Barcelona Gold
By Liam O Comain

To those who have read my writings it is obvious that I am a keen fan of long distance and marathon pigeon racing. In fact I truly believe that this area of animal competition is the sport of sports. Therefore what I offer here  is something relevant  to that set of disciplines. That is, insights into 6 thoroughbred racing pigeons which have faced the Everest of the sport namely the Barcelona challenge. Now there are many other great pigeons which deserves reference in this article but I have restricted it to a number of conquerors that I have a very special place for in my heart.

Initially I will refer to the great De Barcelona of Wim Coenen for the phenotype of this dark chequer cock bird of van der Wegen origins has always appealed to me. De Barcelona was 1st Open Dutch National Barcelona against over six thousand thoroughbreds. In that race he was also 4th International against 25,000 plus of a convoy (710 miles). Furthermore this fine athlete of the skies flew and scored from the Spanish race point on two other occasions as well as scoring at National/International level from other races of between 600/710 miles.

As stated De Barcelona was of Adrianus van der Wegen bloodlines via the great Oude Doffertje which contained the genes of Jan Aarden's 'Zeventerdig' - the '38'. Now what may not be generally known De Barcelona has proven good at stock for his present owners. In fact he is responsible for 1st Open and Classic winners including 1st British International Championship
Club at 630 miles.

Another great champion is De Smaragd Barcelona who was 1st Open Dutch National Barcelona (750 miles) against 5,989 birds  and 10th International against 21,545 birds respectively. This particular Barcelona International is considered by many to be the toughest ever from the Spanish race point. He is of 50/50 cross of Kuypers Brothers  and Marijn van Geel. In fact he is a cousin of the famous Smaragd 1 and Smaragd 2 of the great Dutch marathonist Wim van Leeuwen.

De Smaragd Barcelona has also proven himself at stock. He and his two Smaragd cousins (above) was bought for a said figure of 135,000 pounds sterling from Wim van Leeuwen. A truly great racing pigeon!

Verreweg de Beste is translated into the English language as 'Better By Far' or as a friend roughly translated it 'Simply The Best'. Again this representative of the Jan Aarden dynasty won 1st Open Dutch National at 758 miles against 8,163 birds; and was 2nd International against 27, 352 birds. Morally this great marathoner won the International for although not taken anything from the actual winner Verreweg de Beste was only beaten by 3 ypm although flying 116 miles further.

'Better By Far' also flew  from St.Vincent four times where he was in the clock on each occasion. The distance being 685 miles. Then he was competing against convoys of between 40,000 to 60,000 other birds. Again he is of the best of bloodlines: Sterke Barcelona (1st Dutch National Barcelona); Prinses (in the blood of three first National Barcelona winners); and the Marijn van Geel hen- Moeder Barcelona.

De Schlangen Barcelona won 1st Dutch National Barcelona (6,812 birds) and 4th International (28,128 birds) at a distance of 700 hundred miles. It was one of the hardest races ever- only 725 birds were clocked on the day and this bird of Pierre Schlangen was racing a lot further than the rest. He beat the 2nd bird into the Netherlands  by 54 yards per minute.

De Schlangen Barcelona is of the same base van der Wegen bloodlines as our first subject De Barcelona.

Another of the most prominent Barcelona National and International winners is the beautiful chequer pied cock bird De Smaragd 2 who won the National (750 miles) against 5,451 birds and the International against 21,454 birds. Again this great champion was bred for  the job for in his bloodlines  are the genes of Marijn van Geel's  Mooi Oog. The latter great was responsible  for four 1st, three 2nd, and one each 3rd, 8th, 9th, 10th and 16th positions in Nationals and Internationals from Barcelona.

Bred and raced by the great Wim van Leeuwen it also contains the genes of Broer Dolle, Zuster 515 ( a daughter of Marijn van Geel's De Lange) and Gebroken Vleugel. As referred to before De Smaragd 2 is a cousin of De Smaragd Barcelona, our second subject above.

Finally there is the great Invincible Spirit who was bred and raced by Martin Biemans. He is apparently the only pigeon flying over 700 miles to make the top 100 of the International result in two successive years from Barcelona. For after coming 1st at both National and International level Invincible Spirit also scored  23rd Dutch National (8,163 birds) and 42nd International at a distance of 719 miles (27,352 birds). He also flew from Barcelona on another occasion.

Invincible Spirit once held the world record price at £110,800 pounds for a racing pigeon and like the rest of the athletes referred to in this article proved to be a producer as well of long distance and marathon racers.

I hope the reader appreciates the however brief insights into these great representatives of what I refer to as Barcelona gold. It is purely coincidental that they are Dutch in origin and that they are now the property of the Louella Pigeon World at Leicester in England. Finally, in conclusion, if someday I'm lucky to win the British or the Irish Lotto I'll be winging my way to England to purchase them. For of such is greatness!