Keith Mott Writes about winning fanciers past and present

C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show 2010

The traditional month for holding the annual C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show and Auction is January, but at the beginning of the year the show venue at the Horsham YMCA Football Ground was under a foot of snow and no one could get within a hundred yard of the building on show day. This very popular event was postponed and rescheduled for the end of November to beat the weather. In the week leading up to the show the weather man was threatening heavy snow fall all over the UK that weekend and every one was dreading another postponement. The day of the event arrived, but the snow didn’t and every one enjoyed a brilliant show. The following Tuesday the heavens opened up and under a thick carpet of snow, the whole of the UK was at a stand still for nearly a week. A lucky escape for our favourite show!

On show day the pens and hall were packed. Entry looked like one of the biggest for some years and judges were Phil Mott, Fred Hall, Peter Coles, John Puddephatt, Roy Underdown and I judged the four Show Racer classes. A vote of thanks to the London & South East Classic Club who sponsored the C.H.A.S.E. show for the class prize money again this year. Best in Show was won for the forth year on the trot by Des and Darran McFadden of Cranleigh and once again it was with their good Red Pied Meuleman / Marcellis Cock ‘06578’. He is the nest mate to the McFadden’s 2006 SMT Combine winner ‘Sparrow’ and has won three firsts on the road as well as many seconds and thirds. This wonderful cock is the sire of many prize winners and too date has bred three first prize winners including ‘Messac Express’, a winner from Messac in 2008. He has won ten firsts showing and his C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show wins are: 2006: 1st Young Cock / Best Opposite Sex: 2007: 1st Old Cock: 2008: 1st Old Cock / Best in Show: 2009: 1st Old Cock / Best in Show: 2010: 1st Old C and Best in Show. His mother is Darran’s good 2001 bred red hen ‘Chloe's Girl’ and she herself has won eight firsts in the show pen. At this year’s C.H.A.S.E. Show she was 3rd in the old hen’s class, at 10 year old, Darran tells me, she has never failed to be carded in a show in her life. This gem of a hen won four firsts on the road and quite a few good classic and national positions before I put her in the stock shed at 3 years old. She has gone on to breed me multiple 1st prize winners in the McFadden widowhood team including Darran’s 2006 SMT Combine winner and is grand dam of his 2008 Messac SMT combine winner ‘Gladiator’. Her best C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show wins are: 2004: 1st Old Hens / Best in Show: 2008: 1st Old Hens / Best Opposite Sex, when her red pied son, ‘06578’ won Best in Show. Darran’s good friend Wally Cable won Best Opposite Sex and he said that his young dark hen was a Ponderosa Janssen De Klak, and she went to the L&SECC Guernsey young bird race in 2010, recording 4th in the gold ring race.

Best Show Racer was won by a handsome blue chequer cock owned by the premier partnership of David and Jean Mackintosh. This cock had won several firsts in top Society shows and won an NPA certificate for best cock in the London & Essex Fancy Breeds Society. The partners keep a team of about 60 Show Racers, which are housed in several back garden lofts and pairs up at the end of January. David says they have been showing since 2006 and now have their own family based on Show Racers obtained from Mr.  & Mrs. Peter Brookshore, Mr. & Mrs. B. Wilson and Lisa Smith, all fanciers from the North of England. He likes silver blues and creams, and has had five shows up to the C.H.A.S.E. event, and won five times Best in Show. They are members of the South East Counties Show Racer Society and have won Supreme Champion two years on the trot. David and Jean started up in the sport with racing pigeons in 1970 and were long distance enthusiasts, racing on the North Road. They raced the Cattrysse pigeons on the widowhood system and won Thurso (550 miles) four times in five seasons, being second the year they missed out. David told me the Cattrysse family were winners from 105 through to 550 miles.

