“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Three Borders Federation (Okehampton Race 2).

The Three Borders Federation were at Okehampton for the last old bird race of the 2023 season and the convoyer, Dom McCoy produced a good steady race when he liberated at 10.30hrs in to a South West wind. A partnership who appears in the Federation results on a regular basis is, Mirek and Malgorzata Burczak of the Isleworth club and they won 1^st, 13^th, 14^th, 18^th, 23^rd, 24^th Federation Okehampton, recording their second Federation winner of the season. The husband and partnership had a brilliant race from Bodmin earlier in the season, recording 1^st, 2^nd, 16^th Federation, with the first two birds being on the same yardage. Well done to Mirek and Malgorzata!

It was the Isleworth club’s day, with another club member, Graham Evans recording 2^nd Federation after winning 1^st Federation from Yeovil two weeks previously. The Ashridge ‘master’, Terry Goodsell, won 3^rd Federation Okehampton and is leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 48 points. This was the last old bird race of the season and the young birds kick off at Wincanton on 29^th July.

The first ten in the Okehampton Federation result were: 1) Mirek & Malgorzata Burczak 1405: 2) Graham Evans 1404: 3) Terry Goodsell 1382: 4) Jim Andrews & Son 1380: 5) Terry Goodsell 1379: 6) Jim Andrews & Son 1378: 7) Vic & Lou Emberson 1357: 8) M/M B. Rice & Son 1355: 9) Vic & Lou Emberson 1350: 10) Terry Goodsell 1346. This was race number twelve of the season and at this point the Esher club are leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 44 points, with the Ashridge club being R/U on 42 points.

Mirek and Malgorzata Burczak enjoyed brilliant season racing in the Isleworth club and Three Borders Federation in 2022. The weather had been very kind to pigeon racing in that season and it allowed the Three Border Federation convoying crew to produce some great racing for the members. It was no exception for the second to last old bird race from Honiton. The Federation convoyer, Dom McCoy produced a cracking race when he liberated at 07.00hrs in to a South, South West wind. Four week prior to this Honiton race the Isleworth partnership of Mirek and Malgorzata Burczak recorded their very first Federation winner from Kingsdown with their super blue hen ‘Blu’. Two weeks later she came up and won 2^nd Federation Yeovil, and then she was the first bird on the ETS again to win 1^st Federation Honiton. What a fantastic hen, winning 1^st Federation twice and a 2^nd Federation in four weeks! Mirek and Malgorzata clocked three birds in six seconds from Honiton to win 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Federation and then another seven birds to take 7^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 24^th Federation. The husband and wife partnership race in the strong Isleworth club and although only recorded their first Federation winner that season, they feature on a regular basis in the Three Borders results. Their wonderful ‘Blu’ is a two year old Gaby Vandenabeele roundabout hen and she was bred from Ken Wise stock birds. Mirek told me, he was over the moon with his recent performances, as that was only his fourth season racing pigeons and was delighted to win the Federation twice. Great pigeon racing, well done Mirek and Malgorzata!

Mirek Burczak had pigeons when was a lad back in Poland, but never raced until Malgorzata and he set up their loft up in Isleworth in 2018. In the early days they started with a batch of youngster from Louella Pigeon World and bred babies to enter ‘one loft’ races, and won some good positions, including 5^th, 14^th and 16^th open. Mirek and Malgorzata’s smart loft is 30ft long, with five sections and the ETS clocking system. The present racing team are all bred from stock birds from Ken Wise, John Bradley and Geoff Kirkland, which they are trying to create they own family with. The 25 pairs of racers are all on the roundabout system and are paired up in March, with Federation racing in mind. The racers are put on the roundabout system after sitting their first round of eggs for about a week and during the racing season are fed on a first class ‘widowhood’ mixture, but are never broken down. They are given five training toss up to 45 miles before the first Federation race and then are only exercised around the loft for an hour twice a day during the season.

