17th SAMDPR - Grand Final 12/13 Race Series

[willie reynolds]

RESULTS FOR THE FINAL RACE IN THE 2012 & 2013 RACE SERIES.

UNITED KINGDOM RACE TEAM HAVE A FANTASTIC RESULT AND WON THE FOLLOWING:-
33rd, 40th, 41st, 56th, 57th, 60th, 67th, 68th, 80th, 98th, 113th, 148th, 159th, 173rd, 177th, 183rd, 185th, 194th, 214th, 229th, 233rd, 234th, 242nd, 266th, 287th & 290th OPEN. A total of 26 pigeons in the top 300 and 37 UK pigeons were officially clocked on the winning day. The IRELAND TEAM ALSO WON THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:-141st, 171st, 245th & 298th OPEN. A TESTING INTERNATIONAL PIGEON RACE WITH 395 PIGEONS OFFICIALLY CLOCKED ON THE DAY AND WITH 7 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES REPRESENTED IN THE TOP 10 AND THEN 11 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES REPRESENTED IN THE TOP 20 IN THE OPEN RESULT.

Firstly, let me say that this has been a very stressful and eventful year for all of the staff concerned with this great race because after spending the last 16 years having the race in Sun City, it was decided to move venue just after the 16th race finished. So now a new venue had to be found quickly to site the two brand new pigeon lofts which would be capable of housing in excess of 10,000 pigeons comfortably, plus a new hotel complex had to be chosen to accommodate all the international and local travellers that wanted to come out for the race weekend. As usual with this first class race, decisions were quickly made and Linbro Park, Sandton, Johannesburg was selected as the site for the new lofts. A massive amount of work by all concerned started with the construction of two state of the art pigeon lofts, object one was to get one loft finished as soon as possible so that the first consignment of pigeons that were due to come in the middle of May could be put immediately into quarantine in the new loft. The second loft would then be completed as soon as possible so that it could take in the second shipments of pigeons that were due to come in around the middle of June. Both tasks were met and were completed on time. During all this work the staff had also started on building a Control Tower to house all the computers and media needs. A Look-Out Tower was also built on an existing building on the land and the inside was completely revamped to take and seat visitors on Car Race Hot Spot days and during the Final Race, which is situated right next to the barbecue (braai) area. Also during this time of building the lofts the landscaping around the two lofts was also going on and the staff that were concerned with this project really have made a first class job of doing this. I must admit that after seeing the loft site numerous times before the two new lofts went on it and seeing it after the completion, it was revelation to see that all the hard work and effort had turned out so well. The lofts were a credit to all concerned in the planning and design of these and deserving of all the top class pigeons that will of course be housed in these lofts in the years to come.

During this time meetings were taking place with Emperors Palace with the hope they would host The 17th South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race. They duly agreed and then it was all systems go to make all the arrangements and get the costs for all the international and local fanciers and friends that were intending to travel out for the race.
I for one must say that Emperors Palace did a fine job and that The Welcome Dinner, Race Day in The Centre Court, The Celebration/Awards Dinner were all first class events and something that this organisation should be very proud of. THANKS TO ALL FOR MAKING OUR STAY SO MEMOURABLE.

So, after months of preparation the event was finally upon us and we were all looking forward to presenting another successful international pigeon race and good luck to all that still had pigeons left for the Final Race.

Now after many months of testing training and 21 mid-week and week-end races we reached the 22nd and FINAL RACE in the 2012 and 2013 race series, which was to take place from DOUGLAS a distance of 553km (344 miles).

The race marking took place in an excellent Conference Centre right across the road from the new lofts in Linbro Park and fanciers that were staying in Emperors Palace Hotels were ferried in by coaches to assist with the official race marking. On arrival at the new lofts they were all invited to enjoy a South African Braai (Barbecue). Many also spent a long time looking at the design of the new lofts and the general opinion was that they were excellent and much better that the lofts that had been used in the races for the past 16 years. It was now time to start the Race Marking and the team of Auditors from EW Coetzee and Associates were once again present to do the official race marking and just like in past years it went without any major hitches. As usual this was attended by fanciers from all over the world and it took the team of markers just over four hours to complete the massive task of race marking the 2,793 pigeons that were going to compete. The race convoy was made up by 2,490 International, which included 233 from the United Kingdom and 36 from Ireland, plus 303 from South Africa. Two Veterinary Officers, namely Dr. Marthinus Hartman and Dr. Francois Le Grange were present at the race marking and there were a total of six pigeons that were not basketed because of injuries and all these entrants will all get a full refund, as per the rules of the race. A total of 90 UN-ACTIVATED pigeons were sent to the race and this included 4 from the United Kingdom and just 1 from Ireland. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK ALL THOSE THAT ASSISTED IN THE RACE MARKING, AS WITHOUT YOUR HELP IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US MUCH LONGER TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL.