This year’s show saw 260 birds entered in the ten classes, which were all handled. Racing Pigeon Class winners were: Old Cocks (Judge: Phil Mott): 1) D. & D. McFadden 2) D. & D. McFadden 3) A. Muir: Old Hens (Judge: Peter Coles): 1) D. & D. McFadden 2) G. & D. Marsh 3) D. & D. McFadden: Young Cocks (Judge: John Puddephatt): 1) K. Abbott 2) A. Muir 3) P. McMahon: Young Hens (Judge: Fred Hall): 1) W. Cable 2) D. & D. McFadden 3) C. Turner: 400 mile Cock & Hen (Judge: John Puddephatt): 1) R. Spencer 2) C. Turner 3) D. & D. McFadden: Eyesign (Judge: Roy Underdown): 1) D. & D. McFadden 2) D. & D. McFadden 3) J. Salt. Trophy winners were: Darran & Des McFadden: ‘The Charity Cup’ for Best in Show, Wally Cable: ‘The Clare Cup’ for Best Opposite Sex, ‘The Fred Mott Memorial Cup’ for Best Young Bird in Show, R. Spencer won ‘The 400 Mile Cup’ and Darran McFadden lifted the ‘The Scottish Eye Sign Cup’. The four Show Racer classes were judged by my self and the winners were: Old Cocks: 1) D. & J. Mackintosh 2) C. Reynolds 3) D. & J. Mackintosh: Old Hens: 1) M. Horner 2) C. Reynolds 3) M. Horner: Young Cocks: 1) C. Reynolds 2) C. Reynolds D. & J. Mackintosh: Young Hens: 1) M. Horner 2) C. Reynolds 3) D. & J. Mackintosh. B.I.S. David & Jean Mackintosh - B.O.S. Mike & Theresa Horner.

A small draft of fifteen gift birds were auctioned and helped to push the donation to the C.H.A.S.E. Charity up to a wonderful £2,261 this year. This time they had the best sale ever, with some unbelievable pigeons being donated! Top of the list must be Derick Packer and Brian Clarke’s donation. They have donated their 2009 1st open L&SECC Alencon winner, ‘Michaela’, which is a fantastic and generous gesture on their part! The 2009 London & South East Classic Club Alencon race attracted over 2,500 birds and most of the early pigeons were recorded on the east side of the country. Derick Packer & Brian Clarke of Grays recorded their third L&SECC winner from Alencon and to see Derick Packer at the top of the classic result sheet again was brilliant, as he is one of the really great worker in our Classic, being I/C and clock setter at the South Ockendon marking station. This station is our second biggest, sometimes processing over 500 birds and he has run it since it started up about eight years ago. Derick has been on the classic committee for many years and has a hell of a journey from Essex to Leatherhead to attend meetings in the winter months. Derick and Brian’s latest classic winner was their good four year old blue chequer hen, ‘Michaela’, and she is bred from the Jan Aarden and Gerry Clements / Busschaert bloodlines. This game round about hen is no stranger to winning, previously recording 2007: 4th open L&SECC Alencon, 2008: 32nd open L&SECC Bergerac and now in 2009 1st open L&SECC Alencon. ‘Michaela’, named after Brian’s daughter, has only had about six races in her life and in the 2007 Alencon classic, the first race of her life, she came with her nest mate, which was clocked first to win 2nd open and she won 4th open. The bidding for this hen at the C.H.A.S.E. auction was brisk and raised a fantastic £560, being purchased by the Clive Turner, Alistair Muir syndicate.

Every year we all look forward to the C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show and Auction, and this year we enjoyed one of the best ever, with over 260 birds being entered! The show is put on by the Horsham Pigeon Club, under the leadership of Show Secretaries, Clive Turner, Gordon and Delia Marsh. I consider several pigeon clubs to be very special in our sport and the Horsham RPC is one of them! It’s a quality pigeon club, with quality fanciers and has a good long friendly and family orientated tradition. The club holds the now famous C.H.A.S.E. Charity show every winter and have raised thousands of pounds for the children’s hospice at Godalming over the last few years. It is a good fun day and the lady members of the club put on tea, cakes and sandwiches, for all to enjoy. Delia Marsh holds a Bingo session and Quiz’s in the bar area while the birds are being judged, and these are very popular and add fun to a brilliant day. The raffle on the day was massive with prizes donated by most who attended the show, but a special ‘thanks’ must go to ‘Pets Pantry’ of Cranleigh who donated a mountain of pigeon items, including six bags of corn for prizes. Thanks to Darran and Des! The show has been extended in recent times and included four classes for Show Racers, which I enjoyed judging.

Well done to the Horsham Pigeon Club, on another brilliant effort! A special thanks to Adam Light, the Horsham secretary, who worked flat out all day. I can be contacted for any pigeon matters on telephone number: 01372 463480.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.