Mirek says he loves week to week racing in the Three Borders Federation, but once the present channel racing problem is sorted out he would like to have a crack at some long distance racing from France. The Burczak partners like grizzles and say they have produced some good ones from their present stock birds Mirek told me treats and vaccinates the birds in early January and then pairs the stock birds up a couple of weeks later. They breed 50 youngsters to race every year and these get about 15 training tosses up to 45 miles before the first race. They all fly the Federation programme, with some being paired up, but most of them are race to the perch. The babies are fed on ‘Junior UK’ mixture and then go onto the old favourite, ‘Gerry Plus’ for the racing season.

Mirek and Malgorzata have only been racing pigeons a short time, winning many first in the very strong Isleworth club and their many performances in that time in the Three Borders Federation have been outstanding, winning: 2020: 2^nd, 3^rd, 24^th Federation Blandford (1,003 birds), 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th, 7^th,  9^th Federation Okehampton (660 birds), 7^th Federation Wincanton (761 birds), 14^th, 15^th Federation Wincanton (783 birds), 22^nd Federation Newton Abbot (414 birds): 2021: 8^th Federation Wincanton (927 birds), 8^th, 14^th Federation Okehampton (735 birds), 7^th Federation Bodmin (698 birds), 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, 14^th, 15^th, 17^th, 23^rd Federation Kingsdown (485 birds), 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th Federation Wincanton (396 birds), 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 10h, 11^th Federation Yeovil (407 birds), 10^th, 11^th, 15^th, 16^th Federation Honiton (362 birds), 19^th, 20^th, 23^rd, 25^th Federation Wincanton (466 birds). The 2022 season has seen them win so far, several firsts in the Isleworth club and 9^th, 14^th Federation Blandford, 13^th Federation Wadebridge, 17^th Federation Honiton, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 10^th, 15^th Federation Kingsdown. Well done you two!

Tony Dann of Leatherhead

The ‘Lion Brewery’ Mid-Week Club could not have picked a worst weekend weather wise for its Merville Charity Open Race, but of course it was organised around the Parachute Regiment 9^th Battalion Memorial Fund and the 65^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings celebration on 6^th June. The whole weekend was closed in with rain in the English Channel, France and mainland England, and most organizations racing out of France that weekend, including the National Flying Club and Merville race were held over until the Monday morning. The race was self-supporting and all profits went to the old solders of the 9^th Parachute Regiment. With marking stations all over the UK, including Ash, Bromley, Chichester, Exeter and Manchester the entry of 850 birds was very good and after a long wait for a clear line of flight the convoy were liberated on the Monday at 05.30hrs in a south east wind. Returns were very good with early birds being recorded all over the country, including Leatherhead, Northampton, Bromley, Exeter, Reading and Manchester.

Although I didn’t send to Merville I derived great pleasure from the race as my good friend and ‘Rat Pack’ member, Tony Dann of Leatherhead, had three pigeons well out in front to record 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd open. Tony was at work on the Monday morning and his wife, Gudda, clocked the pigeons in, and had two come together, the first being clocked at 08.19hrs to make a ‘banging’ velocity of 1460. The winning pigeon was a three year old natural Van Breemans blue hen, sent sitting 17 day old eggs and she had previously scored as a young bird. Gudda is Danish and she clocked the winner in, which was a blue, so Tony named his Merville winner, ‘Danish Blue’. This game hen had been at stock for two years, being restarted racing that season with two ‘Lion Brewery’ mid-week races, a West Bay training race, a Lulworth treble up training toss and then in to the Merville open race. This great hen went on to win more prizes after her Merville win, including 1^st Lion Brewery Mid-Week Club from Hamworthy. The next two pigeons on the clock to take 2^nd and 3^rd open were two more natural Van Breemans blue hens, ‘Megan’ and ‘Molly’, and they were full sisters and a half-sister to the winning pigeon ‘Danish Blue’. All three hens share the same sire who was one of some Van Breemans pigeons purchased by Tony’s late father, Wally Dann of Cobham, in 2002. The day after the Merville race a highly delighted Tony Dann brought his winning pigeons to my home in Claygate to have them photographed and he said, ‘We did it this time! The ‘Lion Brewery’ held a very successful Merville open race five years earlier, which attracted an entry of 1,035 birds and Reg Whenman of New Malden and I were both on the same yard, with Reggie winning the race on a decimal’.