Once again officers from the NSPCA were present at the race marking, liberation of the pigeons, the arrival of the pigeons and also during the auction of the first 100 pigeons and they seemed suitably impressed by what they saw. It would appear that in spite of their opposition to all sports involving animals, a truce is evident between them and our pigeon race.

***THE WELCOME DINNER took place on Friday evening in the fabulous Senate Room and around 300 people sat down for a wonderful buffet meal. Zandy Meyer (Race Director) got up and welcomed everybody present and stated the pigeons had arrived safely at the liberation site and the weather forecast for Saturday was excellent. Zandy, then called all the Sponsors and Country Race Shippers that were present to the stage and all were given a gift for their help during the 2012/13 race season. Everybody was hoping that tomorrow would be their day and the place was buzzing with expectation. The food was first class and so a great evening came to an end and fanciers departed and made their way to other bars around the complex. For others the excitement was just too much and they retired to bed to get some sleep.

The convoy had a safe journey down to the liberation site and the pigeons were finally liberated on Saturday morning at 06-00 from DOUGLAS in fine and clear conditions and a temperature of 19c (66f) with little to no wind and a good race was anticipated by all concerned including Zandy Meyer (Race Director). The estimated flying time was between 8/9 hours but of course as always this would depend on the wind and weather on route. Corrie Naude (The Convoyer) stated that the first stage of 400km (250 miles) the pigeons would experience a light head wind with temperatures in the mid 30c (95f) but the final 153km (94 miles) the pigeons would experience an assisting wind with the temperature cooling as they approached to home end.

***THE CENTRE COURT was now open to the public and after a hearty breakfast I made my way to see what the trade stands had to offer. It was only 9 am and the place was already hundreds of people shopping and also trying to get an early seat for the long day in front of them. The setting for this event was outstanding to say the least, with four big screens situated along the length of the room, with lots of seating for the fanciers/friends that had come to enjoy the day. Another separate area was cordoned off with tables and chairs for those that had previously booked tickets for and I walked into this area and placed three union jacks on the tables so that members of our UK Team had places when they arrived later. As usual the atmosphere was building up and everybody you spoke to seemed to think they were going to win it. I spoke to scores of fanciers and all seemed to think the race would take between 8 and 9 hours. Unfortunately, I had to leave with Michael and Pieter around 10-30 as we had to travel to the race lofts to make sure all the systems were up and running OK with the Deister Unikon clocking system, computers and videostream. Once we arrived everything was checked and found to be in order and now all we had to do was wait for the arrival of the winning pigeon/s.

I was present at the lofts for the seventeenth year on the trot and the weather was absolutely perfect and every present was expecting a good testing race with good returns. The superb team of Auditors EW Coetzee and Associates were also present to watch the winning pigeons arrive and then to verify each of the pigeons that won the top 300 cash prizes. Nothing is left to chance, everything is checked and double checked and they have a job to do and do it in an excellent way.

The camera crew and two of the loft staff were all in position on top of the lookout tower and the videostream cameras were all checked and in working order, so that anybody in the world that wanted to log on could see the winning pigeons arrive. Everything was also being relayed live into The Centre Court in Emperors Palace so that all the fanciers and friends that had turned up to enjoy the day could see exactly what was happening at the lofts.

After scanning the sky for quite a time and a few false alarms finally three blue bar pigeons came bang on line at 13.45 and hit the loft roof, quite away from the trapping pads, they moved slowly towards the trapping area and at last one went in, followed closely by another and then the third one. Just as the third one entered the lofts another pigeon trapped like a rocket and all the four pigeons were clocked on the same minute at 13.46 with just 28 seconds between all four of them. However, the second pigeon that entered the lofts was a pigeon that had gone missing in an earlier race and decided to come home with two of the actual race pigeons. So within a matter of seconds we knew the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in the most prestigious pigeon race in the world today.

