representing TOM CAHILL won 1st IRELAND, 46th OPEN, won the following positions in the 22 races that count in this category:- 1295th, 2252nd, 1865th, 1230th, 2862nd, 854th, 2851st, 1636th, 1934th, 1867th, 1567th, 2593rd, 2154th, 1157th, 1141st, 696th, 1787th, 1240th, 487th, 592nd, 1351st and now 78th in the Final Race. WELL DONE TOM.

Once again the GUESS THE CLOCKING TIME OF THE WINNING PIGEON was once again very well supported and the a total of R3,978 (approx. £399) was placed on the winning pigeons official clocking time and their was just one winner who was BRANTEGEM PHICIPPE and he was only 3.80 seconds out won R1,989 (approx. £199) and the runner-up was ALBIE ESTERHUIZEN who won R1,193-40 (approx. £120), he was just 10.20 seconds from the winning time and the third prize winner was GROENE CHRISTOPH who was just 11.20 seconds of the winners time and he won R795-60 (approx. £80). CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOR GETTING SO CLOSE TO THE WINNING TIME.

The total OPEN POOLS in the R10, R20, R50, R100, R200, R500 & R1,000 payout amounted to a breathtaking sum of R168,315-50c (approx. £17,750) being paid out to the lucky winners, any fancier or person can bet on the pigeons in this classification and I could only see one UK bred pigeon in this result which won a massive sum for its breeders and that was BURNTOFT BETH in 124th OPEN which was bred by NEVILLE & ANGIE EVANS from WOLVISTON and was enter under N+A EVANS, CUTHBERT. This charming couple picked up a R9,360 (approx. £936) to add to the staggering R39,414-50c (approx. £3,585) for their efforts last year when BURNTOFT BABE came 11th OPEN, which should at least pay for theirs trip to South Africa in the last two years. WELL DONE GUYS FOR FLYING THE FLAG FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM ONCE AGAIN AND FOR HAVING THE CONFIDENCE TO POOL THEIR PIGEON IN THE FINAL RACE.

In the US$1, US$2, US$5, US$10,US$20, US$50 & US$100 GLOBAL NOMINATIONS the total payout amounted to a record breaking US$54,937-20c (approx. £35,444-00p) and is only open for the original entrant or the person that purchased a Punter pigeon to be able to place a bet. The web site showed that a total of 680 pigeons were entered and a total of 3,485 Nominations were actually placed on pigeons and I could only see four UNITED KINGDOM pigeons in the results that won money and these were as follows:- 40th OPEN was LLOYD and KELLY from DIDCOT and this pigeon won a cool US$646 (approx. £1,953), 66th OPEN for MNFC NOM LESSAY TEAM with DICKO 2 bred by COLIN DIXON who won US$646 (approx. £417), then 77th OPEN was JOHNNEY BURNS from BICKERSTAFFE with SNYDALE MOON which was bred by CHRIS GORDON from SNYDALE who is the current GREAT BRITAIN OLYMPIAD TEAM MANAGER and JOHNNEY BURNS “ACTIVATED” this pigeon and had the confidence to also put money on it and he had a great result by winning US$3,196 (approx. £2,062), then 100th OPEN was JURGEN & CAROLINE JOSCH with HAILSHAM BLITZ and also being bred by this lovely couple from HAILSHAM and winning US$306 (approx. £198). IT WAS GREAT TO SEE A FEW UK FANCIERS PICKING UP A FEW OF THE NOMINATION PRIZES. WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED.

Once again the US$1, US$2, US$5, US$10, US$20 & US$50 (and some countries also have a US$100) REGIONAL/COUNTRY NOMINATIONS were well supported and a grand total of US$27,492-40c (approx. £17,738) was competed and flown for by 8 different countries. The UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY NOMINATIONS were well supported and actually had 27 pigeons entered and 131 nominations and actually paid out a grand total of US$1,967-75c (approx. £1,270), which was to be allocated and this was won by the following fanciers:- 77th OPEN was JOHNNEY BURNS from BICKERSTAFFE who purchased SNYDALE MOON which was bred by CHRIS GORDON from SNYDALE and JOHNNEY BURNS had the confidence to also nominate it the UK and had winnings them US$1,802 (approx. £1,163), then 100th OPEN for JURGEN & CAROLINE JOSCH from HAILSHAM with HAILSHAM BLITZ, which was also bred by this lovely couple and winning US$165-75c (approx. £107). If you want to see who won what in the other countries, then please log onto www.scmdpr.com and go into the Nomination Section. CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE TWO WINNERS FOR HAVING THE CONFIDENCE TO GAMBLE ON THESE PIGEONS.