The 2010 season had seen Tony send to only a few races because of the lack of time and didn’t race his young birds, only trained them up to 120 miles. He was successful in the races he competed in and recorded: 101^st open BICC Alencon (3,876 birds), 110^th open BICC Saran (3,412 birds), 32^nd open L&SECC Falaise, 29^th, 109^th open L&SECC Tours, 49^th section E, St Malo NFC, 11^th  section E, Poitiers NFC and 164^th section E, Saintes NFC.

One of my best friends in pigeon racing is Tony ‘Desperate' Dann. He is a very likable guy, who would do a favour for any one and wouldn't see any genuine person in trouble. ‘Desperate' is one of the best pigeon fanciers I know and has been a great worker for the sport of pigeon racing for many years. He had not been a member of a Saturday Federation club in the 2008 season, so decided to use the midweek Hamworthy club for training and have a go at the National and Classic events. The Dann loft had a good race from the NFC Angers (264 miles) event and recorded an outstanding pigeon to win 4^th section E, 6^th open with nearly 6,000 birds competing. The first bird on the clock, doing 1256 ypm, was his good natural Van Breemen blue hen, ‘First Lady’, and she was sent sitting ten day old eggs. This game hen was lost for a while as a young bird, but had raced well from France since.

Tony enjoyed some good success with his pigeons in the 2005 season, winning 11 firsts in the Epsom R.B.L.F.C. and 4^th, 7^th, 8^th and 17^th open in the Federation. He raced a few old birds in the National and Classic events to record, 140^th open N.F.C. Fougeres (old hens), and in the London & South East Classic Club won 50^th open Guernsey (old hens), 66^th open Bergerac, 74^th open Tours and 173^rd open Alencon . The most outstanding breeders for Tony in the 2005 season were a pair of Steven Van Breemen pigeons and three of their off spring won races that season, two yearlings and a young bird. This pair of stock birds were purchased from Matt Rakes, by Tony's late father Wally Dann in 2002 and decided to retain them when Wally's birds were sold off.

Tony took early retirement from work. He says much is written about the decline in the sport of pigeon racing over the last few years, with many authors of such letters stating there is an urgent need to encourage new young blood into the sport. While not disputing the fact that youngsters need to be given every encouragement, are we perhaps missing a much richer vein of new membership? He was talking about the early retired, aged 50-plus people who have brought up their families, whose mortgages are paid off, are financially secure and looking for a new interest and sport to occupy their time in retirement. He maintains that such active people could offer experience and expertise to many facets of the sport. Obviously, we would need to promote the sport to this sector in a much more professional way, but how, is the million dollar question. We should be much more imaginative. For instance, why can't we advertise in the national Sunday newspapers supplements, quoting a free phone number where information about getting started can be advised, giving out details of local pigeon clubs. Tony says that the advertising part of his idea would be funded from the B.H.W. Blackpool ‘Show of the Year' proceeds. This would mean that less money would be donated to charities in the short term, but without a healthy and expanding pigeon racing sport there will come a time when there will be no money to give to any of the worthwhile charities which currently benefit from the Blackpool Show.

