THREE BORDERS FEDERATION “FOCUS” WITH KEITH MOTT

 T. McCoy & Sons

of Richmond

The Three Borders Federation sent 1,081 birds to the S.M.T. Combine race from Sennen Cove in June and because of adverse weather conditions at the car park liberation the convoy was moved to Truro (230 miles). The Richmond partnership of T. McCoy & sons had a brilliant race, recording 1st, 2nd. club, 1st, 6th. Federation, 1st, 6th. open S.M.T. Combine (2,089 birds). The partner’s Combine winner was there yearling Janssen blue white flight cock, ‘The Real McCoy’, and he is raced on the widowhood system. Although he is only a young pigeon, he has won several other premier prizes, including a win as a young bird in 2005. The second pigeon on the clock from Truro, to record 6th. open Combine, was another yearling widowhood cock, in the form of the Staf Van Reet mealy pigeon, ‘Taffy’s Choice’. Two weeks later the S.M.T. Combine were at Messac, for it’s first race of the season from France and the McCoy partnership had another ‘banger’, recording 3rd. open with their two year old Janssen blue widowhood cock, ‘Jake’s Delight’. This game cock recorded his fourth club win from Messac, which was a very race, with only a handful of birds making 1200y.p.m. Great pigeon flying!

Although the racing name is T. McCoy & sons, the two partners are Billy McCoy and Mel Evans, with T. McCoy being Bill’s late father, Tom. The late Tom McCoy started up racing in 1964 and was very successful racing in partnership with Georgie Oliver of Bedfont. They raced in the old ‘City Arm’ club in Hammersmith and raced successfully on the long distance with Delbars and Kirkpatricks obtained from Johnson of Larne. Tom and Georgie’s best pigeon was a black Marriott hen and she recorded 2nd. and 3rd. open Combine from the long distance, and bred winners. Billy’s brother Dominic is also a pigeon fancier and races in the Chertsey area. Billy and Del Evans have raced together for about six years and their loft is sited at Hammersmith in London.

The partners race 38 cocks on the widowhood system and their racing loft is a 33ft. double decker, three sections on top for the old bird racers and sections below kitted out for ‘darkness’ youngsters. They are paired up after the B.H.W. Blackpool Show in January and are split into two teams, one just sit eggs then go on the system and the other rear a youngster before going on widowhood. Billy told me, it’s the team that reared youngsters that have done the best in the 2006 season. The cocks are trained hard for a couple of weeks before the first Federation race and unlike most widowhood racers, they are trained during the race season. The cocks are not broken down, being fed on ‘Gerry Plus’, with extra Maize being added to the mixture on Thursday and Friday. Billy and Del try and change their routine on marking night, with the hen being shown sometimes and other times just turning the nest bowl before going in to the basket. Del says, they cocks have no special wind up before they race, but get their mates for a couple of hours on their return home. The partners like racing up to 300 miles and say the whole team race up to the middle distance.

Billy and Del have 20 pairs of stock birds, mostly of the Janssen based families, Staf Van Reet, Jan Nauwelaerts, and these are housed in a special brick stock loft in Fulham. The stock sections are very roomy and deep litter is used on the floors in the Winter months. These birds are fed on a heavy ‘breeder’ mixture and are paired up on Boxing Day. When bringing in new breeders, Del says, they like to look at the bigger picture, firstly, going for a Janssen based family, secondly, the bird must conform to their type and thirdly, it must have a pedigree of good performance. The lads put 50 youngsters on the ‘darkness’ system and have 25 later bred youngsters as a back up, which are flown natural to the perch. The dark youngsters are put on the system from weaning until mid June and the darkness is from 17.00hrs. until 09.00hrs. The babies are trained well through to Winchester (50 miles) before the first race and once racing starts they are trained every day from Alton (40 miles), including sometimes on a Friday. Billy told me, they never stop young cocks for the widowhood and the whole team have to fly the programme, including Guernsey with the L.& S.E.C.C. They race on a celibate system, with the sexes being separated during the week and allowed to run together on Friday afternoon before going in the basket. The partners have used this system with their youngsters for the last three seasons and maintain it is far more successful than pairing them up. The youngster are giver pigeon tea and plenty of  condition seed after the racing has finished, to make sure they finish their moult.

Belly and Del have won many premier positions prior to winning the Combine this season, including 4th, 5th. open Combine Wadebridge 2005, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th. Federation young birds 2005, 1st. Bedfont open race (twice), 1st. N.W. Section Guernsey L.& S.E.C.C. 2005 and won the Three Borders Federation young bird average in the 2005 season. One of the partner’s all time great racers was the mealy pied cock, ‘The Newman Cock’, bred by the late Dennis Newman and he won seven times 1st. club, three times 1st. Federation, 1st. Shepperton open race and 1st. Bedfont open race. Billy says, Dennis Newman was a great fancier and won the S.M.T. Combine twice.

Well that just leaves me to congratulate Billy and Del on their brilliant season racing in the Combine. Well done, lads! Any Three Borders Federation news, please give me a phone call on: 01372 463480.

 TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (FEDERATION PRESS OFFICER).