During the 2009/10 race series a brand new competition started and was named the “CASCADE CHALLENGE” this is a US$10 SINGLE NOMINATION but the pigeon has to win 1st OPEN to win the prize money. It had been won 2 or 3 times during the 2010/11 race series but unfortunately nobody won “THE POT OF GOLD” in the “FINAL RACE” when a total of 176 pigeons were entered and this included 23 from the United Kingdom and 3 from Ireland. So the total of US$7,576 (approx. £4,888) will now rollover to the 2011/12 race series and the web site will give information when this competition will start. The first Nominated pigeon clocked in this category actually took 8th OPEN for GALLO and PLACETA LOFT from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with their pigeon named HOT CHOCO. A total of 14 Nominated pigeons were clocked in the top 125 in the open result. As was seen during the 2009/10 series this competition is going to hard to win, so roll on next year and let us have another go at this tough competition.

Whilst it would be nice to mention everybody that clocked pigeons in each race, logistically that is impossible as I am sure you will all understand, that is why Air Sport Internationale have spent a small fortune making all the information you might require available on their state of the art web site:- www.scmdpr.com so you or anybody else around the world can get all the information at the touch of a button and even get a print off if one is needed, all you need to do id go onto the web site and see Results & Listings, everything you need to see will be their for you to see.

Anybody can log on to the state of the art web site:- www.scmdpr.com and see what is happening on a daily basis. If you had entered the 2009/10 race series you would have already had twenty-three races and fun throughout our winter months following the success of your own pigeons or syndicate pigeons or of course just following the results of one of your local fanciers or somebody you know. Why not just log on and have a look on a regular basis, you will be amazed at what information you can see and find? This web site is without doubt the most informative and up to date one loft web site in the world today and is continually improving certain aspects of this great race.

If you entered the 2011 SCMDPR and were unlucky enough to lose your complete team or in fact any of your complete teams of three pigeons prior to the basketing for the Final Race and you had paid your US$25 (approx. £17) Registration Fee for each team you entered, then you are entitled to a “FREE ENTRY” into the 2012 SCMDPR providing none of them won any special prize money in the earlier races. *****PLEASE NOTE:- This rule only applies to individually registered teams, which means that the US$25 (approx. £17) Registration Fee was originally paid with each team of three pigeons. The date for the 16th SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE had already been confirmed and will take place in Sun City Resort, South Africa on SATURDAY 28th JANUARY 2012. Please add this date in your diary.

If you need to know anything about the race or are not sure about something, you can also contact me and I will only too pleased to assist you and give you the answers to any questions or queries you might have, just call me on my home number 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or email me on reglofts@aol.com I will be only too pleased to give you any advise you require.

I would now like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and it should be mentioned that in the FINAL RACE the actual PRIZE MONEY that could be won in this race amounted to a staggering US$1.080 MILLION AMERICAN DOLLARS, which currently equates to roughly £700,000-00p POUNDS STERLING. There were 300 Cash prizes for the first 300 “ACTIVATED PIGEONS” clocked in the race, plus US$25,000 KNOCKOUT PRIZE, US$17,500 SUN CITY GRAND AVERAGE PRIZES. Also to add to this are ten superb GOLD MEDALS and all the other trophies that can be won in this truly prestigious international pigeon race. Add to this all the US$100,000 allocated for 5 x Hot Spot Car Race Cash Prizes, plus US$75,000 allocated for the 5 x Brand New Motor Cars in the 5 x Hot Spot Car Races, US$10,000 for the two pigeon averages with US$2,000 allocated to each of the five Hot Spot Car Races, US$5,000 Hot Spot Car Race Ace Pigeon Award, plus US$25,000 Country Cash Prizes (5 x US$5,000) and numerous others at US$1,000 each for other countries that got pigeons in the top 250 in the 5th Hot Spot Car Race. Then there was all the GLOBAL and COUNTRY NOMINATIONS & GLOBAL & COUNTRY/REGIONAL POOLS plus all the trophies, awards, diplomas to all mentioned above and you truly do have “THE GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY” and “THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD” which has paid out its projected prize money every year since day one. TOTAL PAID OUT IN THE 2010/11 RACE SERIES WAS CLOSE TO US$2 MILLION AMERICAN DOLLARS. No other pigeon race in the world can proudly state this type of payout and that is a fact.

SPECIAL THANKS must go to SUN INTERNATIONAL for once again letting us host The 15th Sun City Million Dollar (The Greatest Pigeon Race In The World Today), in the magnificent Sun City Resort. It really is a wonderful setting for such a prestigious event such as this. All the staff at the Sun City complex always seem to go out of their way to make sure we all have a great time and I for one, am looking forward to seeing them all again next year. ONCE AGAIN A SPECIAL THANK YOU must also go to AIR SPORT INTERNATIONALE who are The Presenters of this race, as without their support over the last fourteen years this race would never of been able to add these accolades to their advertising, brochures and web site, “THE GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY” and “THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD” and “MORE THAN 400 DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE A WINNER”. This has only been achieved by all the hard work and effort by all the staff employed by this great race and ASI, plus of course all the Country Shippers that do such a wonderful job in getting all the pigeons to Sun City for the race.