The Dann loft had a good season channel racing in 2002 and recorded several premier positions including 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation, 8^th open S.M.T. Combine Alencon, 1^st club, 4^th Three Borders Federation, 6^th open S.M.T. Combine Nantes, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th club, 3^rd, 11^th, 12^th and 16^th Three Borders Federation, 11^th, 46^th and 48^th open S.M.T. Combine, 18^th open Amalgamation Bergerac (447 miles). Brilliant pigeon racing by my ol' mate, Tony! His Alencon Federation winner was his three year old Meulemans / Ayton Marshall mealy cock, “Copthorne Sarge”, and he was raced on the natural system. This game cock had previously won 1^st club, 4^th Federation, 5^th open S.M.T. Combine Bergerac. His dam was purchased at the Bob Wilkinson of Crawley sale, being bred from direct Belgium Meulemans imports. Tony obtained some outstanding stock birds a few years ago from the late Ayton Marshall of the Up North Combine and these have produced many top racers for the Dann loft, including “Copthorne Sarge”, with his sire being a pigeon from the north east of England loft. In 2000, the season before the foot and mouth problem, Tony also won the Surrey Federation from Alencon with his ace blue Meulemans cock, “Copthorne Prince”. He had been an outstanding racer on the natural system, winning many prizes, including 1^st club, 1^st Federation, 2^nd open S.M.T. Combine Alencon (2,221 birds), 1^st club, 19^th Federation Exeter (2,594 birds) and 1^st club Blandford. He is brother to Tony's good hen, “Copthorne Princess”, winner of four inland races. Before the 2001 racing season started, Tony said, that he had his birds walking around the garden, when all of a sudden they flew away very distressed. He ran out of the house to find pigeons flying about the sky in all directions, with eight or nine birds behind the loft in a dazed state with fright. He heard a flapping sound from his next door neighbours' garden and when he looked over the fence there were feathers everywhere. He spotted a hen Sparrowhawk eating his best hen, “Copthorne Princess”, alive, threw a piece of wood at the hawk, which frightened it off and the pigeon flew away, returning to the loft two hours later with no feathers on her back and a few deep lacerations. In the 2001 season this game hen won two more races, making her prize tally four times 1^st club, 12^th and 15^th open Federation inland.

Tony raced with his late father, Wally, from 1958 until he married in 1967, and started up on his own in 1979. Tony says that in the 1960's he looked up to the late, great Tommy Woodcock of Wimbledon, who had a lifetime of top class pigeon racing. Tony's loft was set up with birds from his dad and Tommy, and he won a young bird race in his first season! His first loft was 15ft. long, purchased for £25 and he says his early mistake was overfeeding. Tony's Leatherhead loft was 24ft. long, with three sections built by his dad, Wally, who was a retired carpenter. For many years he raced the widowhood system with fantastic success, winning the Surrey Federation many times and being the Federation premier prize winner several times. In 1994 he raced natural to have a go at the channel races and installed the “super trap” system in his loft. The loft housed 14 racing pairs, 10 pairs of stock birds and about 30 youngsters were bred to race each season. He pairs up in February and after racing widowhood for ten years, went back to natural racing in 1994 with outstanding success. He measures out the feeding twice a day, with a light feed in the morning. In recent years Tony and Gudda moved to Bookham and still race successfully in the Esher & District RPC (Three Borders Federation).

Gudda, Tony's Danish wife, is a great help with the training of the birds and feeding in the evening. She says that he takes the birds to seriously, because the couple can only take their holidays when pigeon racing is finished. To a point, Tony says this is true, but like most things, you only get out what you are prepared to put in. The old birds and youngsters are trained the same, with as many 40 mile tosses midweek as possible, during the season. The main families raced are Meulemans from Bob Wilkinson of Crawley, the Ayton Marshall's from the north east of England. When I think back a few years, Tony's young birds were fantastic in 1994, winning six of the Esher Club's seven young bird races, including the longest race from Wadebridge, lifting the young bird average. He had a record breaking young bird in 1986, in the form of the Delwich Jet blue pied hen, “00114”, and she won the very strong Surrey Federation three times as a young bird, flying against about 3,000 birds, also winning an R.P.R.A. award. He likes nice, compact pigeons in the hand, but maintains that winning birds come in all shapes and sizes, so when introducing new stock he goes for outstanding winning bloodlines. As I've already stated, ‘Desperate', is a great worker for our sport and was chief clock setter at the Esher club for many years and chairman of the Three Borders Federation. A great lad!

The late Wally Dann of Cobham.

