Keith Mott

Writes about winning fanciers past and present

Ray Hammond of Albury – 1st open S.M.T. Combine Bergerac 2006

In mid-July the S.M.T. Combine sent 1,012 birds to Bergerac, in south west France, for it’s longest old bird race and just managed to beat DEFRA’s latest closure of racing from the Continent, due to be imposed on 31st. July. With very high temperatures and a stiff north east, the pigeons encountered one of the hardest Bergerac (450 miles) races ever, and certainly the hardest event of the 2006 season. Only five game pigeons were clocked on the day of liberation, with only two making over 900 y.p.m. and both theses were at the Godalming club in the Surrey Federation.

Ray Hammond of Albury, near Guildford, won the Combine doing 954 y.p.m. with his good yearling blue cock, ‘Simply Wonderful’, and he was sent to Bergerac sitting seven day old eggs. This game cock had three inland races on his build up to the Bergerac race and took two weeks to come home from the Truro Combine event. When I asked Ray about his build up, he said, ‘I think he went to Ireland on his way home from Truro, as on his return he had Shamrock between his toes and he was singing, ‘It’s along way from Tipperary’. His sire is an Eric Cannon / Tom Gilbertson cross and has been in the clock many times on the long distance, including being first bird clocked from the L.& S.E.C.C. Bergerac race, on the same weekend as when he won the Combine. The grandsire of ‘Simply Wonderful’ won Bergerac twice in the old Dorking club. I handled the Bergerac Combine winner two days after he won and I noticed how well he was feathered, being nice and silky, and was half way up on his second flight.

Ray Hammond is one of the ‘all time greats’ of long distance racing in the Surrey area, having put up many outstanding performances over many years and has won the longest old bird race in the London & South East Classic Club three times, including 1st. open Pau (550 miles) in 2005. His Pau Classic winner was the dark cock, ‘Simply The Best’, and he is a firm favourite at the Albury loft, and now resides in the stock loft. Again, the 2005 Pau Classic was a very hard race and he won it well, being only the fourth race of his life. ‘Simply The Best’ was a latebred youngster in 2003 and had no racing as a young bird or yearling. I handled this great pigeon recently and I must say he was a perfect long distance type, being long cast in the hand, with very good silky feathering. A wonderful pigeon!

Ray races 15 pairs on the natural system, with the long distance events in mind, and pairs up in mid-February. He likes to get the youngsters weaned before the old birds start training, but stressed to me that he trained very little, with the race team getting only four tosses through to Petersfield (30 miles) this season. Ray is only interested in the long distance, but says his birds need the distance on a hard day to do well, as recent races from Pau and Bergerac have proved. Ray’s Bergerac win is the second S.M.T. Combine winner in the very strong Godalming club in the 2006 season, with Darran and Des McFadden topping the Combine from Yelverton. He told me he couldn’t keep up with the young ‘hot shots’ like Darren on the sprint races, but likes to send to those inland races to get the birds race fit. The main families kept are Eric Cannon, through Ron Dodd of Selsey, and Malcolm Parker has let Ray have some good long distance bloodlines, including the best of Tom Gilbertson. He told me he has had some very good results with sending pigeons to the distance races feeding a two day old youngster, but says every pigeon is an individual with different fades and the fancier must find out, in which nest condition each individual performs best. Ray is a heavy feeder and gives all the birds ‘Cranleigh Number 1” mixture all the year round. He de-worms twice a year and some times puts a little cod liver oil on the mixture. The old birds go through to Pau (550 miles) and he is a great believer in testing pigeons, so also sends a few yearlings to the south of France race point.

Ray Hammond’s record in the long distance races over many years is second to none, winning: 1st. open L.& S.E.C.C. Dax (twice), 3rd. open L.& S.E.C.C. Dax, 5th. open L.& S.E.C.C. Dax, 1st. open L.&S.E.C.C. Pau, 6th. open L.&S.E.C.C. Pau, 9th. open L.& S.E.C.C. Pau, 1st. section, 2nd. open B.B.C. Palamos (665 miles), 2nd. open B.B.C. Barcelona (685 miles), 3rd. open B.B.C. Barcelona, 5th. open B.B.C. Barcelona, 1st. section B.B.C. Nantes, 1st. section, 2nd. open B.B.C. Tours (only four birds home on the day of liberation), 2nd. open B.I.C.C. Perpignan, 19th. open N.F.C. Pau, 36th. open N.F.C. Pau and has won Bergerac at club level four times. A fantastic loft performance in the very best competition!   

