CARLO
NAPOLITANO
at
The Royal Lofts in Sandringham
talking
to Les Parkinson
We
first met Carlo Napolitano at the National FC presentation and we were
very surprised at what an easy going man he is. With H.M the Queen being
our patron and a genuinely interested partner in the Royal lofts we
decided to call in on Carlo to take a few photos of the pigeons and
lofts and generally look at the Royal Lofts and the inmates. Not also
is Carlo easy to talk to so is his wife Judith who no doubt gets many
callers over a twelve month period. Anyway it was a nice run over to
a part of the Countryside that we have only visited once before. That
was many years ago when I had arranged to call in on Jim Biss but the
day before we arrived he had been called away on business so we did
not get to see the pigeons but had a few days away anyway.
Carlo Napolitano
with Les Parkinson
Q.
Please introduce yourself and tell us how you got started in the sport?
A. My name is Carlo Napolitano and I have been the loft manager for
the Royal Lofts since 1992 when I accepted the appointment after a great
deal of thought on the future. Since I took up the position I have enjoyed
taking part in what is not just an ordinary pigeon racing position.
The reason is that I consider it part of my duties to participate in
all areas of the sport possible, these are mainly attending functions
where possible, however we are restricted and can only accept a limited
number of such requests. On the racing side I do like to go to the local
clubs and help wherever possible. I must add that HM the Queen is very
knowledgeable and when she visits the lofts is always keen to see what
is going on and how we are progressing.
Q.
Give the readers the basic results that you have achieved as a partnership?
A. Throughout my time of racing pigeons I have always been happy to
compete and get amongst the prize winners, racing pigeons is a hobby
that I enjoy competing in. As far as the results go I have won to Lerwick
on the North Road and collected many positions racing South. I did win
the Lerwick race with a Mealy cock (see photo) on two occasion's under
my own name but when I took up my present position the same pigeon won
again from the same race point under the Royal Lofts racing banner.
Q.
Amongst those results what are the real highlights?
A. I think the Lerwick cock has given me most pleasure winning three
years from this hard race point.
Q.
What organisations do you race with?
A. I do like to compete in all competitions possible and ace both on
the North and south routes with the North Road Championship Club, National
Flying Club, Peterborough Fed and the East Anglia Fed.
Q.
Do you hold any official position and if so do you take an active part,
if no what are your reasons?
A. Because of the position I hold in relation to the loft of racing
pigeons I prefer not to hold any official post within the sport but
I do help out wherever possible.
Q.
Do you ever think about competing for averages?
A. I do think about the averages but never chase then because you can
spoil your loft and you can also loose too many good birds.
Q.
How do you race your pigeons and how many?
A Like most fanciers I have tried them all but I have now settled for
the roundabout racing about 80 old birds and between 80 to 100 young
birds. Yes I do race the young birds on the darkness.
Q.
What are your lofts made of and how big are they?
A. The Royal Lofts are made by Petron and in total measure 80 feet and
that includes the aviary. There are three sections for the widowhood
cocks, one for the stock with an aviary and two sections for the young
bird team.
Q.
Do you attach any importance to having a tiled roof on a loft, if so
are there any benefits?
A. Everyone has their own ideas of what is good about any loft but I
find that the circulation of air is a lot better with a tiled roof I
see this as a good plus in loft design.
Q.
How many stock birds do you keep and do you breed off your race team
also how many pigeons do you think that you need to breed off any individual
stock pair each year to see if they are quality producers?
A. 20 pairs of stock and every 3 years we breed off our racers, I do
this because there is always a good chance that there may be a pairing
or individual pigeon that has better possibilities in the stock loft
rather than the race team. Many good pigeons are bred by chance when
breeding off the racers instead of constantly breeding off what you
consider are your best stock birds.
Q.
When do you pair your pigeons?