However, without the support of all the race entrants over the past fifteen years and the fanciers/friends that travel out to Sun City for the race, this pigeon race would never of become what it is today and that is without doubt “THE BEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY”, so a BIG THANK YOU for your race entries and for those of you that have also deciding to travel out to South Africa to watch and be part of this great race. Once again it was great to see nearly 80 United Kingdom and Irish fanciers taking a well earned break in the sun to travel out to watch a be part of this great international race, they once again they represented their countries in a great manner. I look forward to seeing you all again next year when perhaps one or more fanciers from these two countries can once again win some major cash prizes during the 2011/12 race series.

Just a quick mention of some the fanciers and friends that travelled out to watch the race unfold and these were as follows:- Paul Smith, Carlo Napolitano, Guy Barrett OBE, Eamon Kelly, Jennifer Hawkins, Colin Bartholomew, David & Jean Whitefield, Lee & Daniel Davison, Robert & Duncan Gray, Stephen & Isobel Radcliffe, Stephen Cooke & Raymond Worrall, Graham & Guy Sparkes and their 6 friends, Paul Stokes, his wife and son, Bill & Beryl Lewis, Stephen & Beverley Spinks, Elfed Weaver & Victoria, Roy Davies, Gary, John & Karen Squibb, Bernie & Jeanette Rogers, Ken & Jenny Ford, Damian Fleming and his wife and 2 children plus the other friends with them, Pieter Oberholster, Nev Proctor, Neville & Angie Evans, Jos Reilly and his mate Peter and also the Durkan Brothers and their two wives. My apologies to numerous other fanciers and friends who unfortunately I did not manage to find out their names so can’t include them in my list. However, I bet if you just ask any of them if they enjoyed the Sun City experience I am sure you will get a very favourable response from any of them. It would be remiss of me if I did not mention JEAN WHITEFIELD who travelled out with my group and unfortunately fell over during her stay and she broke her ankle. However, once her leg was put in plaster and was in her wheelchair, she had Dave her husband pushing her around all over the place. They both said that the staff in Sun International went out of their way to help them during the rest of their stay in any way they could, even arranging a courtesy car for them to travel back to the airport in style. BEST REGARDS JEAN FROM ALL YOUR FELLOW TRAVELLERS AND WE HOPE YOU ARE MAKING A GOOD AND SPEEDY RECOVERY?

*****ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE SCMDPR***** For the first time ever an online auction facility had been set up on the SCMDPR Web Site www.scmdpr.com which would allow fanciers from literally all over the world to place “BIDS” online. This of course should help the eventual sale price of all of the pigeons that have returned from the race. Anybody wishing to place “BIDS” online must first register with the Administration Office in South Africa, once this has been done and agreed, you can then log onto any of the 40 auctions and place your “BIDS”. All the conditions are listed on the SCMDPR Web Site for all to see, so if you are genuinely interested, please get in touch as soon as possible.

*****THE AUCTION OF THE TOP 100 PIGEONS*****
As usual the first 100 pigeons were auctioned on Sunday morning and this year they were auctioned by JOHAN VEN DER NEST from SOUTH AFRICA in the Superbowl at 10-30 and ALAN JORDAAN from SOUTH AFRICA read out the conditions of the sale and then AUGUST DAELEMANS from BELGIUM told fanciers that pigeons could now be exported from South Africa and that if anybody wished to bid for a pigeon or pigeons the SCMDPR loft staff would arrange for the export to take place once all the auctions has finished. Once again the audience in the Superbowl were determined to buy the best and this was showed by the prices they were bidding. The auction was a resounding success with pigeons fetching record prices and these 100 pigeons raised a staggering total of R1.20 Million South African Rand (approx. £120,000 Pounds Sterling), an average of around £1,200 per pigeon.