Ray has an 18ft.x 6ft. Kidby loft, which was paid for with winning from a young bird National race and he has a garden shed which was purchased for £10, and this houses his Pau Classic winner, ‘Simply The Best’, plus a couple of other stock birds. The old bird racers have 12ft. of the main loft, which is kitted out with nest boxes and the young birds are housed in a 6ft. section. The trapping is through the open hole and sputniks, and Ray has never used deep litter, with the loft being cleaned out once a week. Most of the stock birds he has kept through the years have been retired premier racing pigeons and if he has ever brought in a new bird it must be from the very best long distance bloodlines. He handles the bird, and his hands tells him the rest of the story.  He only keeps two stock cocks, one being the Pau Classic winner, and tells me he likes to show at the local club shows, saying it’s a great social thing for the members in the winter months. Ray says, he breds 30 youngsters for racing every year and races the old fashion natural system to the perch, with the darkness never entertained. He is a semi-retired bricklayer and maintains he is a lazy trainer, and never trains his old or young birds very much, but gives them an open loft as much as possible. Where he live is very rural and he has a lot of problems with the Hawks and Falcons attacking the birds in the garden. The young birds start training three weeks before the first race, going down the A3 in stages to Portsmouth and race the whole programme, including the L.& S.E.C.C. and N.F.C. races in September.

Ray had his first pigeons as a school boy and had to pack them up when he joined the R.A.F., then after a few years he got married and had his family, he then decided to start up a second time in 1970. His original birds came from Ron Dodd of Cranleigh and on joining the British Barcelona Club, became very interested in long distance pigeon racing, with his ambition always being to win the Palamos National. One of Ray’s best pigeon days was when he won the Dax race in the morning and 2nd. open B.B.C. Palamos in the afternoon. What a thrill! He has lived at his present address in Albury 30 years and tells me, the ‘Simply The Best’ bloodlines go back to his 2nd. and 5th. open Barcelona pigeons, which in turn go back to the late, Fred Seaman of Woking pigeons. He maintains, that not a enough young people are coming in the sport, because we are living in a computer age and they are not interested in sports like Fishing and Pigeon Racing any more. Ray is very interested in Horse Racing, visiting many premier race tracks around the U.K. with his son, Micky Hammond, who was a very successful jockey, winning many major races including the Scottish Grand National. Micky is a trainer these days and it seems he has inherited his good stock sense from his father! Ray is not to keen on the ETS system and says he likes to see his birds come home from the long races and thinks it not right that they clock them selves in while the fancier is down at the Tesco Superstore doing their shopping. He told me that he rated Mick Tuck of Whitley the best local fancier and says he races a brilliant pigeon on the long distance and is a great worker at the Godalming club.

The five day pigeons recorded in the S.M.T. Combine from Bergerac were: 1) Ray Hammond, 954: 2) Mick Tuck, 908: 3) Garry Dye, 888: 4) D. Bullen & son, 842: 5) Mick Tuck, 827.

Mick Tuck clocked two on the day of liberation and had five in the Combine result. Brilliant pigeon racing! Mick’s 2nd. open Combine winner was a natural yearling blue chequer hen and she was sent to Bergerac paired to another yearling hen and sitting four eggs. He has named her, ‘Tucky’s Supreme’, and she is bred from the very best of Eric Cannon’s long distance blood lines and her dam is the champion racing hen, “Tucky’s Delight”, and winner of 4th. club, 6th. Surrey Federation, 7th. S.M.T. Combine Bergerac, 1st. club, 2nd. Surrey Federation, 6th. S.M.T. Combine Alencon, 1st. club, 5th. Surrey Federation, 19th. S.M.T. Combine Bergerac, 51st. open L.& S.E.C.C. San Sebastian, 17th. section A, 102nd. open N.F.C. Tarbes (550 miles on the day of liberation.) A brilliant hen! There is a full report on Mick Tuck’s loft to appear very shortly.

Garry Dye of the Esher club ended a brilliant 2006 old bird season by recording the only bird on the day of liberation in the Three Borders Federation. Garry recorded this fantastic performance with his champion racer, ‘Lenny’s Boy’, and he also chalked up 3rd. open S.M.T. Combine from Bergerac. Garry also won the longest old bird race in the Esher club in 2005 from Bergerac, with his good widowhood blue chequer pied cock, “Lenny's Boy”, and he is mainly bred from the Van Reet bloodlines, with his grand sire coming from Johnny Keywood of Hersham. This game pigeon has a wonderful racing record winning: five seconds including, 2nd. club, 2nd. Federation Lulworth and then went on to win 1st. club, 20th. Federation, 46th. open Combine (1,795 birds) Bergerac in 2005. This wonderful pigeon is also the sire of many premier racers including, ‘Young Lenny’, winner of 1st. Three Borders Federation Wincanton (1,563 birds) this season.

D. Bullen & son of New Addington were 4th. open Combine from Bergerac and what can I say about ‘Wicky’ Bullen? One the most consistent channel racing lofts in the South of England! The loft has won it all through the years, including 1st. open N.F.C. Dax in the 2005 season.

Congratulations to all these fanciers on their fantastic performances! If you need to contact me with any Three Borders Federation news, please ring: 01372 463480.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.