When Wally Dann passed away, aged 91, a few years ago the sport of pigeon racing lost another of its great fanciers and characters. Wally was a natural flyer, through and through and was a winner, right up to the end, recording 1^st club, 13^th Federation, 18^th Combine (3,281 birds) Fougeres, 1^st club, 7^th Federation, 11^th Combine (2,746 birds) Messac and 1^st club, 3^rd Federation, 3^rd Combine (2,498 birds) Messac in his last season

When you asked Wally what his best performance was, it was hard for him to answer, as in a life time in the sport he won just about everything in the Federation, Combine and Classic racing. He started racing in the early 1900’s, when he raced with his father as W. Dann & son in the Wimbledon club. He always raced on the natural system, but tried widowhood for about five weeks; he hated the system and in spite of winning several races, went back to natural. His loft housed several strains of pigeons, but mostly Van Winckel which raced well for him, from the shortest to the longest race. When he was fit, he used to take the birds training most days and liked to toss at about 25 miles in the early morning. He liked any race, long or short distance, but he told me, you don’t stand much chance racing natural against the widowhood cocks in sprint races. Wally won his fair share in the sprints, but really excelled in the Channel events. . One of his best racers in recent years was, ‘Wally’s Girl’, a natural De Klak blue hen bred by his good friend, Vic Johnson of Kingston. She chalked up, 1^st club, 7^th Federation, 11^th Combine Messac, 1^st club, 13^th Federation, 18^th Combine Fougeres, 16^th open L.&S.E.C.C. Sennen Cove and 1^st club Weymouth.

One of Wally’s best seasons was in 1989, when he recorded 1^st Surrey Federation (2,005 birds) Tours, 1^st Surrey Federation (1,517 birds) Niort and chalked up 2^nd SMT Combine. The 1992 season saw him win nine races in the very strong Esher club, including Wadebridge (young birds), Tours and the longest old bird race from Bordeaux, with the only bird recorded on the day of liberation. His natural racers won ten firsts in the 1993 season, including the longest young bird race from Wadebridge. Wally Dann won the sprints through to the longest events, every season.

Wally was our local corn chandler and enjoyed a chat with the fanciers when they called at his Cobham home, to pick up their pigeon feed. He was a retired carpenter and did a lot of site work through the years, being general foreman on several big jobs. His smart loft set up was all self-built and he favoured the old fashioned type drop hole trapping and doweled nest box fronts. Wally’s son, Tony Dann, is one of our premier local fanciers and his very smart widowhood loft at his Leatherhead home was also made by his dad. There you have it, Wally Dann, one of the Surrey area greats!

Steve & Tessa Howard of Guildford.

Casting my mind back 25 years, I remember I made the 20-mile drive to Guildford to visit Steve Howard, who had just had a golden two weeks racing his team of natural pigeons. From the London & South East Classic Club's Yearling Nantes Derby, he clocked a Bill Johnson Busschaert blue cock, which was especially paired for the race after being spare all season, to record 2^nd open (1,443 birds). Two weeks later he clocked his good yearling blue chequer cock ‘Scott's Boy’, on the day from Bordeaux, 436 miles, to win 1^st Guildford club, 1^st Three Borders Federation, 1^st  SMT Combine (2,143 birds). This game cock was unpaired, flying to his nest box, and was 10 hours 4 minutes on the wing to top the Combine. All Steve's yearling cocks were unpaired because, at the start of the season, he had eleven hens and one cock killed by sparrow hawks. ‘Scott's Boy’ was bred out of an Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming cock and a hen obtained from Mr & Mrs Newman of Petersfield. As a young bird he was very consistent, being raced to the perch and on his build up to Bordeaux, had several inland races and the L&SECC Yearling Nantes Derby.

Congratulations to Steve and Tessa Howard of Guilford for their great performance in the British Barcelona Club Thurso (521 miles) National race in the 2021 season. It was a good weekend, with the 576 birds entered being liberated at 05.00hrs on the Friday morning. Day pigeon returns were very good, with 25 game pigeons being clocked on the day of liberation. Steve sent three birds and clocked all three to record: 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th section G, 38^th, 54^th, 82^nd open National. There was only four pigeons clocked in race time in section G and Steve clocked three of them down in Surrey. His first pigeon on the clock to win the section was his natural mealy cock, ‘Heinz’ and he was bred by Steve’s good friend, Peter Taylor, who lives in Pembrokeshire in Wales. The cock was sent driving his hen to nest and on his build up to the Thurso race he had two north road races with the Godalming club, and then was sent to the BBC Berwick which took him several days to get home from. His basic breeding is Ponderosa Muller / Aarden with a sprint cross in him. Most of his breeding is around ‘Ponderosa Tony’ and ‘Ponderosa Prince’, a pair of Muller / Aarden stock birds that Tony Hayne and Mary Bartlett gifted to me several years go. They were bred around Champion ‘Red Rising Sun’, the winner of 1^st open National Dax (6,397 birds) and 39^th open International Bergerac (20,643 birds).  The Ponderosa stock was second to none and when I was gifted ‘Tony’ and ‘Princess’ by the stud, I had the pick from about 120 premier sale birds. Well done to Steve and Tessa on a brilliant performance from the BBC Thurso National!