This just goes to show fanciers all over the world the interest there is in purchasing pigeons that compete in this great race. Just to give you an example of what the top pigeons made this year, I will now list a few:- The winning pigeon VICTOR that won 1st Open in the 2011 SCMDPR and owned and entered by KITCHENBRAND LOFTS (MARK & NAOMI KITHENBRAND) from SOUTH AFRICA and bred by HELMUT & ALFONS KLAAS from GERMANY fetched a staggering R180,000 (approx. £18,000). This winning pigeon is similar bred to the 2007 SCMDPR winner KONSTANTIN which was also bred by HELMUT & ALFONS KLAAS from GERMANY and this winner was also purchased by KITCHENBRAND LOFTS after its big win. Then the pigeon HELLE N that won 2nd Open owned by BENDT NIELSEN from DENMARK fetched R50,000 (approx. £5,000), 3rd Open was pigeon named MYRTLE VENTURE and entered by MYRTLE LOFTS – EVANS + WALKER and bred by MARK & DICKIE EVANS from WHITLEY BRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM fetched R42,000 (approx. £4,200), 4th Open was BACCHUS owned and bred by JUERGEN DRIES from GERMANY fetched R25,000 (approx. £2,500), 5th Open was FENLANDS LYNDISE owned and bred by DARREN PETERS from EAST HECKINGTON, UNITED KINGDOM sold for R28,000 (approx. £2,800), 6th Open was MELPJEVSEN owned and bred RUNE RASMUSSEN from DENMARK sold for R17,000 (approx. £1,700), 7th Open was SYLT ELINE and entered and bred by RACING TEAM ILLUSION from GERMANY sold for R22,000 (approx. £2,200), 8th Open was HOT CHOCO for GALLO & PLACETA LOFT representing UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and bred by MANUEL RODRIGUEZ from USA fetched R25,000 (approx. £2,500), 9th Open was MIRY owned and bred by KAREL KLEMENS from CZECH REPUBLIC fetched R55,000 (approx. £5,500) THIS GREAT PIGEON HAD ALSO WON THE US$25,000 (approx. £16,130) KNOCKOUT COMPETITION IN THE 2010/11 RACE SERIES, PLUS KAREL ALSO WON 1st OPEN IN THE 2010 SCMDPR, 10th Open was SUNSWIFT PERSISTENT representing SUNSWIFT LOFTS from AUSTRALIA and also bred by them in fetched R22,000 (approx. £2,200). The pigeon that finished 13th Open MAXII which was owned and entered by HELMUT & ALFONS KLAAS from GERMANY fetched the great sum of R110,000 (approx. £11,000) and these were the fanciers that bred this years SCMDPR winner, plus they also bred KONSI which also won 1st OPEN in 2007. Just goes to show that blood will always tell in the long run. Many other pigeons fetched between R10,000 (approx. £1,000) and R20,000 (approx. £2,000) each. The pigeon named SYLVI from SOUTH AFRICA that won 61st Open fetched R32,000 (approx. £3,200) was apparently a grandson to CHAMPION BIRDY, the ACE PIGEON AWARD in the 2007 SCMDPR and later sold for a world record price of nearly £54,000 and was also purchased by MARK & NAOMI KITCHENBRAND who won this years SCMDPR. Another good pigeon that won 86th Open and was named KONSI was also bred by HELMUT & ALFONS KLAAS from GERMANY, who bred this years winner and also 13th Open, plus the 2007 SCMDPR winner. The auction finished at 15-00 and thanks must go to JOHAN VAN DER NEST and his other two staff for conducting this great sale. A big thank you must also go to AUGUST DAELEMANS from BELGIUM and PAUL SMITH from UNITED KINGDOM for their help and assistance during this fantastic auction. This once again just goes to show that if you are lucky enough to get a top class pigeon in the prestigious race you are looking at it fetching a small fortune and that can only be good news for all concerned because the breeder gets 50% of this sum after expenses have been deducted. WHAT A GREAT EXTRA REWARD IF YOUR PIGEON PERFORMS WELL DURING THE SCMDPR SERIES. ZANDY MEYER (Race Director) then thanked the auctioneer and assistants plus everybody concerned for their “BIDS” and wished everybody a safe journey home and looked forward to seeing everybody again next year.

The later auction sales around South Africa have once again attracted some big prices, probably due to the new online bidding service and it was great to see that after pigeons had battled to get home in a really tough race made good prices. There were 34 further auctions all around South Africa and they averaged about 28 pigeons per auction which should be good news for the owners as usually these auctions had around an average of 50 pigeons in each. Many of these gallant pigeons fetched top prices
With lots making over R10,000 (approx. £1,000) each. However, as usual quite a few made between R10,000 and R20,000 (approx. £1,000 to £2,000) each. A few made between R20,000 and R30,000 (£2,000 to £3,000) each. One made R40,000 (approx. £4,000), another made R53,000 (approx. £5,300) and two pigeons actually made a staggering R81,000 (£8,100) each. As I finish off this report 18 of the auctions have taken place, which leaves another 16 to complete the sale of all the pigeons that returned. It just goes to show the world wide demand for the pigeons that complete this international race. This is also great news for the breeders of these pigeons, as they get 50% of the auction figures after expenses have been deducted. So if you pigeon/s complete the Final Race, you have an extra cash bonus coming your way.

*****SPECIAL NOTIFICATION*****
Now the remaining 900 plus pigeons that have returned from the race have to be sold all over South Africa and that in itself is another massive task and over 35 different venues all over South Africa have already been selected and are available for all to see on our dedicated web site:- www.scmdpr.com if you want to see where your pigeon/s are being sold then all the information can be found by hitting the AUCTION button on the top left hand side of the home page. More will probably be added as other pigeons return from the race. However, it should be pointed out that NO AUCTION MONEY will be paid out until after the last auction has taken place and that is currently scheduled for the end of APRIL 2011. After all the auction sales have taken place, the funds for your pigeons will be transferred into your own personal ASI account, which you can use these funds as a credit against your 2012 SCMDPR entries or have it paid into you own bank account. A few later auction sales may be added as more pigeons return from the Final Race. Keep an eye on the SCMDPR web site for these details.

