EAST DOWN COMBINE
with Clifford Browne
“Jack’s Legacy” wins difficult ST. Malo”
The East Down Combine were in St .Malo for the Old Bird Derby on June 23rd and a joint liberation of Irish birds took place at 6.30am into a light Westerly wind but this year the race did not turn out as hoped and only 2 birds were recorded in race time in the East Down Combine and it is on these two birds that this report focuses, no doubt reasons for the poor returns will be investigated and reported on in the future.
The winner is owned and raced by Jim & Ronnie Young of Portavogie and many will recall that this partnership were 2nd open in the same event last year ,In fact they were 2nd & 16th but the bird we are going to talk about was the third of their 3 entries in the 2016 race for it is he that is this year’s winner .Last year he returned on the 4th evening with a broken leg and with careful nursing Jim and his dad Ronnie brought him back to full health and had him ready for St. Malo. The Young’s have named in “Jack’s Legacy” for reasons which I will expand on in a moment.
“Jack’s Legacy” is a 4 yo Dark Chequer Cock and he was sent to St. Malo sitting 7days, prior to going to France he had 5 Inland races but he was not across the channel this year before going 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 as mentioned in 2016 he was in St. Malo arriving as I said with a broken leg on the 4th evening.
Now to the breeding of this fine pigeon and the origins of his name .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 name of this year’s winner). 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 Youngs having been 2nd open in this race last year and this was with a 2 year old blue hen and this year’s winner is in fact a Nephew of this hen. Many congratulations to Jim and Ronnie and this gallant pigeon which also wins the 2 bird club. The members of Jim & Ronnie’s home club of Portavogie have also asked me to extend their congratulations to the boys on this outstanding achievement.
The only other bird home in race time was to John Trimble & son of Annalong who timed their 3yo red cheq hen “Paddy’s Girl” to win 2nd open and 2nd East section. Bred by John’s Brother Paddy ,who had to give the birds up ,as a yearling Paddy raced her giving her just the 2 Navan races ,then as a yearling she had 4 races but was not raced as a 2 yo when she went to John’s and this year was prepared for St. Malo having flown Thurles, Fermoy and both Talbennys and she was then sent to St. Malo sitting eggs about 12 days she had also been trained twice a week from Balbriggan and throughout her career she had always been consistent ,making no mistakes . Her breeding on the dam’s side was mainly the old Southwell bloodlines the dam being off a Jimmy Shepherd cock and a Paul Stone hen and her sire is a red cock bred by Pat and this goes back to a Brian Long cock a son of “Vale Cahors”
Congratulations to the owners of both these gallant birds on what was a most difficult race. The velocities and winnings are as listed below.
East Down Combine
23/06/2017 St Malo OB Derby
Derby / Classic
91 Members Sent: 372 Birds in a Light Westerly Wind
Pools
Pos Name Club Velocity Section Pool Total Grand Total
1 E1 J & R Young Portavogie 420.531 ab n ABC N £861.00 £1929.00
2 E2 J Trimble & Son Annalong HPS 258.362 ab n ABC N £596.00
£1170.00
The week prior to St. Malo was the Penzance race and the full result of the Penzance classic is :
East Down Combine
17/06/2017 Penzance Classic
Penzance
83 Members Sent: 698 Birds in a South West Wind
Pos Name Club Velocity Pools Pool Grand Total
1 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1424.364 AB £255.40 £377.40
2 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1411.177 £0.00 £90.00
3 P.Brown & Son Annsborough HPS 1410.295 £0.00 £80.00
4 R.Strain & Son Millisle & District HPS 1409.205 A £49.35 £119.35
5 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1401.880 £0.00 £60.00
6 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1401.820 £0.00 £35.00