The OPEN result was as follows and CONGRATULATIONS goes to TON DE KOVEL from THE NETHERLANDS who took 1st Open with pigeon named UNTAMED DESERT which was officially clocked at 13.46.11.78 to record a winning velocity of 1299ypm (44mph). The performances of this winning pigeon over the 22 official races were as follows:- 223rd, 1236th, 386th, 32nd, 467th, 796th, 1008th, 3068th, 492nd, 373rd, 608th, 685th, 1403rd, 847th, 89th, 1249th, 992nd, 57th, 709th, 660th, 237th and now 1st Open. This winning pigeon was bred by the famous HANS & EVERT-JAN EIJERKAMP and bred from 03.1911076 Achillies son of 93.6234444 Chicago (Eijerkamp Van Loon) x 99.1863473 Miss Saigon (Eijerkamp Janssen) when paired to 06.6148326 Schouderduif (Heremans-Cuesters) daughter of 05.6045596 Son Figo x 01.6096238 Visserke. The winning pigeon was half owned TON DE KOVEL and by my good friend HENK JURRIENS who is the Export Manager for these great international lofts. Henk is also the Dutch Race Team Shipper and has given the fanciers in this country a chance to compete in this great race and he like the other owner deserve all the accolades that go with this fantastic win. They won the US$200,000 (£131,580) First Prize, Winners Trophy, Winners Jackets and of course the coveted Gold Medal. The runner up and 2nd Open went to Helmut Mann from Germany with his great pigeon named Said In Spun Silver which was officially clocked at 13.46.24.48 just 12.70 seconds behind the winner, this pigeon won US$120,000 (£78,948), Trophy and a Gold Medal, this pigeon had previously won 2383rd, 1715th, 2046th, 820th, 488th, 2234th, 2109th, 1253rd, 1260th, 620th, 1989th, 451st, 2786th, 2272nd, 491st, 1746th, 1097th, 23rd, 364th, 89th, 30th and now 2nd Open, this great pigeon also won the KNOCKOUT COMPETITION and US$25,000 (£16,448), this great fancier was also the runner-up in another one loft race the weekend before beaten by the fancier that bred the next pigeon in this result, then 3rd Open went to Team Esser-Klaas from Germany with their fantastic pigeon Purdey bred by the famous Alfons Klaas, clocked at 13.46.39.68 winning US$75,000 (£49,342), Trophy and a Gold Medal, this consistent pigeon had previously won 754th, 475th, 108th, 874th, 24th, 893rd, 15th, 2170th, 12th, 484th, 3rd, 290th, 496th, 16th, 150th, 38th, 6th, 89th, 660th, 78th, 191st and now 3rd Open, this outstanding pigeon also won 1st Overall Grand Averages in the 22 race series and won US$10,000 (£6,579), this fantastic fancier had previously bred two winners in this truly prestigious race, plus the week before had also won 1st Open by over 47 minutes in another one loft race in South Africa, then 4th Open went to Hans Schougaard from Denmark with his pigeon named Dacapo, clocked at 13.50.49.63 which won US$50,000 (£32,895), Trophy and Gold Medal, the 5th Open went to Josef Lang from Germany with pigeon named Paul L, clocked at 13.51.09.21 to win US$25,000 (£16,448), Trophy and Gold Medal, then 6th Open went to Mershed Jedova Alnamian from Kuwait with their good pigeon named M J 1 bred by Mohammad Al-Fezeir clocked at 13.54.53.80 to win US$20,000 (£13,158), Trophy and Gold Medal, this great pigeon had previously won 56th, 2nd, 172nd, 1483rd, 68th, 11th, 247th, 32nd, 47th, 20th, 24th, 3084th, 1086th, 9th, 656th, 35th, 198th, 1st, 60th, 250th, 503rd and now 6th Open, plus it was the Car Winner in Hot Spot 5, what an outstanding pigeon and worthy of a top ten position, then 7th Open went to Don and Judy Hart from United States Of America with their pigeon named Holly clocked at 13.55.07.69 which won US$17,500 (£11,514), Trophy and Gold Medal, then 8th Open went to Buttner G I A from Poland with pigeon named Ferb clocked at 13.59.28.31 to win US$15,000 (£9,869), Trophy and Gold Medal, then 9th Open went to Leideman – Spithoven from The Netherlands with pigeon named Tip Top 5, clocked at 13.59.30.81 to win US$12,500 (£8,224), Trophy and Gold Medal, 10th Open went to Karl Fuermsinn from Austria with pigeon named Karl clocked at 13.59.35.91, winning US$10,000 (£6,579), Trophy and Gold Medal. Then 11th Open Hamad Al-Sawaq from Kuwait with pigeon named D0001 clocked at 13.59.36.26 to win US$7,500 (£4,934), 12th Open Ivan Demitrov from Bulgaria with pigeon named Trylan Aire clocked at 14.04.43.28 to win US$7,500 (£4,934),
13th Open Certain – Nemelka from United States Of America with pigeon named Night Invader clocked at 14.04.44.68 winning US$7,500 (£4,934), 14th Open Schnarr – Silverwings from Germany with pigeon named Spunky clocked at 14.04.50.28 to win US$7,500 (£4,934), 15th Open Maria u Hubert Bramkamp from Germany with pigeon named Polonia 6a clocked at 14.06.01.28 to win US$7,500 (£4,934), 16th Open Fam Lindberg from Norway with pigeon named Dallas Texas clocked at 14.06.11.46 winning US$5,000 (£3,290), 17th Open Wilhelm Stoll from Germany with pigeon named Barcelona clocked at 14.06.13.86 winning US$5,000 (£3,290), 18th Open Willi u Marlies Ferchen from Germany clocked at 14.07.02.43 winning US$5,000 (£3,290), 19th Open Team Sylt 2000-Heun from Germany clocked at 14. 09.45.08 winning US$5,000 (£3,290) and then 20th Open Stanescu and Dobre from Romania clocked at 14.10.09.68 winning US$5,000 (£3,290).