A I like to pair all the birds in February because that is the time
of year that I make the most of my time with the birds, the events for
the winter have more or less finished and the important breeding season
needs a great deal of attention.
Q.
Do you move the hens with the young birds?
A. No the young are usually about 24 days old when I move them and they
go straight into their own section and the hens are left to go to nest
again before they are moved.
Q.
What criteria do you set down for the pigeons you winter with your thoughts
on the following seasons racing and breeding?
A. My main thought is for the distance races and for that reason I take
into account how each pigeon is bred. All the pigeons are bred as near
as possible to distance performance pigeons, this is very important
when you are keeping pigeons over the winter months, there has to be
an aim in life for them.
Q.
Do you have any grills fitted in the floor or in the boxes, are there
any advantages to using them?
A No all floors are cleaned throughout the lofts and as I have never
used them I would not know if there is any advantage whatsoever.
Q.
What do you think about the vaccination programme for the pigeons and
do you think it affects the pigeons long term?
A. I believe that only youngsters need to be done as is the case with
our children who you do not have to vaccinate year after year.
Q.
Do you attach any importance to grits and minerals or can the pigeons
get what they want they are out of the loft?
A. I always feed grit and minerals in the loft like most fanciers but
whether or not they need them is another matter. Fanciers have used
them for years and no doubt for their own piece of mind will go on using
them. if it is not in the loft and the pigeons need it, no matter what
they will go and find it, they are an intelligent bird.
Q.
Do you use any floor dressing or do you clean the pigeons out daily?
A I use white powder and the birds are cleaned out once a week all the
year round and the young birds go onto straw which I find is much better.
Q.
Do you like to have plenty of room for the pigeons?
A. Yes because if you want to win with pigeons they have to be happy
and content and the more room that you can give to then, within reason
the better.
Q.
How do you feed the cocks and what do you feed them on?
A. We race roundabout with Y/B mix at the start of the week followed
by widowhood mix ready for the race.
Q.
Do you measure the amount that you give to each pigeon, or are they
fed according to the individual pigeon?
A. We measure all food per pigeon so that we know what each one is eating
and if you keep an eye on them you can find out which are your inform
pigeons, what they eat tells you a lot.
Q.
Do you set any stall by the position that your loft is situated in and
if so why?
A. It's hard to set any stalls out when the birds have to fly the wash
(22 miles) because more often than not they will go around instead of
coming in a direct line. For this reason we find it better to go for
the longer distance races.
Q.
Do you consider there to be any advantage having a racing partnership?
A. Yes because the chores that are required to be completed on a daily
basis become far easier and this gives you more time to attend to those
little matters that may make all the difference.
Q.
Are there any points that you disagree on and if so how do you compromise
a situation where there is a different viewpoint?
A. For some reason we never seem to argue, there is no point in that
at all.
Q.
Do each of you have an area within the partnership where responsibilities
take control regarding a decision?
A. We work together 100%, any partnership has to do the same. It may
seem odd to many of the everyday fanciers but Her Majesty the Queen
does naturally have her say because at the end of the day they are her
lofts but in general leaves most of the decisions to me.
Q.
Whenever I have visited a loft fanciers always look at the pigeons eye.
Do you consider that the eye has any importance in (a) the breeding,
(b) distance races (c) sprint races. (d) the pigeons health. Or do you
steer clear of the subject and if so why?
A. Everyone will have their own point of view that they are entitled
to but for me as long as they've got two good eyes and those eyes are
bright then I am happy. Many fanciers find these things interesting
and if that is how they want it to be then they are entitled to their
own individual preference's.
Q.
Do you use any preventative medication?
A. The birds are treated for all things, especially worms, the reason
that I treat them is because if they are not healthy then they are not
going to win races and therefore what is the point in sending them.
health and vitality are paramount to any winning loft.
Q.
How many weeks do you think a pigeon can maintain it's form on the widowhood
system for both cocks and hens?
