Keith Mott

Writes about winning fanciers past and present

JOHN SMALE

OF ABERGAVENNY

On a video tour of South Wales we visited several Welsh National winning lofts including John Smale of Abergavenny and this fancier’s racing record must be described as fantastic, winning 1st. open Welsh Grand National Thurs (465 miles), 1st. open Welsh Grand National, 1st. open Combine Crieff (313 miles), 2nd. open Welsh Grand National, 2nd. open Combine Lerwick (577 miles) and winning two new cars.

John races his team of 24 pairs on the natural system. He is a carpenter by trade and built his 24ft. Ply loft himself, and in the winter months pins plastic sheets on the front to keep out the harsh Welsh winter weather. The main families raced are the Belgium family of Denys and these are paired up in March with the long distance races in mind. John feeds a first class heavy mixture and the birds are exercised around the loft for one hour, twice a day.

Eighteen pairs of stock birds are kept, which are paired up in December and all the new introductions in to the brick built stock loft have to be outstanding long distance performance birds of any strain. John has been racing over 20 years, starting with the Dordins in the Abergavenny Inv. Club and has never looked back. He told me his biggest thrill was clocking from Lerwick (577 miles) for the first time, and his most disappointing experience was seeing a Peregrine Falcon kill one of his premier pigeons. Because of the bird of prey problem in his area the old birds get very little training, but are worked before the major National races. He says many pigeons are lost on training tosses in the Welsh Valleys, but have to be trained at some time, so the fanciers ‘bit the bullet’ and give the birds a lot of training in a short time. His 60 young birds get lots of training, with some help from his wife, who is very interested in the pigeons. John has had outstanding success with his hens in the long distance Nationals and likes to send them sitting heavy on eggs or feeding a small youngster. When I asked what he thought of eyesign, his reply was as long as they have got two, they have a good eyesign.

COMPERAT & HOLMES

OF ABERGAVENNY

My tour of South Wales was kindly put together by my good friend, Clive Comperat of Abergavenny. Clive is in partnership with his brother, Brian, and local ‘ace’ Jack Holmes and fly as Comperat & Holmes. They are only interested in National racing and have won the Welsh Grand National three times from Thurso (480 miles), Crieff (310 miles) and Carlisle (280 miles). Their Thurso National winner was the Kenyon blue chequer hen, ‘Jodie’s Girl’, and she won 1ST. open in the W.G.N.F.C. Blue Riband race sent feeding two youngsters. This champion hen had scored many times previously to her National win, including 3rd. open in the new north road Federation and many club cards.

Clive started up in pigeon racing in 1961 and after winning 1st. open National three times, 3rd open W.G.N.F.C. Carlisle, 5th. open W.G.N.F.C. Newpitsligo and 10th. open W.G.N.F.C. Lerwick (twice), his main aim now is to win 1st. open National from the longest race Lerwick. The lofts other two National winners, ‘08’, a blue chequer pied Kenyon / Busschaert hen and she won the young bird National from Carlisle, she raced most of the young bird programme that season and raced to the perch. The other winner was, ‘Ron The Con’, a blue chequer Kenyon / Busschaert cock, he topped the W.G.N.F.C. from Crieff and he was sent sitting 14 day old eggs.

Comperat & Holmes have a very smart self built 27ft.x 8ft. racing loft which houses all natural pairs. The loft has three sections with deep litter, which is changed twice a year, all the nest boxes have grilled floors. The old birds are raced natural, are paired up at the end of February, and get regular training tosses from Birmingham (100 miles). The birds are hopper fed beans and get an open loft most days. They have 20 pairs of stock birds, which are mainly the Kenyon strain. They breed about 60 young birds each year and they get lots of training from Birmingham. Half the team fly the programme and the rest get a few races and are put a side for old bird racing. Clive told me, they never pair up young birds, adding they always lose paired up youngsters when raced.

BURGHAM BROTHERS

OF SOUTH WALES

Another premier Welsh National loft I visited was Burgham Brothers and they won 1st. open W.G.N.F.C. Crieff (322 miles) in 1993. They had achieved many top twenty positions in the open National results, including 1st. open, 2nd. open (twice) and 3rd. open. The brothers have been in the sport since 1972 and were introduced into pigeon racing by their great grandfather, who was a top fancier. Premier pigeon at the loft was a blue pied cock named, ‘Primrose National Man’, a grandson of  Ch. ’Rainstorm’. This champion cock had won 3rd. open Newpitsligo National (400 miles), 8th. open Crieff National (322 miles), 10th. open Newpitsligo National and at stock has bred countless winners for the Burgham loft including a son that won 7th. open Newpitsligo National (400 miles). A fantastic pigeon!

The main old bird team are raced natural for the long distance races and this consists of 16 pairs. These are paired in up in March, hopper fed a good mixture and start training in mid-May, with the distance in mind. John told me, his favourite race point is Thurso (474 miles). They have a small team of six widowhood cocks for the sprint club events and John Burgham said three of them were really outstanding, winning right through to Crieff (322 miles). The widowhood cocks were paired at the end of January and were given six training tosses before the first Federation race, then exercised around the loft twice a day. The hens are shown for two minutes on marking night and for 20 minutes on the cocks return from the race.

The Crieff National winner, a natural blue cock, ‘Primrose Jubilee’, also won many other prizes that season when he topped the National, including 1st. club Newtongrange (282 miles). This champion cock is now at stock and breeding winners for the Burgham loft. They breed about 50 youngsters each season and these are only lightly raced as the partners like them at the two year old stage. Young birds are fed as much as they can eat and one or two are sent to the young bird National. They keep 12 pairs of stock birds in their smart stock loft, which has a wire flight.

Well that’s our third and last ‘Best of Wales’. I hope my readers have enjoyed our little insight into the lofts of some the Welsh National winners. See yer!