7 A Cousins & Sons Hillfoot HPS 1400.391 £0.00 £35.00
8 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1386.572 £0.00 £35.00
9 M.Croskery Annsborough HPS 1386.450 AB £105.03 £140.03
10 W.McMaster & Son Ballywalter SPC 1382.650 A £32.90 £67.90
11 R.Strain & Son Millisle & District HPS 1379.577 AB £147.53 £172.53
12 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 1376.561 A £16.45 £41.45
13 M.Foulis Dundonald HPS 1371.698 £0.00 £25.00
14 A Cousins & Sons Hillfoot HPS 1371.457 £0.00 £25.00
15 J Maguire & Ptnrs Dundrum HPS 1369.822 AB £59.05 £84.05
16 M.Croskery Annsborough HPS 1368.609 £0.00 £25.00
17 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1364.930 £0.00 £25.00
18 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 1364.886 AB £48.40 £73.40
19 McComb Bros Killyleagh Central HPS 1362.768 £0.00 £25.00
20 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 1362.005 £0.00 £25.00
21 J Crossan Downpatrick Premier 1359.839 £0.00 £10.00
22 J Trimble & Son Annalong HPS 1358.900 A £16.45 £26.45
23 M.Croskery & Son Annsborough HPS 1356.206 £0.00 £10.00
24 J Kirk & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1351.626 £0.00 £10.00
25 McCormick & Muckle Millisle & District HPS 1348.607 AB £37.75 £47.75
26 McCormick & Muckle Millisle & District HPS 1348.551 AB £37.75 £47.75
27 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1348.481 AB £37.75 £47.75
28 W & L Robinson Hillfoot HPS 1347.984 B £21.30 £31.30
29 J Trimble & Son Annalong HPS 1347.387 £0.00 £10.00
30 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 1346.105 B £21.30 £31.30
31 J Kirk & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1344.646 £0.00 £10.00
32 G Lyttle Comber Social 1344.556 B £21.30 £31.30
33 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1342.867 £0.00 £10.00
34 R.Irwin Dundonald HPS 1342.803 £0.00 £10.00
35 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1342.756 £0.00 £10.00
36 D Shaw Bangor RPC 1341.601 £0.00 £10.00
37 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 1341.262 B £21.30 £31.30
38 W.McMaster & Son Ballywalter SPC 1337.706 £0.00 £10.00
39 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 1336.764 £0.00 £10.00
40 J Rankin Millisle & District HPS 1335.361 £0.00 £10.00
East Down 2 bird News
Jim and Ronnie Young’s St Malo winner “Jack’s Legacy” was also one of their 2 bird entries and they were the sole prize-winners in the 2 bird club from the St.Malo race .
1st J&R Young 420.531
At the end of the Old Bird races League positions in the 2 bird were as follows:
League A
R Moore & son 14 points
B Hogg & sons 14
C Healy 14
Sid McLoughlin 12
S&K Duke 10
D W Carlile & son 10
McCormick & Muckle 10
A Crawford 10
League B
K&B McConaghie & son 18 points
Mc Comb bros 16
Cowan & McCartney 12
RMcVeigh & son 12
C&D Smyth& sons 10
T Horner & son 10
R Connolly 10
League C
B.C T Foulis & Gill 14 points
H Ballantyne & son 14
Mc Cartan & Woodsides 14
Harper & Young 12
Mackey & Lockhart 12
Mc Quaide & Briggs 12
B Young 12
M Croskery 10
J Mc Greevy 10
League D
A & A Cheevers 14 points
Sam Regan 14
A Cousins & sons 14
H McVeigh 12
Cully & Monan 10
League E
D Shaw 16 points
J Kirk & sons 14
Sean Mc Loughlin 14
Grives & Morrison 14
J Young & pts 12
Young Birds Lost
With the 2017 Old Bird season drawing to a close, fanciers are preparing their Young Birds for the forthcoming season but I am receiving reports of youngsters failing to return from the relatively short initial training tosses and one such fanciers is Comber’s Colin Hutchison who asked me to tell fanciers to be on the lookout for a number of youngsters who went missing from a toss a few days ago. rings are in the series GB17C 00024 and onwards and Colin can be contacted on 07701020496 . As to why this is happening no one is quite sure but please report any young birds arriving at your lofts as soon as possible so that they can be returned to their owners
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Well that is it for this week and for the Combine’s Old bird programme .Young Birds start on July 15th.