A. Around four weeks, it is hard to keep them fit for any period of
time but in general I believe that time to be right.
The Royal Pigeon Lofts
Q.
Does this include channel races or are the specified number of weeks
for sprint races and do you think that a pigeon can be prepared at fortnightly
intervals for the channel races?
A. Yes as long as they are prepared right and not sent out of condition
for the hard task ahead of them, it is not necessarily consecutive races
that affects the pigeons but whether or not you have conditioned them
for the job ahead.
Q.
Do you think a pigeon has the capabilities of racing both short and
long distance races. Also what distance can a pigeon actually still
"RACE" as opposed to homing from any race point?
A. I won with the same bird from 60 miles to 510 miles in 2 weeks and
as I have previously pointed out they have to be right for the job,
good pigeons will win anywhere.
Q.
What proportion of you pigeons get better on subsequent trips to the
long distance races and what do you call distance?
A. They have to race 427 miles (Thurso) or Saintes on the South route.
Q.
Which is the more difficult, establishing a team of sprinter's or distance
pigeons and why?
A. I race the sprint races just to keep fit for the distance. if you
set your stall out and you are on the line of flight for the short races
I believe you must still have first class pigeons. As stated we go for
the distance and we do not find many pigeons for sale that have won
500ml races or even over. But you can always find pigeons that have
won the sprint races for sale, with this in mind we feel that it is
much harder to get a distance team together.
Q.
What happens when you are racing either widowhood or the roundabout
when you have a bad race and lose a few from one sex, how do you continue
with those pigeons who have lost their mate?
A. Most pigeons whether they are a cock or hen soon find a mate, there
is never any problem in this area.
Q.
Sprinter or distance, there is no difference, it is all in the feeding?
A. Feeding must be right no matter where you race your pigeons from
it is a big part of winning races. it does not matter whether it is
a sprint or a distance race you need to get the feeding right after
all a race is a race.
Q.
Taking into account distance, which is more difficult racing to your
area, is it a case of a 600ml race is a 600ml race regardless of competition
or route?
A. On the Eastern side the Country there are far more fanciers racing
in the NRCC which makes it easier to race the longer races with all
the pigeons coming more or less to the same area. I feel that the South
road is a lot harder into Norfolk because with National racing the pigeons
are spread all over the Country and being out in the East with this
type of racing is not the best place to race the pigeons. The San Sebastian
race was a great success for fanciers in the East during 2001, that
does not happen very often, they are very good pigeons that get well
up in the result over here.
Q.
What families of pigeons do you keep?
A The Fabry and Van Bruane lines are well established at these lofts
but we have recently introduced the Robert Venus pigeons that are still
to be tried to the full. Dream Breed Lofts have bred six youngsters
for us this year that we intend to try and like any family if they do
not come up to standard they will not remain in the loft.
Q.
How do you go about bringing in a new family and what do you look for?
A. You must move with the times and we are always looking for better
pigeons but it is always a hard job to find the elusive winning pigeons,
especially at the distance.
Q.
Do you think that fanciers change for the sake of changing or do you
think a loft can breed a winning team out and lose track of the winners?
A. Many fanciers have lost their way because they have sold too many
pigeons too close to their winning lines. This is a problem for many
fanciers, they get to the top and find that they can make money selling
birds, they are offered good prices and sell their best. They then fall
behind and find it hard to get back to the top.
Q.
Early in the article we discussed the wind direction, do you consider
that good pigeons will win in any position?
A. We must have the wind in either the West or South to win in National
competition to really stand any chance where we are situated. Every
fancier cannot be in the best position, the conditions on the day will
always dictate where the winners are. What you must realise is that
even then it is nearly always the very good recognised fanciers who
get into the winners enclosure.
Q.
Some fanciers go out and purchase good quality winning pigeons but never
appear to make the grade, why do you consider that this happens?
A. Yes they do but what you must always remember is that cash doesn't
make a good fancier, you need to know what you are doing to be a winning
fancier.