SPECIAL THANKS must go Sara Blackshaw and all the staff at Air Sport International (The Presenters Of The Race), Zandy Meyer (Race Director), Joan-e Holt (Public Relations), Marion Branford (Administation), Michael Holt (Systems Administrator), Pieter Saayman (Assistant Systems Administrator), Dave van der Merwe (Loft Manager), Andre van Wyk (Loft Manager), Corrie Naude (Trainer), Dr. Marthinus Hartman (Veterinary Officer), Alan Jordaan (Stage Interviewer), Paul Smith (International Race Co-ordinator & United Kingdom Race Team Shipper), Cornay Smit (Attorney for ASI), Henri Stiglingh (International Ambassador), Johan Van Der Nest and Team (Auctioneer), Deirdre Kallmeyer (African Olive Travel Concepts), Peter Furstenberg and all his staff Shine Interactive, our web designers plus the eight loft assistants who were Patrick Ngwangushe, Meshack Daldla, Thulani Khumalo, Brian Nsizwane, Meshack Makhanye, Eddie Ngwangushe, Phillios Letsema and Alfheus Mbuli. Without these people, plus the camera crews, technical teams, and of course all the COUNTRY and REGIONAL RACE SHIPPER’S this race would be impossible to run. Another company that has given us tremendous help and assistance since the race started is HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS as they ship most of the pigeons from all parts of the world. SO A “BIG” THANK YOU TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND EFFORTS DURING THE 2010/11 RACE SERIES. WHAT A GREAT “TEAM” THEY ALL MAKE.

We must also once again thank all our sponsors:- SUN INTENATIONAL, SUN CITY, RICOH, MEDPET, ROHNFRIED, SUDHOFF VETERINARY PRODUCTS, SPARKIE GRIT and of course DEISTER ELECTRONIC (UNIKON) for their continued support in this truly great international pigeon race.

*****SOME STATS THAT MIGHT AMAZE YOU!*****
Once again the SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR WEB SITE has been a resounding success and it is without doubt the greatest and most informative one loft web site in the world today and this is backed up by figures that not many international companies can boast about. Every year from day one our “HITS” on the web site have increased and the 2005/6 series was no exception and the organisers are very proud to announce that we had over 14.047 MILLION “HITS” (14047261) and 173386 visits, plus during the 2005/6 race series, in fact the average time fanciers spent on this web site every time they logged on was 21 minutes. Just to show the interest this race and web site have, the 2004/5 race attracted 9.8 MILLION “HITS”, 2003/4 had 5 MILLION and the 2002/3 had 3 MILLION. The organisers believe in keeping fanciers/entrants up to date with the progress of the pigeons in the lofts and pigeon fanciers the world over love to go through all this information. It was announced that up to December 2006 the web site had 168,364 unique visitors and because of a change over of server the January and February 2007 figures are not yet to hand but I can tell you that in just 5 days from Sunday 18th February to Thursday 22nd February 2007 the web site had 31,500 visitors and over 2.5 million “HITS”. This just goes to prove to every fancier all over the world the interest there is in this great race. The 14 millions “HITS” for the 2005/6 race was easily exceeded for the 2006/7 race and this figure went up to around 18 million “HITS”. Once again this outstanding web site during the 2007/8 race series rose to a staggering 20 million “HITS” plus, over the whole race series and just to show fanciers all over the world the interest this race does create, the figures for November 2007 were over 1.53 million “HITS”, followed by 2.22 “HITS” during December 2007 and over 35,500 visitors and well over 2.55 Million “HITS” in January 2008, with the actual race day attracting a total of 26,031 visitors and just short of 2 million “HITS”. Records are broken year after year as you can see. The month of February 2008 figures are not finalised at the time of going to press but I can tell you all that the figures for the first few days of this month, just after the 2008 race finished were looking great with nearly 31,000 visitors and a staggering 2.50 Million “HITS”. The “HITS” figures for the 2008/9 race series exceeds 25 million over the year and it was interesting to see that on the actual 2009 race day the web site had over 60,000 visitors, more than double the figure for the January 2009 race day, which equates to approximately 4.80 million “HITS”. The structure of the web site for the 2010 Final Race day differs now slightly to the last few years and it showed that there was 14,235 visits on the actual race day, with 318,436 pages reviewed and a staggering 2,555790 which equates to nearly 2.556 Million “HITS”, which once again broke the 2009 race record. I can now proudly reveal to the world that the SCMDPR Web Site actually had over 47 MILLION “HITS” during the 2009/10 race series. The three biggest months were November which saw 8.23 million “HITS”, then December had 4.23 million “HITS” and the biggest month of the year was January with a staggering 16.4 million “HITS”, which actually equate to 104,089 visitors during the month. The official figures for February 2010 are now to hand and this showed 6.72 million “HITS”. THESE FIGURES JUST SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE INTERNET ! WHAT FIGURES WILL COME OUT OF THE 2010/11 RACE SERIES? ONE THING IS FOR SURE, IF YOU WANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PIGEONS ONCE THEY ARE IN THE LOFTS, THEN NO ONE LOFT RACE IN THE WORLD WILL GIVE YOU THE SORT OF INFORMATION THE SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE GIVE TO ITS ENTRANTS AND ALSO TO PIGEON FANCIERS THE WORLD OVER. EVERY YEAR WE INTRODUCE DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION TO GET EVERYBODY UP TOO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA. JUST LOG ONTO:- www.scmdpr.com AND HAVE A LOOK FOR YOURSELF, YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER AND MORE INFORMATIVE STATE OF THE ART ONE LOFT WEB SITE IN THE WORLD TODAY. I can now proudly reveal that the record breaking “HITS” figures for the 2009/10 race series has been broken once again and for the 2010/11 race series now exceeds over 50 MILLION “HITS”. We changed servers during the 2010/11 race series and I now have the new figures from the last 3 months and they are as follows:- from 15th December to 31st December 2010 we had just over 4.25 MILLION “HITS”, followed by January 2011 a staggering 17.842 MILLION “HITS” and from 1st February to 16th February 2011 another 2.865 MILLION “HITS”. So in the two months from the 15th December 2010 to 16th February 2011 the SCMDPR Web Site had over 20.707 MILLION “HITS” which actually equated to 111,250 visits by 51,362 visitors. The actual race day had 4.105 MILLION “HITS” and the day after had 3.276 MILLION “HITS” and the Monday had 1.246 MILLION “HITS”. I AM SURE THAT THESE FIGURES MIGHT ASTOUND YOU BUT IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THE VALUE OF KEEPING FANCIERS INFORMED. Once again I am fairly positive that these figures will improve yet again during the 2011/12 race series.

