“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Three Borders Federation (Okehampton Race 4).
The 2026 racing season has finish and I must say, I can’t believe how quick that time has gone! The time has flown past! It has been a brilliant season, with Saturday team producing some great sport for the Three Borders Federation membership. And of course, as per normal it’s a big ‘thank you’ to our wonderful secretary, Stuart Emans for all his good work. The last race was flown from Okehampton in early September was the last of four very successful Amalgamation races with the Surrey and Berkshire Federations. It turned out to be probably one of the easiest races of the season, certainly one of the easiest young bird races of the season. The young birds had a 170-mile fly from Okehampton and the three convoying crews liberated at 08.30hrs in to a South West wind situation. The birds had a quick fly home in the tail wind and at the end of the race member reported excellent returns. Our secretary, Stuart Emans who races in the Mitcham & Merton club recorded his fourth Federation winner of the 2026 season from this Okehampton and has also won this season nine times 2nd Federation and ten times 3rd Federation. It is a double congratulation to Stuart, who has won the ‘Individual Points Trophy’ for the third season on the trot. Well done mate and thanks for all your good work!
The first ten in the Okehampton Federation result were: 1) Stuart Emans 1759: 2) Stuart Emans 1759: 3) Stuart Emans 1756: 4) Stuart Emans 1756: 5) Stuart Emans 1756: 6) Stuart Emans 1756: 7) Stuart Emans 1755: 8) Stuart Emans 1750: 9) Stuart Emans 1748: 10) Stuart Emans 1748.
The competition in the Three Borders Federation has been strong and hard in the 2026 season, and once again the Mitcham & Merton club have come out on top, winning the ‘Federation Points’ Trophy’, with 89 point and the Ashridge RPC being R/U on 66 points. It is common knowledge that the Mitcham & Merton are a very strong club, sending over 200 birds some weeks and in most races, short or long, the members have to more or less win the Federation to win this club. Needless to say this club’s member’s presence is very strong in the Federation results and they have won many racing positions, including ten 1st Federation winners in the 2026 season. A fantastic performance! The Federation ‘Individual Points Trophy’ was won by Stuart Emans of the Mitcham & Merton club for the third season on the trot, on 143 points and he won 86 Federation positions, topping the Federation four times and won several other trophies in the 2026 season. The runner up for the trophy on 45 points was Jim Andrews & son of the Mitcham & Merton club and they topped the Federation result sheet from Honiton and Okehampton. Congratulation to Stuart on his brilliant performances!
After the Okehampton race I had my usual chat with Stuart Emans on the phone and he said, ‘the Federation has had fantastic finish to the 2026 Season! The final young bird race of the season from Okehampton was also an Amalgamation race, held alongside the Surrey and Berkshire Federations. As the Three Borders Secretary, working alongside our Convoyer, Dominic McCoy, to get this Amalgamation off the ground, I would like to thank both the Surrey and Berkshire Federations for all their cooperation and support throughout the four Amalgamation races this season. Looking towards the future, it is my intention to continue growing the Amalgamation, giving our Federation members, as well as members of other Federations, the opportunity to compete against larger birdages. I believe this can only be positive for the future of our sport. Our final club race in the Mitcham & Merton was also our Breeder Buyer race, with members competing for a prize fund of around £2,500, including side bets and Gold Rings. The birds were liberated at 08:30, and I expected them to arrive home in just under three hours. Looking skywards in anticipation, my first bird appeared and folded up towards the loft. This little blue hen hit the trap board to record a velocity of 1656 yards per minute, arriving home after a flying time of 3 hours, 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Her ring number finishes in ‘97’. This was also the year I joined the London Fire Brigade, and as I approach my retirement from the Brigade, I decided to name this special hen ‘Lady Blaze 97’. She was quickly followed in by my Breeder Buyer pigeon, which recorded a velocity of 1655 yards per minute. This hen was bred by Errol Skeet and had previously scored 1st Club, 7th Federation from Honiton on 22nd August, followed by another excellent performance of 7th Federation from Honiton on 30th August. Back at the club, Errol and Dave had the unenviable task of completing the result and sorting out the prize money. I was absolutely delighted with the outcome, taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club, as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Federation. On top of this, I also won 1st Breeder Buyer, 1st Gold Ring, along with side bets totalling around £782. It was a fantastic result and a fitting way to bring the 2026 racing season to a close. A huge thank you goes to everyone involved in making the season such a successful one, and particularly to all those who supported the Amalgamation races.
