Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present...

Richard & Ken O’Connor of Croydon 

This week we are going to feature one of the premier widowhood racing lofts in the Surrey Federation area, that of Richard and Ken O'Connor. The 2009 season saw them record their eighth 1st open Combine winner! The win was with the SMT Combine from Tours and although they are renowned for their fantastic team widowhood cocks the 2009 winner was a blue hen. She is a Staf Van Reet, being a grand daughter of their champion widowhood cock ‘Robin’ and he in turn was bred down from the legendary Tony Mardon stock cock, Champion ‘Toey’. Richard and Ken keep a section in their loft for spare hens, which has produced some brilliant winners in past seasons for the brothers, and this game hen raced to that section, being paired to another hen and sent to Tours sitting eggs. The O’Connor brothers previously won the Combine in the 2008 season when they recorded 1st, 2nd, 3rd open SMT Combine Poitier. Ken says the two Combine wins were on the same weekend at the same distance and is hoping for the ‘hat trick’ in 2010!

In spite of family bereavement and work pressures the brothers managed to do some pigeon racing in the 2007 season, and recorded nine firsts, plus twice 1st Federation. They record over the last few seasons must described as fantastic, winning over eighty times 1st Federation, eight times 1st open Combine, 1st open L&SECC Bergerac, 2nd open L&SECC Bordeaux, 2nd open L&SECC Bergerac and 2nd open L&SECC Tours. The Croydon loft has won many premier trophies and averages, plus runner up Vanrobaey’s Champion Loft of Great Britain, nine RPRA London Region Gold Awards and hundreds of club and open race first prizes.

A few years ago I had the great pleasure of visiting the fantastic Croydon lofts of Richard & Ken, to film them for my video, 'Many Miles with Mott', No. 18. The brothers started up in pigeon racing in 1975 and Richard maintains that winning is great, but the main thing is they have always enjoyed keeping pigeons. From the age of six or seven, they collected all types of animals and insects, but always wanted pigeons or birds they could let out and would come back. In 1975 a stray landed in their garden and within a short time they had several gift birds from local fanciers to go with it and from then they were hooked on our great sport. The brothers like any race, short, middle and long distance, as long as it involves racing pigeons. They have won 1st Federation many times through the years, including 1st and 2nd open combine in 1982, when flying on the natural system. To say Richard & Ken had a brilliant season in 1999 would be an understatement winning 13 x 1sts Federation and ending the old bird season by winning 1st open SMT Combine Bordeaux. Eight of their 1st Federations were won in the very strong Surrey Federation and in my 30 years association with the federation I've never known a performance to beat the O'Connor brother’s 1999 blitz. Not only did they win the Surrey Federation eight times, they were also 2nd several times and in one race took the first six positions. Then to put the icing on the cake, they won 1st open SMT Combine from the longest old bird race, Bordeaux, 450 miles.

On my visit to the Croydon lofts, the first pigeon that Richard and Ken showed me was their 1999 Bordeaux Combine winner, a handsome Van Reet blue cock which won the combine on the widowhood system. This was the cock's third win and he was a gift bird from the brothers' good friend, Roy Geoff. He was worked hard in the 1999 season flying the Channel five times before winning the combine. The brothers race the normal widowhood system with cocks and have two teams, one for sprinting and one for Channel racing. The distance birds are paired up on December 14th. the same time as the stock birds and their eggs are floated under the race birds. The sprint team are paired up on January 2nd, as the brothers get more time with the pigeons over the

Christmas holiday. The hens are taken away at 17 days on the first pair of young birds and re-paired about three weeks later when training starts. The cocks get five training tosses before the first race and are never trained in the season, only flying out around the loft for one hour, twice a day. The sprint team are broken down, being built up from Wednesday each week and the Channel birds are never broken down, being fed on a heavy mixture. The long distance team get regular inland races to get them fit and ready for the Channel events. These birds are never re-paired for the long distance races and the brothers like to race 15 to 20 spare hens on the Channel and these are

housed with the young bird team. Ken says these hens have been very successful and keep fit flying out with the youngsters. The inland racers are housed in a 12ft loft, with nine boxes in each section and the Channel birds race to a 12ft loft, with all trapping through open windows. The hens are shown to the racers on marking night and get their mates for about half an hour on their return from the race. Another top racer I looked at on my visit was the brothers' best Van Reet racer, Robin, a nice blue cock, which has raced brilliantly inland. Richard maintains that their best sprinters are never sent over the Channel for French races. The cock is a seven times winner, including 1st federation in 1998 and twice 1st federation, plus 2nd federation in the 1999 season. A brilliant pigeon!