***** SHIPPING DATES***** This is now the time to start planning your pairings for the 2012 SCMDPR and my first shipping date has now confirmed as MONDAY 16th MAY 2011. PLEASE BOOK YOUR PIGEONS WITH US NOW SO WE KNOW HOW MANY NEW BASKETS WE NEED TO PURCHASE SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHIP YOUR PIGEONS BY A PROFESSIONAL ANIMAL SHIPPING COMPANY TO SOUTH AFRICA IN COMFORT USING OUR FABULOUS BRAND NEW PLASTIC SHIPPING CRATES WITH FOOD AND WATER CONTAINED FOR THE PIGEONS COMFORT THROUGHOUT THEIR JOURNEY TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION. To comply with current DEFRA rules/regulations we also have to notify them who will be sending out pigeons from the United Kingdom and they need these at least ten days before shipment departs. So please help us to help you so there are not any last minute hitches with shipping. Please call me today on 01279-812005 or 07860-568216 or email me at reglofts@aol.com and book your space, so you are guaranteed places on this shipment. YOUR PIGEONS FOR THE 2012 SCMDPR WILL NEED TO BE DELIVERED TO ME ON FRIDAY 13th MAY, SATURDAY 14th MAY OR SUNDAY 15th MAY 2011. AFTER 15 YEARS EXPERIENCE SHIPPING PIGEONS TO THIS GREAT RACE I CAN TELL YOU THAT IF YOU INTEND TO ENTER THIS GREAT PIGEON RACE IT IS FAR BETTER TO SHIP IN THIS FIRST SHIPMENT AS THE PIGEONS HAVE LONGER TO SETTLE INTO THE LOFTS. HOWEVER, IF ANY FANCIERS WANT TO SHIP LATER THERE WILL BE A SECOND SHIPPING DATE AND THAT WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY 6th JULY 2011.