If you wish to see all the other race winners that won all the cash prizes from 21st to 300th you can log onto The South African Million Dollar Web Site on www.samdpr.com The prize money was as follows:- 21st/ 30th all won US$3,500 (£2,303) each, 31st/50th all won US$2,500 (£1,645) each, 51st/75th all won US$2,000 (£1,316) each, 76th/100th all won US$1,500 (£987) each, 101st/150th all won US$1250 (£823) each, 151st/250th all won US$1,000 (£658) each and 251st/300th all won US$500 (£329) each.

A total of 390 gallant pigeons were officially recorded on the day up to 19.27 and this total included 5 pigeons which were Not-Activated which of course meant that they were not flying for any of the allocated prize money in this Final Race. From the 385 entered pigeons recorded on the day, this figure included 37 from the United Kingdom and 4 from Ireland. However, what made this race even more remarkable was that there were pigeons from 7 different countries represented in the top 10, then 11 in the top 20 and 14 in the top 30, 24 in top 50 and a total of 29 in the top 100 pigeons. This is truly a remarkable achievement in such a great international race as this. The first 100 pigeons were all clocked within 68 minutes of the race winner, the first 200 within 2 hours 25 minutes of the race winner and the 300th pigeon was officially clocked at 17.39.08.14.

The first pigeon clocked on the Sunday morning was at 05.46 and the pigeons continued to fall out of the sky all day long and by 19.03 a total of 1,616 entered pigeons had been officially recorded. By Monday evening a total of 1,781 pigeons had been officially clocked. Pigeons were still homing right through the week and by Friday night a total of 1,893 entered pigeons had been recorded. A few more were recorded over the weekend taking the total to 1,956 pigeons in the lofts and this figure included 166 from the United Kingdom and 27 from Ireland. A further update on the web site on the 11th March showed that a further 73 pigeons had returned to the lofts, this total included a further 4 United Kingdom pigeons (now 170) and 1 Irish pigeon (now 28). Total number returned from the Final Race was now up to 2,029 pigeons.

CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st UK, 33rd Open went to GRIBBLES CHOICE with their pigeon named GRIBBLES CHOICE TWO which was officially clocked at 14.15.12.83, with this pigeon was bred and entered by Phil Bond & Son from Torquay, winning US$2,500 (£1,645), 2nd UK, 40th Open was Ticket Collectors with pigeon named Lion which won US$2,500 (£1,645), 3rd UK, 41st Open was Paul Bamford from Pembroke with his pigeon named Romanze which won US$2,500 (£1,645), 4th UK, 56th Open went to the Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon named Olympic Choice which was bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, winning US$2,000 (£1,316), 5th UK, 57th Open was Lloyd and Kelly from Abingdon with pigeon named Amie Grace winning US$2,000 (£1,316), 6th UK, 60th Open Manchester Maestros with pigeon named Lucky Tots winning US$2,000 (£1,316) and bred by Crehan & O’Connor from Salford, 7th UK, 67th Open Guys Lofts with pigeon named Wendy’s Boy winning US$2,000 (£1,316) and bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton, 8th UK, 68th Open Kelly, Van Boxmeer and Sparkes with pigeon named Premier Glory winning US$2,000 (£1,316) that was entered and paid for by Paul Smith and Derek Nicholls but was bred by Premier Stud from Patringham Haven, 9th UK, 80th Open Mark Gilbert from Windsor with pigeon named Southfield Shortcut winning US$1,500 (£987), 10th UK, 98th Open Woodhouse Lofts with pigeon named Woodhouse 2 bred by Nev Proctor from Brown Edge, 11th UK, 113th Open Radcliffe and Hall with pigeon named The Skem Jazzer winning US$1,250 (£823) and bred by Steve Radcliffe from Skelmersdale, 12th UK, 148th Open Smith-McAllister Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith and with pigeon named Superwoman winning US$1,250 (£823) and bred by Bruce McAllister from Furneaux Pelham, 13th UK, 159th Open Wayside Syndicate with pigeon named Wayside Mystical Wind winning US$1,000 (£658) and bred by Iain & David Maddison from Hartlepool, 14th UK, 173rd Open N+A Evans and Cuthbert from Wolviston with pigeon named Burntoft Brandy winning US$1,000 (£658), 15th UK, 177th Open Fenlands Lofts with pigeon named Fenland Countess winning US$1,000 (£658) and bred by Darren Peters from East Heckington, 16th UK, 183rd Open Whiskey Galore with pigeon named The Elephant Tree winning US$1,000 (£658) and bred by Wally & Ian Gray from Birgham, 17th UK, 185th Open another for Lloyd and Kelly from Abingdon with pigeon named Frankie L winning US$1,000 (£658), 18th UK, 194th Open Trainspotters with pigeon named Mallard winning US$1,000 (£658), 19th UK, 214th Open Jurgen & Caroline Joesch from Hailsham with pigeon named Hailsham Sussex winning US$1,000 (£658) and also bred by this partnership, 20th UK, 229th Open Speed Birds with pigeon named Ann’s Choice winning US$1,000 (£658) and bred by Peter Entwistle from Aylesbury, 21st UK, 233rd Open The Farriers with pigeon named Poppy’s Pride winning US$1,000 (£658) and bred by Brian Greenley from Swinton, it should be noted that Brian entered 3 pigeons and got all 3 to the race and all 3 in the result, well done to him, 22nd UK, 234th Open Mr & Mrs Brian & Mavis Clayburn (past winners of this great race) from Ackworth with their pigeon named Diehard winning US$1,000 (£658), 23rd UK, 242nd Open Guy Barrett OBE from Horsforth with pigeon named Horsforth Lady winning US$1,000 (£658), 24th UK, 266th Open Sweet Dreams Syndicate with pigeon named Rio Verde winning US$500 (£329), originally enter by Shaw Thing – MCC Sponsor but not Activated, so new owners take the prize money, 25th UK, 287th Open another for Ticket Collectors with pigeon named Flying Fox winning US$500 (£329), 26th UK, 290th Open Premier Stud UK Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith and with pigeon named Premier Hope winning US$500 (£329) bred by Premier Stud from Patringham Haven. These were all the UK pigeons that actually won money but there were 11 other pigeons that made it on the day are surely are worthy of a mention 304th Team Islwyn, 305th Gribbles Choice, 308th Guys Lofts Elite, 312th Lloyd and Kelly, 320th Aurea Dream Team UK, 330th Mark Gilbert, 339th Blanefield Lofts, 340th Derek and Wendy Boyes, 353rd Stokes – Dearden Syndicate, 354th Paul Smith Syndicate and lastly 359th O’Hare and Woodward. There was 37 UK pigeons clocked on the day, 141 by Sunday evening and a total of 166 by the following weekend.


CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st Ireland, 141st Open went to LEONARD and JOHNSON with their pigeon named HARRY S which was officially clocked at 15.23.43.47 winning US£1,250 (£823), this pigeon was actually bred by Philip + Mark Smith who have the remarkable record of having bred the 1st Ireland pigeon 4 times in the last 5 years. Truly a remarkable record and one to be very proud of. Then 2nd Ireland, 171st Open was RS Homan with pigeon named Annie which won US$1,000 (£658), 3rd Ireland, 245th Open Universal Warrior with pigeon named Alfie, winning US$500 (£329), 4th & 5th Ireland, 298th & 450th Open Philip + Mark Smith with their two pigeons named Gaelic Dreams which won US$500 (£329) and his second pigeon was named Sophie, then 6th Ireland, 460th Open O’Donnell ABU Lofts with a pigeon bred by Maurice O’Donnell. Only 4 Irish pigeons were clocked on the day and 23 were officially clocked by Sunday evening. A total of 27 Irish pigeons were recorded by 9th February.

***THE OVERALL GRAND AVERAGES after 22 races was as follows:- 1st position and US$10,000 (£6,580) with a combined flying time of 44.51.18.89 went to pigeon named Purdey and entered by Team Esser-Klaas from Germany and with pigeon bred by Alfons Klaas. Full details of this great pigeon are mentioned above in the Open result. The 2nd position and US$5,000 (£3,290) with a combined flying time of 44.58.03.58 went to pigeon named Dave’s Girl and entered by Ahsan Khan from United States Of America, the 3rd position and US$2,500 (£1,645) with a combined flying time of 45.44.20.16 went to pigeon named Stina which was entered and bred by Wolfram Coesfeld from Germany. The first United Kingdom pigeon took 9th Open with a combined flying time of 47.15.28.60 with pigeon named Lucky Tots and entered by the Manchester Maestros with pigeon bred by Crehan & O’Connor from Salford. The first Irish pigeon took 53rd Open with a combined flying tome of 51.52.52.87 with pigeon named Gaelic Dreams and bred and entered by Philip + Mark Smith.

***KNOCKOUT COMPETITION and the US$25,000 (£16,448) First Prize went to HELMUT MANN from Germany with his great pigeon SAID IN SPUN SILVER that had actually taken 2nd Open in the Final Race. Performances are mentioned above in the Open result. WELL DONE TO THIS FANCIER ON AN OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE.

***CASCADE CHALLENGE had a prize fund of US$4,031.50 (£2,653) and a total of 239 pigeons including 28 from the United Kingdom and 2 from Ireland were completing for “THE POT OF GOLD”. This competition was not won as the first pigeon clocked has to win 1st Open, so this prize money will now be carried over to the 18th SAMDPR. The first single nominated pigeon named Purdey actually took 3rd Open for Helmut Mann from Germany and just missing out winning this great cash prize by just 27.90 seconds. The first United Kingdom pigeon named Gribbles Choice Two and bred by Phil Bond & Son from Torquay took 33rd Open and belonged to Gribbles Choice. The first Irish pigeon named The Deise Rocket took 1232nd and was entered by Mousies Dream Team.

