Last week I promised more detail on some of the 8 Gallant birds recorded in race time from this year?s East Down Combine St.Malo Old Bird Derby .
The winner as reported last week was Ballynahinch?s Jim Gillespie & sons with a Yearling Cock and to recap this partnership has been enjoying a great spell of racing especially from the French races for the week after St.Malo they won 5th open in the INFC King?s Cup race from St . Allouestre The St.Malo winner of 1st Open 1st West Section of this EDC Old Bird Derby is a dark cheq yearling cock who was racing roundabout and is out of a Davy Coulter cock and a hen bought at Blackpool . This was not this cock?s first time across the water this year and just a couple of weeks before going to St.Malo he had flown the INFC Yearling National from Sennen Cove in Cornwall .

The 2nd bird in the result belongs to the Ballylesson partnership of H Ballantyne & son ,Gary having taken over racing from his late father Herbie Ballantyne . Gary timed a 4 year old blue cheq hen of Tom Marshall breeding ,Tom being a good friend of Gary?s . Gary only keeps and races a small team and so he selects his races carefully and in fact this year didn?t start racing until the comeback Tullamore race which was about mid season but just prior to St.Malo Gary was 22nd Open EDC 9th West Section from Penzance . His St. Malo hen went to the race with a 3 day old Yb and prior to this race she had flown the comeback Tullamore and then the 3rd Fermoy . She had been to France before having flown the Friendship National in 2018 although her return was out of race time and she had also that year flown Penzance having been 12hours on the wing . Interestingly she was not raced as a 2year old for one season as Gary used her as a widowhood hen and all these various experiences obviously stood her in good stead .

The pigeon in 3rd place needs no introduction for it is no less than last year?s winner ? SHALLAS LASS? Jim & Ronnie Young of Cloughey?s blue cheq W/F hen Now a little about this game little hen ,well first of all she is now 2 years old ,secondly this was only her second time across the water the first being when she won St. Malo last year in fact she was not even raced as a young bird although she had been trained as a youngster . Now just to refresh readers on the breeding etc of this pigeon let me repeat what I wrote last year . ? The breeding of this hen is full of the Young?s other successful French bloodlines her uncle being the 2017 winner ?Jack?s Legacy? and the Grandmother being the hen they were 2nd open St.Malo in 2016 ?Bonnie Lass? .

?Jack?s Legacy? is a Dark Chequer Cock and he was sent to St. Malo sitting 7days , prior to going to France he had 5 Inland races but also he was not across the channel the year he went to St. Malo however he was well experienced at the distance having flown Quimper in 2015 arriving on the 2nd Morning just out of the prizes and then in 2016 he was in St. Malo arriving with a broken leg on the 4th evening .

Regarding the breeding of this cock .On the sire?s side he is off a cock whose sire is an Eric Cannon cock and whose dam is from Ronnie?s Brother in Law Jack Hughes (hence the origins of his name ). Ronnie & Jim obtained this hen when Jack had to give up the birds for health reasons after having raced himself very successfully for many years and the bloodlines that Jack raced originated from Jimmy Anderson (Cullybackey) and Frank Cheetham . The Dam of ?Jack?s Legacy ?is the same way bred as the sire but off a different cock and hen .

I Referred to the Young?s having been 2nd open in this race in 2016 and this was with a 2 year old blue hen ?Bonnie Lass? and ?Jack?s Legacy? is in fact a Nephew of this hen .?Bonnie Lass? flew the Quimper Friendship National in 2015 just finishing outside the prizes .Then in 2016 she hen had 4 Irish races including the Skibbereen Derby and the Derek Wishart Fermoy race and this was followed by 2 or 3 training tosses per week from Castlewellan and she then went to St. Malo sitting 12days this being only her 3rd time ever across the water. The breeding of this hen is a cross between birds the partnership have from Keith Mott and birds from Jack Hughes.

The sire of ?Shallas Lass? is from a cock which clubmate Eddie Agar had on loan from Lawrence Fryers (C &L Fryers ) of Dromara and the dam is of the Young?s birds as mentioned above? .

The 8th and final bird timed was to the Portavogie partnership of Ambrose & Kelly who are pictured with the blue hen that won Penzance in the club and Ken Ambrose is holding the red hen which was 8th open St Malo and had previously been first bird in the Portavogie centre in the 2018 Yb Talbenny Derby .
Once again congratulations to all who were in the prizes from this Derby.

East Down2bird News

The League tables in the 2 bird club at the end of Old Bird racing were as follows and are self explanatory with 3 lofts on 18points overall

League A
Cousins Mc Conaghie & Albert 18 points
Mc Comb bros 18
R Moore & son 16
W Mc Master & son 14
P & C Johnston 12
B Hogg & sons 12
Gordon bros & sons 12
Ambrose & Kelly 12

League B
J Patterson 16
J Trimble & son 14
D Shaw 14
Harper & Young 14
C Mc Manus & dtr 10
H Mc Veigh 10
J & R Young 10
A & A Cheevers 10

League C
P & C Mc Comb 16
BCT Foulis & Gill 14
K & B Mc Conaghie & son 14
C & D Smyth & sons 14
Brown & Mc Connell 14
Young & Mc Cormick 12
S Regan 10
S & K Duke 8
F Gilmore 8
L Mc Cavery 8

League D
Mackey & Lockhart 16
G Lyttle 14
T Smyth 14
W & N Cully 14
J Quinn & son 12
Sean Mc Loughlin 10
D & W Carlisle & son 8
Muir & Mc Cann 8

League E
Mc Loughlin bros 18
Cowan

& Mc Cartney 16
L & R Barr 12
Gillespie bros 12
Cully & Monan 12
C Browne 10
D & K Mc Cutcheon 10

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We now start the 2019 Young Bird season with the opening race from Navan scheduled for Saturday July 20th.