The main families are Van Reets, Van Loon and Busschaert. The Busschaerts originate from their good friend, Phil Ball and the first pair came from his champion, ‘King Pin’, winner of 21 x 1sts. This pair bred their good blue chequer cock, winner of 15 x 1sts and 3 x 1sts federation. The great old cock is still in the 10ft today, although is not filling his eggs and was one of the birds that the brothers turned over to widowhood when they finished with the natural system. The Van Reets come from Paul Arnold of Cheam and the Van Loons were introduced six years ago from Dennis Shepperd of Kingston. When Richard and Ken bring in new stock birds, they look for good balance, but the main factor is good eyesign.

The brothers race 80 young birds each year and these race on the natural system to the perch, but if one or two pair up they are allowed to carry on to make them keen for racing. The darkness system was tried out for the first time in 1999 and Richard says he was very happy with the birds' moult at the end of the season. All the young birds race through to Wadebridge, 230 miles and young cocks are not saved for the widowhood system because the old bird teams are full of quality at the ,present time. They get as much training as the brothers can manage with work commitments and are likely to have 25 chucks before the first young bird race. The youngsters are fed on a good young bird mixture, with the com being built up to marking night. On my visit the O'Connors showed me a handsome Van Reet mealy pied cock which was ‘Young Bird of the Year’ in 1997, racing in the very strong Woodside Club and he won 1st federation in the 1999 season. Richard says this outstanding widowhood cock has five brothers in the racing team, with all of them being winners and all could have been federation winners.

The O’Connor brothers have enjoyed some brilliant success in recent seasons racing in the London & South East Classic Club and have won: 2nd open L&SECC Bordeaux in 2002, with their dark hen, ‘Dark Princess’, 1st & 2nd open L&SECC Bergerac in 2003, with their champion red hen, ‘Classic Lady’, winning the Classic and in 2005 their game blue hen, ‘The Territorial Hen’, recorded 2nd open L&SECC Tours.

Richard and Ken’s best race in the London & South East Classic was from Bergerac (450 miles) a few seasons ago when 1,045 birds were liberated at 06.00hrs. The brothers clocked 21 birds on the day to record, 1st, 2nd, 10th, 23rd, 27th and 36th open, lifting £1,876. At the time Richard told me that they were going to have a good crack at the main National and Classic races and on their real first go at the NCF Nantes event, they won 2nd sect E. 64th open. Richard and Ken’s first two birds on the clock when they won the L&SECC from Bergerac were two natural hens and both came through the loft doors together. First on the clock, was their good red chequer Busschaert hen, ‘Classic Lady’, and in 2002 she won 18th open NFC Guernsey old hens race. This game hen was super in the hand, being medium in size, apple bodied, with wonderful feathering and her sire is the outstanding widowhood cock, ‘Lively’, and winner of 1st Federation three times. This really is a brilliant line of winning Busschaerts, as sire of ‘Lively’ was ‘Rambo’ winner of 15 times 1st and three times 1st Federation. The dam of ‘Classic Lady’ is a full sister to the O’Connor’s best ever pigeon,  the dark Busschaert widowhood cock, Champion ‘Batman’, winner of 57 prizes including 17 times 1st club, 5 times 1st Federation and 4th open Combine. ‘Classic Lady’ was only paired up a few day days before the Bergerac Classic and raced to her new mate and nest box.

In the 2002 season Richard and Ken recorded 2nd, 7th, 39th and 40th open L&SECC Bordeaux and first bird on the clock was their good dark Busschaert hen, ‘Dark Princess’, and like their Bergerac Classic winner, ‘Classic Lady’, this hen was bred out of a full sister to Champion ‘Batman’. The brothers won 2nd open L&SECC Tours in 2005 with their blue Staf Van Reet hen, ‘The Territorial Hen’, and this game pigeon was raced to a section with 34 spare hens in, a method of racing which has brought the O’Connors lots good success over the years. This hen was an outstanding young bird and her sire won seven firsts for the Croydon loft. Brilliant pigeon racing!

I would like to finish this week’s article by congratulating Richard and Ken on their brilliant performances in Combine over the last two seasons, well done, lads! I can be contacted on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.