***GLOBAL NOMINATIONS totalled a staggering US$96,237 (£63,314) and there were a total of 799 pigeons entered, including 74 United Kingdom and 10 Irish pigeons and there was a total of 4,122 Nominations. As usual this would turn out to be hotly contested competition and many fanciers won vast sum of money. Full result can be seen by logging onto www.samdpr.com The United Kingdom winners were as follows:- Gribbles Choice Two took 33rd Open for Gribbles Choice with pigeon bred by Phil Bond & Son from Torquay and this pigeon won US$1,496 (£985), Lion took 40th Open for Ticket Collectors and this pigeon won US$646 (£425), Lucky Tots took 60th Open for Manchester Maestros with pigeon bred by Crehan & O’Connor from Salford, who had the confidence to pool this pigeon all the way and picked up a staggering US$13,396 (£8,814) for its effort and Wendy’s Boy took 67th Open for Guys Lofts with pigeon bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton picked up US$646 (£425). WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED.

***COUNTRY NOMINATIONS totalled US$2,052.75c (£1,351) and the winners were as follows:- Lucky Tots took 60th Open for Manchester Maestros with pigeon bred and entered by Crehan & O’Conner from Salford and won US$1,122 (£738), Wendy’s Boy took 67th for Guys Lofts with pigeon bred and entered by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton and this won US$357 (£235), Burntoft Brandy took 173rd Open for N+A Evans and Cuthbert from Wolviston and this pigeon won US$63.75c (£42) and then Frankie L took 185th Open for Lloyd and Kelly from Abingdon won US$510 (£336). WELL DONE TO ALL THE FANCIERS.

***HOT SPOT CAR RACE WINNERS in the 16th SCMDPR all the five Car Winners went to the Final Race and all were clocked in the race result. However, in the 176th SAMDPR four of the five Car Winners were sent to the Final Race and three were clocked in the race result. Also the pigeon named ORNAT that won the Hot Spot Car Race Averages, finished 103rd Open in this year’s Final Race.

***THE CELEBRATION/AWARDS WINNERS DINNER took place in the Senate Room at 19.30 and once again the hundreds of fanciers/friends were pouring in to this great hall and it was great to see that my fellow travellers had saved me a seat. Cheers guys. We all took our seats and then Zandy Meyer (Race Director) made a short speech about the race and thanked everybody for their support over the past traumatic year. He then introduced a representative from Emperors Palace who thanked us all for attending and hoped we would all return next year. Zandy then introduced Sara Blackshaw (Director of ASI) and she told a few stories about her involvement with the race since day one and then she also closed by thanking everybody for their entries and support and wished everybody a great time in South Africa and a safe journey back home. It was now finally the time for the prize presentation to take place and Zandy called Joan-E Holt (Public Relations) to help to present the prizes to the top ten positions in the Final Race plus the first five Country Trophies and US$5,000 (£3,290) cash prizes that were won on the 5th Hot Spot Car Race.
Zandy started from tenth and worked his way down to first place, all those that were present or their representative were greeted with great applause and the names of all these winners are mentioned below in the Open result. It was now the time for the “RACE WINNER” to be called to the stage and this was TON DE KOVEL from THE NETHERLANDS with pigeon named UNTAMED DESERT. As this fancier was not present HENK JURRIENS who was a 50/50 partner in this pigeon was called to the stage to receive his awards and winners cheque for US$200,000 (£131,579). As he approached the stage the noise was unbelievable and he accepted the Winner’s Trophy, Winner’s Jacket, Gold Medal and of course the Winner’s Cheque. Everybody rushed up to take photographs and after this Henk made a very nice speech and thanked everybody concerned with this great race for their dedication and effort they put in annually into organising this great international pigeon race, especially when so much had happened since the last race took place last January. The night continued and once again the food on offer was outstanding to say the least and the staff were excellent and many stayed up late into the night dancing and celebrating another successful year in The Million Dollar Pigeon Race history.

***THE FIRST 100 PIGEONS CLOCKED WERE AUCTIONED the next morning in the superb Conference Centre in Linbro Park, right opposite the loft site with viewing starting from 9 to 11am. Coaches were again laid on for those that wanted to go to the auctions and the hall was packed with local and international pigeon fanciers all hoping they could secure the pigeon/s they wanted to purchase. The auctioneer started with Lot 1 and that made R150,000 (£11,539), Lot 2 sold for R75,000 (£5,770), Lot 3 R280,000 (£21,539), Lot 6 R160,000 (£12,308), Lot 9 R45,000 (£3,462), Lot 61 R26,000 (£2,000) with many more making over R10,000 (£770) each. The total raised amounted to a staggering R1,367,000 (£105,154) an average of R13,670 (£1,052) per pigeon. Once again it just goes to show the value that pigeon fanciers all over the world put on pigeons that score in this great race. If you wish to see a full list of all the pigeons for sale by auction and the auction prices, then please log onto www.samdpr.com and go into the auction site on the left hand side of the home page. This auction of the first 100 pigeons plus all the other 37 online auctions are available for all to see. These online auctions start started on 2nd March and will go onto 27th April 2013. Any pigeons that return to the lofts will be auctioned in a special online auction at a date yet to be announced.