Q.
Do you give any special treatments when the pigeons return from the
race as a precaution against anything that they may have picked up in
the basket?
A. I have always given Epsom salts on their return from the races but
I am going to change this season and if I am successful I will let you
know. I am always looking to improve and we all know that there are
company's who deal in pigeon racing always looking to put a better product
on the market. No one should ever stand still, but on the other hand
do not work on the basis that the grass is always greener on the other
side, you should take care with any changes that you may consider making.
Q.
Which of the two sexes do you consider is the most important when it
comes to breeding?
A. The hen would be my favourite because good hens will breed with any
cock but that does not work the other way round. .
Q.
Some fanciers like big hens for breeding does the size of the hen make
any difference to the quality of youngsters that she breeds in your
past experience?
A. A long cast roomy hen, a hen that has plenty to offer in the breeding
of the good strong offspring. .
Q.
Is there anything that you have not won in the sport that you would
like to achieve?
A. Plenty I am always looking to win whether it is on the North route
as well as South, once you have become content with your winnings you
start to go down hill and become just another fancier, always set your
challenges high..
Q.
Who do you consider to be the best fanciers in the Country and for what
reasons?
A. None because there are always going to be good fanciers in all areas
of the sport, there are good arcing men at their chosen distance, there
are also good administrators in the sport who are also good fanciers
because they keep our sport going.
Q.
What do you think can be done to take the sport forward?
A. Federations should get together and bring about a system where there
are fewer liberation's going into the same area. We need to stop all
the clashing that is going on, how is another matter because when it
comes to getting fanciers to agree at meetings it becomes hard to get
the desired results, not many can agree.
Q.
Are there any special treatments that you give your birds once the season
has finished what do you recommend the readers to do with the birds?
A. In my opinion, all they need is a good moult mixture.
Q.
When it comes to breeding do you line-breed or use a first cross or
just pair winners to winners?
A. We experiment with crosses and also line breed to the top pigeons.
Q.
Do you breed off the top widowhood cocks after the racing has finished,
do you breed late bred youngsters and what do you think of those later
bred youngsters?
A. We have done in the past just to keep the birds happy but it is not
something that we always practice..
Q.
If your race team went off form during the season what action would
you take to restore their condition?
A. We check for all diseases and often keep the birds in for a week
and try and increase the air flow.
Q.
Is a favourable loft location the single biggest factor in sprint racing?
A. Yes and as I pointed out earlier the conditions on the day dictate
the winning position, but there is always going to be the pigeon that
is the exception to the rule, the one that wins in all conditions.
Q.
Do you use the darkness system for the young birds, if so for how long
and do you think it affects them later in life?
A. Yes we do and up to now they have shown no ill effect they have come
through it well, if you get the system right then everything will be
fine but you must make sure that you get it right or your pigeons will
not get through the moult.
Q.
Are there any feeding methods for the young birds i.e. do you break
them down, do you keep them hungry for control purposes, do you give
them a trapping seed mix?
A. I start the week with a young bird mixture and as the week progresses
I then change them to a widowhood mix.
Q.
What percentage do you consider it takes to win with racing pigeons
for Management and pigeons and why?
A. 60% management, 40% birds, all the distance birds must be in good
condition. What is done by myself is that the pigeons are sent to training
stages by myself and fed just the same as any distance flyer. So I believe
that could be 70% management and 30% pigeon.
Q.
What is the farthest distance that you would train your old birds or
young birds?
A. 40 miles, this is made up of 2 x 5mls, 3 x 10mls, 3 x 15mls and then
2 x 40mls.
Q.
If random drugs tests were carried out on your pigeons, would it reveal
any substance, illegal or otherwise?
A. You wouldn't find any trace of a banned substance in my pigeons and
I do think it would be a good idea for more testing to be done because
that would put fanciers minds at ease even if the tests all came back
negative.