Steve and Tessa are always a formidable racing partnership to look out for in the National results from the France races, especially when the going gets tough! The Guildford partnership sent four birds to the British International Championship Club race from Poitiers (336 miles), which turned out to be an extremely hard race, with only a few gallant pigeons being clock on the day of liberation. Our good friends, Steve and Tessa clocked two of their four entries on the day, to record 2^nd, 14^th section, 2^nd, 33^rd open, with 1,807 birds competing. Steve rang me after the event to tell me the good news and Betty and I were highly delighted!  The 2^nd section, 2^nd open BICC Poitiers winner is their good two year old latebred blue hen, ‘Tessa’s Girl’, which was one of three hens that were paired together and sitting six eggs. She is a daughter of Steve’s good Barcelona hen, ‘Tessa’, when mated to a blue cock of the very best Eric Cannon bloodlines that he purchased from Mick Parish of Essex. Steve’s best two racers in recent times are both natural hens and both are very special winning several premier positions from the long distance. ‘Tessa’ is a 2012 bred blue hen and she flew Barcelona twice and has won: 2015: 15^th section, 45^th open BICC Barcelona (690 miles), 2016: 14^th section, 37^th open BICC Alencon, plus other positions. This wonderful little hen was bred by the Godalming ‘ace’ Ray Hammond. The other hen is a 2013 bred blue pied named ‘Gee’ and she is a Cannon / Newman cross, with her dam being a full sister to ‘Scot’s Boy’, Steve’s Bordeaux Combine winner. This little hen is Steve’s favourite and has won: 2014: 6^th open Amalgamation Bergerac (450 miles). This race was a ‘smash’, with only about four or five birds clocked on the day of liberation in the Amalgamation, and she was clocked early next morning, returning to the loft badly injured. ‘Gee’ is the dam of ‘Gee Force’, the second bird on the clock from the 2018 BICC Poitiers National too win 33^rd open. The sire of ‘Gee Force’ is another Eric Cannon pigeon bred by Keith and Betty Mott.

I have a constant stream of visitors to my pigeon loft, 12 months of the year, but a fancier who comes up the A3 to my home in Claygate regularly is my good friend, Steve Howard of Guildford. The first time Steve came to my home about 25 years ago was when he had won the SMT Combine from Bordeaux with his good cock; ‘Scot’s Boy’ and we were sorting out an article. He moved down to Cornwall for several years and is now back living in Guildford racing pigeons with his partner, Tessa. Like me, Steve is a long distance enthusiast and is always keen to look at my Eric Cannon and Brian Denney stock birds and racers. Being a Guildford man and friend of my ol’ mucker, Peter Taylor, they came up to Claygate together for the loft visit. Steve is a really nice man and being an acquaintance of the late great Eric Cannon, has a good knowledge of long distance racing. We have a good couple of hour on his visits and enjoy some good pigeon ‘banter’ with our cup of tea!