***THE AUCTIONS will take place over the next few weeks and so far a further 37 online auctions have been organised in the headquarters of 37 pigeon clubs literally all over South Africa. This is in itself a massive task with 50 pigeon pigeons going to each venue and all have to be listed and given a Lot number. Currently over 2,000 pigeons have returned from the race, so a few more auctions may be listed on the web site as pigeons return back from the race. The first few auctions have already taken place and as usual some top pigeons have been offered for sale and I noticed that Gabi L, the good Slovakian pigeon had also recently sold for R37,000 (£2,847). More prices will follow as I get new updates.

Of course massive thanks must go to The Organising Committee, which consists of Sara Blackshaw (Director of ASI), Zandy Meyer (Race Director), Joan-e Holt (Public Relations), Marion Brandford (Administration), Michael Holt & Pieter Saayman (Systems Administrators), Andre van Wyk & Dave van der Merve (Loft Managers), Corrie Naude (Convoyer & Trainer), Paul Smith (United Kingdom Race Team Shipper & International Race Co-ordinator), Cornay Smith (Attorney for ASI), Henri Stiglingh (International Ambassador), Dr. Marthinus Hartman & Dr. Francois Le Grange (Veterinary Officers), Peter Furstenberg (Shine Interactive), plus of course all the loft lads that assist in all the daily duties. Without their input and help throughout this race would never even get off the ground. Likewise a million thanks to our fantastic “TEAM” of Country Race Shippers who go out of their way to get all the pigeons from all over the world shipped out to South Africa to compete in this great race. Also thanks must go to Frank Nebig and of course all his staff from Animals To Fly for all their help and assistance during another hectic year. Zandy Meyer (Race Director) is an inspiration to all of us and a “SPECIAL THANK YOU” must go to him for making everything possible over the past seventeen years. Another person that needs to be personally thanked for all her work and effort is Deirdre Kallmeyer of African Olive Travel Concepts, plus all her excellent staff for acting as the official travel company for this great race. Lastly but not least a “BIG THANK YOU” to The Peermont Group and especially Emperors Palace for hosting the 17th SAMDPR and we all hope that this business relationship will last for many years to come. It really is an outstanding complex/resort that must rank as one of the best in the world today.

The South African Million Dollar Web Site is administered by Peter Furstenberg and his staff from Shine Interactive, ably assisted by Michael Holt and Pieter Saayman (SAMDPR Systems Administrators). These people work their butts off to get vital information onto this state of the art web site www.samdpr.com so fanciers all over the world can be kept up to date with what is happening during all the training and races that take place during the whole race season. They also run all the online auctions. This is a massive task and one that makes this great race so special, as they try to keep fanciers informed with the information they need throughout the race season. It is without doubt the most up to date and informative pigeon race web site in the world today and one I personally know they are very pleased to present. Over the past few years the official “HITS” on this web site have increased as follows:- 3 million for 2003 race, 5 million for the 2004 race, 8 million for the 2005 race, 14 million for the 2006 race, 16 million for the 2007 race, 20 million for the 2008 race, 25 million for the 2009 race, 48 million for the 2010 race, 50 million for the 2011 race, 60 million for the 2012 and once again a record breaking number for the last 2012/13 race season. IF IT IS INFORMATION YOU REQUIRE, THEN THIS IS CERTAINLY THE RACE TO ENTER IN THE FUTURE. This just to show the great interest that this international pigeon race attracts from fanciers literally all over the world.

I would just like to notify fanciers all over the world that my weekly International Press Releases and Newsletters will all be published in our two weekly United Kingdom based pigeon magazines, namely “The British Homing World” and “The Racing Pigeon”. Information will also be sent out to numerous other Web Sites:- www.regencylofts.com www.iprr.co.uk www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonportal.com www.cyberpigeon.co.uk www.pigeonbasics.com www.pigeoncare.nl www.starpigeons.com www.fancierchat.com and www.pigeonpixels.co.uk

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

If any fancier in the United Kingdom, Ireland or in fact any country in the world would like to receive my weekly International Press Releases and Newsletters by email, then all you have to do is email your request to reglofts@aol.com and I will add your email address to my database, then all information will be forwarded to you on a regular basis.

My first shipping date for The 18th South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race will be on WEDNESDAY 12th JUNE 2013. However, your pigeons will need to be with me on SATURDAY 8TH, SUNDAY 9TH or MONDAY 10TH JUNE 2013. This proposed shipping date is later than the last few years and this is due to the lofts not being open to take pigeons at an earlier date because of enforced new quarantine regulations. This will probably be my only shipment, so if you are genuinely interested in entering this great race, then please book your spaces early. The race date for The 18th South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race has now been confirmed as SATURDAY 25th JANUARY 2014.