THE UNITED KINGDOM TEAM have actually won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 11th OPEN in the last 3 years, plus numerous other great positions such as 6th, 6th & 8th in earlier years. Add to this all the major cash prizes won in the top 300 and the 3 x Brand New Motor Cars and Hot Spot, Country Challenge Cash Prizes that team members have won over the past few years. This just goes to show that with your support and entries we can win this race again for the UNITED KINGDOM, by notifying you early of the proposed shipping date gives you all plenty of time to select youngsters from your best breeders or racers in your lofts. Then once you have entered your top class pigeons, following everything that happens in South Africa gives you three to four months of fun through our cold winter months and also the opportunity to travel out to watch the actual “FINAL RACE” and be part of the fabulous four days in Sun City from the 26th/30th January 2012. If you would like me to send you a the new RULES & REGULATIONS BROCHURE and ENTRY FORMS for the 16th SCMDPR then please contact me by email reglofts@aol.com or on telephone number 01279-812005 or 07860-568216 as soon as possible. If you feel you can’t afford to enter this race, why not try to get some family, friends, relations, work mates, club mates or business associates involved and form a small syndicate and enter some pigeons into the race. Many pigeons that have won top positions in the SCMDPR over the past few years have been entered in this way. It also gives any fancier in the world the opportunity to breed from their best pairs and try their pigeons out against the best in the world. Many fanciers have great pairs of pigeons that constantly breed top winners, so why not have a go and be part and support our NATIONAL TEAM and help “FLY THE FLAG FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM?” If the UNITED KINGDOM TEAM are going to win the SCMDPR again or be a force to be feared of, then we need more and more top fanciers to enter their top class pigeons. It has proved over the last few years that numbers do count and we all know that fanciers in this country do have the quality to get good results but one thing is for sure, that if you do not have any of your pigeons in the race, then you certainly will not win it. If you need any help or advice, please contact me by email or on any of the telephone numbers below. Your support will be greatly appreciated and you never know. An interesting fact emerged after the race was that 33 United Kingdom Team pigeons won a prize which was an average of 46%. Belgium also had 46%, Netherlands 42%, South Africa 42%, with South Africa taking 42% and Germany 41% and United States Of America with 38%, which goes to prove once again that the UK pigeons do perform exceptionally well in this great race. Perhaps it could be your turn to win this truly international classic race in 2012?

*****”TRIP OF A LIFETIME”:- Why not think about booking a “Trip Of A Lifetime” with my group for the 2012 SCMDPR next January? If interested in a planned trip to South Africa, I will be only too pleased to assist and get you quotes from my Travel Agent in South Africa. I have arranged trips for literally hundreds of fanciers and friends over the last 15 years and everybody has had a great time. However, if you are interested, please do not leave it too late as all accommodation and flights will be at a premium, so the earlier you book the better it will be. Just ask anybody that has been out to watch this great International Pigeon Race and spend time in Sun City and all will tell you it is a wonderful experience that is second to none. Over the past few years, these few days in South Africa have been treated as a great winter holiday but of course in the glorious sunny weather that this country has to offer at this time of the year. Over the past few years, generally over 100 fanciers from the United Kingdom and Ireland travel out for this great spectacle, so why not make your mind up now to enjoy a winter break and at the same time entering a few pigeons so you have something to look forward to on the actual race day, which will take place on Saturday 28th January 2012. If interested, then please call me asap on 01279-812005 for further information.

I still have a few DVD’s available on the 2010 Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race, anybody that is genuinely interested to see what actually happens in Sun City, South Africa during the actual race series can apply for an informative DVD. As I only have a limited supply of these they will be sent out free of charge on a first come, first served basis. So if you would like to see what happens just call me on 01279-812005 or email on reglofts@aol.com and I will get these sent out to you by return of post.

As I sure most of you are all aware I spend a lot of time working on my International Press Releases and Newsletters keeping competitors/entrants and pigeons fanciers in this country and all over the world informed about what is going on throughout the race series, hopefully you have all enjoyed my weekly reports and International Press Releases and I look forward to continuing these in the years to come. THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THIS GREAT RACE AND I ASSURE YOU THAT YOUR SUPPORT REALLY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

As most of you know, I have been involved with this SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE since its inception fifteen years ago and every year records are broken and it is now classed as one of the biggest sporting events in South Africa and one that they are very proud to host. Over the past fifteen years we have had about fifty different countries that have actually taken part and competed in this race, however the highest number has been 36 different countries participation at any one time and this of course varies depending on Ministry regulations in certain countries. It really is the true “OLYMPICS OF PIGEON RACING” and over the past fifteen years we have had many different countries entering this great International Race. It is great to see some new countries coming onboard and entering each year but if we are going to really call it the “OLYMPIC EVENT” we would love to have as many countries actually entering that take part in the “OLYMPIC GAMES”, then we really could then call the winning pigeon the “OLYMPIC AND WORLD CHAMPION”. So if you or anybody in your country would like to participate then please get in touch with me by email on reglofts@aol.com or log onto the SCMDPR Web Site www.scmdpr.com for more information, we will be only too pleased to try to sort out export permits and shipping from your country. Over the past few years it has been great to see quite a few new countries enter and compete, with quite a few of them doing exceptionally well throughout the race series and in the “Final Race”. So why not get some of your top class pigeons entered into the 16th SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, that will take place again in Sun City, South Africa on Saturday 28th January 2012.