Q.
How do you consider that the British sport is going compared to the
continentals and do they have any ideas that you think would benefit
the sport in the UK?
A. I do believe that we're behind the continentals, but the go ahead
country is Portugal and the one to watch because they are moving with
the times and changes there have been considerable.
Q.
Is pigeon racing as a hobby going beyond the average working man. Is
it becoming too technical and complicated or can you keep everything
simple and still win with the pigeons?
A. I think it's very hard for the working man, but if he's dedicated
enough, he'll still win his share because money does not win races,
dedication and good birds do that.
Q.
You are successful fanciers, there are far too many leaving the sport,
to encourage fanciers to either join or stay in the sport what do you
think about limiting prizes to two per race per loft. If not Why. If
yes Why?
A. I think that youngsters and especially old age pensioners should
have reduced memberships, we need to move in this direction if we are
to attract new members to the sport.
Q.
Do you think winning fanciers should move on from club racing once they
have reached a certain level of consistency. Are club performances paramount
for personal satisfaction or sales purposes?
A. This is killing the sport, especially fanciers who clock too many
in and not give smaller lofts a chance, the bigger lofts should have
penalty points or move on to the bigger races once that they have won
so much.
Q.
Do you attach any real importance to the pigeons wing i.e back wing,
end four flights and do you look at the wing to see if they have cast
before a race. Any other comments on the wing?
A. I always check the wings before a race, especially the distance where
a pigeon needs to have everything right..
Q.
Do you use any form of heating system in any of your lofts. Do you think
it would be advantages for the birds?
A. No we do not, what is the good of heating a loft all week and then
when it comes to the first races in the UK it could even be snowing.
It's like getting a boxer worked up and then telling him to sit in the
waiting room for the next two hours. All the preparation and hard work
that you have put in is lost so why bother in the first place.
Q.
Do the pigeons need any special treatment on their return from the race
to help them relax. Is any such treatment needed for the short or long
distance races or the hard races compared to the easy races?
A. Electrolyte's especially when the weather gets warmer.
Q.
Irrespective of how your pigeons have flown, what are your views on
the past season whether good or bad or the management of the sport in
general?
A. We've had a bad year through foot and mouth. I do believe that National
races could be flown from Belgium and Germany, Holland and France to
give all fanciers a chance.
Q.
With your pigeon work do you have a silent partner i.e. wife, partner
or friend, if so what part do they play?
A. Her Majesty the Queen is the partner/owner, she not only pays all
expenses but she is genuinely interested in the running of the lofts
and National racing and is therefore part of the lofts and partnership
over any 12 month period. My wife Judith takes the pigeons on Friday
nights to the South Road club and also the clock on a Saturday.
Q.
Do you compete in the National events, if not why not. Or are you happy
to race in the club?
A. We race North and South road races and we compete in all National
events when possible.
Q.
Do you have any further comments about anything that we may have missed?
A. Some of my proudest moments have been when asked to judge at the
Blackpool Show and the Old Comrades and above all honoured to be appointed
the Royal lofts Manager.
LES.
The lofts and general set up are very good, the pigeons have a good
loft that is sectioned off well and gives Carlo the opportunity to race
the pigeons in deferent ways, whether natural, roundabout or widowhood.
I think that the best from the Royal Lofts is yet to come and Carlo
is always prepared to try new blood in an attempt to gain the highest
awards possible. The pigeons are good and that was highlighted in the
Sun City race earlier this year when the Royal Lofts finished with three
in the first 79 positions when many of the top names did not even get
a pigeon home. There have also been some good performances with the
NFC racing south and also with the NRCC where these lofts have won the
longest race. Carlo is a good supporter of the sport and helps out with
charity events when requested, having said that there is always going
to be the time when the resources are stretched and he has to draw a
line. As I say the best is yet to come and maybe this could be the year,
because of the continued support from the partnership I hope it is.