***THE ALLOCATION OF THE OFFICIAL PRIZE MONEY FOR THE 18th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE HAS BEEN CHANGED SLIGHTLY FROM THE 17th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE. HOWEVER, THE TOTAL PRIZE FUND IS EXACTLY THE SAME, PLUS IT HAS A BRAND NEW COMPETITION WHICH WILL BE A 3 PIGEON AVERAGE WITH A CASH PRIZE OF US$3,000 (£1,974) IN EACH OF THE FIVE HOT SPOT CAR RACES. THE 10 x GOLD MEDALS ON OFFER IN THE FINAL RACE ARE NOW VALUED AT A STAGGERING US$1,450 (£955) EACH. IN THE RUSH TO GET THE NEW RULES/REGULATIONS BROCHURE PRINTED IT SAYS THE PRIZE MONEY FOR 101st TO 150th PAYS OUT US$1,250 (£823) EACH, UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS A PRINTERS ERROR, IT SHOULD READ 101st TO 150th PAYS OUT US$2,000 (£1,316) EACH.

THIS RACE IS WITHOUT DOUBT STILL THE GREATEST AND BIGGEST ONE LOFT RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY AND THE ONE THAT HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD AND THE ONE THAT HAS ALWAYS PAID OUT ALL OF ITS ALLOCATED PRIZE MONEY SINCE DAY ONE.

Once again rumours are flying around but in a recent notification from Air Sport Internationale (The Presenters Of This Great Race) stated:- The pigeon lofts at Sun City are in the possession of Air Sport Internationale who constructed them. These lofts will remain theirs until such time they reach agreement with Sun International. The lofts house the pigeons awaiting export and are managed by the people appointed by ASI. The lofts are under the auspices of the relevant State Authorities.

If you would like to enter this race and “FLY THE FLAG FOR YOUR COUNTRY”, then all you have to do is contact me as soon as possible and I will give you all the information your require. Since the inception of this prestigious race we have had over 50 different countries enter and each year we seem to encourage new countries to compete. Why not try to get a few teams from your country and join in the fun in the sun? I now have the new 18th SAMDPR Rules/Regulations Brochure and Official Registration & Entry Forms available. If you would like me to send you one, then please either telephone me or email me and I will get one out to you without delay.

Of course, one of the main reasons for the success in this great race is the extremely professional way it has been run from the start, plus of course they have always paid out their projected prize money every year since the race started way back in 1997 and this is the reason that this race is known the world over as “THE BIGGEST & GREATEST ONE LOFT PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD TODAY” and “THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD”. Over the past 17 years this race has also been described as the “OLYMPICS” in the world of pigeon racing and every year entry records are broken, this has only been achieved by the sheer dedication of the staff that run and administer this fantastic race.

All I can say is that once again this race and also the new venue was a resounding success and we look forward to fanciers all over the world entering their top class pigeons into the race and then booking a trip out to South Africa to watch the race actually happen. Apart from just coming out to watch the race, you can enjoy the South Africa and the superb hospitality it has to offer all concerned.

I would just like to personally thank all the pigeon fanciers, friends and relations that travelled out from the UK and Ireland to be part of The 17th SAMDPR. I spoke to most of them and they all enjoyed themselves and said they would be travelling back for the next race, health permitting of course. My own group had a wonderful time and we added a couple of extra nights to our trip and travelled down to and stayed in The Entabeni Game Reserve, it really was a remarkable experience and one that was enjoyed by the whole group. This was an experience that anybody visiting South Africa should try to do during their visit. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUBERB SUPPORT, IT REALLY WAS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

I will once again for the 18th year be organising a “Trip Of A Lifetime”, so why not join my group and enjoy being part of “The Biggest & Greatest One Loft Pigeon Race In The World Today?” I am currently awaiting a price from my travel agents in South Africa for a very special trip that will take in 5 nights in Emperors Palace for The 18th South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race, then a short flight to pick up our luxury air condition coach and then our trip will then continue down through the outstanding and picturesque Garden Route, spending 2/3 nights and visiting a Game Reserve and a National Park and then finishing off in Cape Town for the last couple of nights before finally flying back direct to the United Kingdom. If you are interested in joining my group, then please contact me as soon as possible. This trip will only take place if there are enough people interested in doing it.

I would just like to apologise for the delay in getting this International Press Release published but as I am sure most of you already know, I stay for another two weeks in South Africa after the race and I can only start preparing this report on my return to the UK. I then have to source certain photographs to use plus of course to compile a report like this takes a tremendous amount of my time. However, I hope you enjoy reading about the experience and I hope you decide to enter some pigeons into The 18th South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race.

Paul Smith. United Kingdom Race Team Shipper & International Race Co-ordinator for The 17th 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 Linbro Park, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday 2nd February 2013. 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 Address:- 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 or www.scmdpr.com