*****PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR THE 2012 SCMDPR*****
It has been announced in the brand new 2012 SCMDPR brochure by ASI that the Prize Money for the next race is as follows:- There will now be a total of 300 cash prizes in the Final Race, plus another 50 x US$1,000 cash prizes in the 5 x Hot Spot Races, making it now a total of 100 x US$1,000 cash prizes over the 5 x Hot Spot Races, with 20 x US$1,000 cash prizes in each of the 5 Hot Spot Races. There is a US$5,000 Hot Spot Ace Pigeon Award, also 5 x US$2,000 2-Bird Average Competition in each of the 5 x Hot Spot Races, The International Challenge also now offers 5 x US$5,000 cash prizes and about 20 x US$1,000 cash prizes, 5 x Brand New Motor Cars valued at US$75,000, a US$25,000 1st Prize for the Knockout Winner in the Final Race, The Sun City Grand Ace Pigeon Average is worth US$10,000 and is paid out US$5,000, US$3,000 and US$2,000, Ten Gold Pendants, which will make the total Prize Money and the 5 x Brand New Motor Cars now exceeds US$1.402 Million American Dollars (approx. £1 Million Pounds Sterling). Add to this all the Pools and Nominations that will be paid out during the 2010/11 race series and this total could get very close to US$2 Million American Dollars. I ASK YOU, WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD CAN YOU FLY FOR THIS SORT OF PRIZE MONEY? The Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race is not just about the Final Race, it is now all about six races and that is the 5 x Hot Spot Races and of course The Final Race. Plus you can lots of fun following all the other Wednesday and Saturday races from the start of the race series, in total the race series usually has between 20/25 actual races to follow.

Only the four times in the history of this great race has a country that has entered The Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race has won 1st and 2nd Open in the same year. SOUTH AFRICA did it in 1999, then GERMANY did it twice in 2004 and 2007 and then the UNITED KINGDOM achieved this remarkable feat by doing it the 2009 SCMDPR. The UNITED KINGDOM TEAM also won 3rd & 5th in the 2011 race. Only six different countries have won this prestigious race since it started fifteen years ago and they are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SOUTH AFRICA, GERMANY, BELGIUM, UNITED KINGDOM and the CZECH REPUBLIC. Who will be the winner of the 16th SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE IN 2012. I COULD BE YOU BUT FIRST YOU HAVE TO ENTER THIS GREAT RACE?

The SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE staff have now got a brand new SCMDPR INFORMATION PORTAL (TWITTER) for all fanciers around the world to view on their web site www.scmdpr.com so why not log onto it and see all the extra information, fantastic photographs and video clips on the 15th SCMDPR. All this updated information was being placed on the web site during the Final Race so that fanciers/competitors all over the world could follow what was happening in Sun City during the race weekend. ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE SCMDPR.

Whilst I was in South Africa and since I have returned home my telephone has hardly stopped ringing with fanciers from literally all over the country and from abroad requesting information on how they can enter the 2012 SCMDPR. It just goes to show how much this great race means to pigeon fanciers all over the world and to actually win it can change your life in more ways than one. One thing is for sure, if you do not enter it, then you certainly can’t win it. IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY INFORMATION, CALL ME TODAY ON 01279-812005 or 07860-568216 or email me on reglofts@aol.com

This International Press Release has taken me a great deal of time to compile since I returned from my three weeks in South Africa but I thought it better not to try to rush it as I wanted to give all the credit to the fanciers that bred the pigeons and make sure the information I was giving was correct to the best of my knowledge and I hope you all agree it was worth waiting for?

I would once again like to personally thank Peter Morey from South Africa for the fabulous photographs he supplied me with for use in this International Press Release. This is the third running he has assisted me and for the third year running the quality is really top class as I am sure you will all agree. Anybody wanting to log onto his web site www.petermoreyphotographic.co.za can do so and see all the other excellent work he does.

Once again I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in South Africa, the hospitality of the South African people is second to none and I strongly recommend that if you have never visited this continent then you consider entering this 16th SCMDPR and at the same time treat yourself to a “TRIP OF A LIFETIME”. I can guarantee you will never regret it.

As I close this report so it can be sent off to the world press, I can now reveal that a total of 962 pigeons have now returned to the lofts and this includes 864 International, 98 South African, 88 United Kingdom and 9 Irish. Of course quite a few more will hopefully work back to the lofts over the next few weeks.

I look forward to receiving your “BOOKING FORMS” over the next few weeks which will just confirm how many pigeons you wish to enter into the 16th SCMDPR and hope that once again the United Kingdom Race Team can break their entry record for the 2012 SCMDPR. Your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated as it will then give me the chance to make sure I have enough new shipping baskets to transport the United Kingdom Race Team out to South Africa. If you just want to call me on my home telephone number 01279-812005 instead of forwarding me the actual “BOOKING FORM” that will be OK by me. LET’S GO FOR GOLD IN THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY.


Paul Smith. International Race Co-ordinator & United Kingdom Race Team Shipper for The 15th Sun City Million Dollar (The Greatest Pigeon Race In The World Today), which took place in Sun City Resort, South Africa on Saturday 22nd January 2011.
Regency Lofts Limited, 2 Highmead, off Coltsfield, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. CM24 8LJ. England.
Telephone/Facsimile:-01279-812005 (Int. 044-1279-812005), Mobile:- 07860-568216.
Email:- reglofts@aol.com Sun City Million Dollar Web Site:- www.scmdpr.com