Here’s to an even bigger and better 2027’.
Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations Amalgamation.
Congratulations to the Alan and Gary Young partnership who won 1st Surrey Federation, 1st Amalgamation Okehampton (4) (876 birds). The South Croydon partnership have had a fantastic 2026 racing season, winning the Surrey Federation four times and 1st Amalgamation twice, plus a 2nd Amalgamation.
Brilliant pigeon racing! They won this time with their good young grizzle cock, ‘Ollie’, who has previously won 1st club, 5th Federation Yeovil (883 birds), 2nd club, 15th Federation Purbeck (934 birds). I spoke to Gary after the race and he told me, ‘I’m really excited to see how this great grizzle cock performs as a yearling next year, he has certainly been a wonderful young bird racer. He was sent to Okehampton feeding a three day old youngster and he has just grown his third flight. His sire is from ‘Olympic Rico’ and Blizzard King Kittel bloodlines and his dam is daughter of our good racing cock, ‘River’, the winner of sixteen times 1st, six times 1st Federation and 1st Amalgamation’. What a great youngster!
The third and last old bird Amalgamation race of the 2026 season, which features the Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations took place on the first weekend in July. To say this new Amalgamation has been a success would be an understatement, it has been brilliant pigeon racing! The 1,354 birds were liberated at 12.00hrs in a West wind and the members enjoyed a great race with excellent returns. Gary Young and his late father, Alan of South Croydon have been a premier pigeon racing partnership in the Surrey pigeon fraternity for many years and Gary had a brilliant race form the Okehampton (3) race, recording; 1st Surrey Federation, 1st Amalgamation (1,354 birds). Gary’s won the Amalgamation with his good widowhood blue cock, ’Sonny’ and he is off the Leo Heremans and Van Den Bulk bloodlines. His dam is a pigeon from Mark Janssens in Belgium and she is a sister to 2nd KGDB National ‘Ace Sprinter’, and is the dam of eight race winners. ‘Sonny’ has won the club four times, including another one this season and the Federation three times. Gary told me, he left the hens with the widowhood cock from Thursday night and gave the racers a nine mile training toss that evening and then left the cock with their hens. Five weeks before his Amalgamation win Gary recorded: 1st, 3rd, 11th Surrey Federation, 2nd, 4th, 19th Amalgamation Okehampton (2) (1,024 birds). Well done Gary, what a fantastic performance! His first bird on the ETS to win 2nd Amalgamation was his brilliant two year old widowhood mealy white flight cock. ‘Jack’ and he has now won five times 1st club and three times 1st Federation. What a great racer and he is a handsome looker too! He is half-brother to Gary’s good racing cock, ‘River’, who has won sixteen first, including six times 1st Federation. His dam is a direct Mark Janssen hen from Belgium and she is sister to 2nd KBDB National Sprint Ace. What a family of racing pigeons!
The first ten in the Okehampton (4) Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations Amalgamation result were: 1): Alan & Garry Young 1697: 2) D. Bullen & son 1693: 3) Vic Emberson 1687: 4) J. Donovan 1685: 5) P. Kelly 1657: 6) Stuart Emans 1656: 7) Stuart Emans 1655: 8) Stuart Emans 1655: 9) J. & B. Donovan & P. J. McHugh 1650: 10) Alan & Gary Young 1650.
That’s it for this week! Well done to Stuart Emans on his four Federation wins in the 2026 racing season! Brilliant pigeon racing! If you win and want a write up in this space, contact me on telephone number: 07535 484584 or email me on:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