Steve started up 40 years ago with ten pairs obtained from his friend and his father, Don and Richard Nicholas, who were good fanciers in the Guildford area many years ago. He likes races from 250 miles, through to 500 miles, and has won many premier prizes in the N.F.C. through the years, including 24^th open Pau with only one pigeon sent. At that time he raced 15 pairs natural, because he said it's the best system for the long distance. He tried the widowhood system for one season and won five firsts in the sprints but could not get them from the long-distance races. He paired up the second week in March then gives them three 50-mile training tosses and a few club inland races to get them fit for the early Channel events. He liked the old birds to fly from Pau but preferred yearlings for the 450 mile stage, with hens sitting ready to hatch and cocks driving to nest. He hopper fed a good mixture of beans, peas and maize, with a little barley added in the winter months. Steve had three lofts, the main one being 16ft long, three sections with sputnik trapping. The other small lofts contained the young birds and seven pairs of stock birds. Steve only cleaned the lofts out once a year, as he maintained too much scraper upsets the inmates and he liked the dryness of the un-cleaned loft. I must say his pigeons really did look well!

Steve’s best pigeon was his champion blue pied cock, ‘Blue Jean’ and he was a Dordin / Barker cross. Steve tells me, he was a brilliant channel racer and the harder the race, the better he came! This game cock won: 1^st club Marmande, 1^st club Bergerac, 1^st club Bordeaux, recording top positions in the Federation and Combine in all three races, he flew and scored in the NFC Pau National five times, recording 24^th open NFC Pau as an eight year old and won 112^th open NFC Bordeaux. A fantastic racing record! ‘Blue Jean’ was also a good breeder and when mated to his hen, ‘Victory Girl’, produced several top racers, including: 42^nd open NFC Pau and 100^th open BBC Rennes. At that time of my loft visit Steve Howard had a really bad hawk problem, living as they did on a hill near woodland, but he said he lost a lot of his pigeons to crows. The main families raced then were Eric & Pat Cannon and Mr & Mrs Newman, and the two long-distance families crossed very successfully. One of the main stock hens was a two year old and on the road she won 4^th open L&SECC Angers Yearling Derby. Steve had a type in mind when picking out stock birds but said at the time winning long distance lines are very important.

Steve’s present racing loft in Guildford is a smart 18ft x 6ft structure and he maintains good air flow is the most important thing in good loft design. He uses a deep litter on the loft floor and finds it keep the loft dry, and the inmates like it. He races on the natural system with long distance racing in mind and pairs up the first week in March. The 15 pairs of old bird racers are trained twice a week off the south coast in preparation for racing and they are fed a very heavy mixture, with the view of racing through to Barcelona. Steve only keeps three pairs of stock birds and these are mated up the same time as the racers in March. When he brings in a new stock pigeon, he is not that bothered by type, but always looks at performance. He has one outstanding stock pair that are breeding excellent 450 mile racers for him every season. On the main his race team is bred around Mr. & Mrs. Newman of Petersfield and Eric & Pat Cannon of Wormley pigeons, with recent introductions of Eric Fox, Ray Hammond and Keith & Betty Mott pigeons. Steve is a small team man and only races 12 young birds, and these are trained up to 40 miles before the first Federation race. He tells me, his young birds do not go on the darkness system, but if he was interested in young bird racing and wanted to compete, he would defiantly put them on the system. He races in the Godalming pigeon club (Solent Federation) and his youngsters race most weeks to educate them.

His advice to new starter in the sport is to approach a good fancy, by some stock him and ask how he races them. Don’t over crowd the loft, as that is a big mistake he made when he started up! He thinks Ray Hammond is the best local fancier, with Mick Tuck close up behind and says their performances from the long distance are second to none. Steve is a retired Taxi driver and his wife, Tessa, is a great help with the management of the pigeons. She is full on and even helps with the training of the birds. Although the birds get tosses off the south coast, they get a lot on inland racing to get them ‘match’ fit, with long distance racing in mind. The Howard loft has put many outstanding performances over the years, but Steve tells me his biggest thrills was clocking his good blue pied cock, ‘Blue Jean’, as an eight year old to win 24^th open NFC Pau and clocking birds in from 700 miles races. He maintains the sport has slipped back in the last 20 years and we need to get younger people in the pigeon fancy. Steve also thinks a law should be introduced to allow farmers to cull birds of prey.

That’s our article for this week. Well done to Mirek and Malgorzata Burczak and the Isleworth club on a great result! If you win and want an article in this space, please contact me on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email me on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)