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“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT - 19-12-24

“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

STORIES OF THE CHAMPIONS (PART 3).

CH. ‘HIGHTOWER DARREN’S BOY’ – Derik & Anne Nordon of Langholm.

One of the premier lofts in Scotland over many seasons must be that of the late Derik Nordon, with brilliant performances in the SNFC, including 1st Open twice. I first visited the Langholm loft in the spring of 1997, while on a “Many Miles with Mott” video tour of Cumbria and Scotland and was very impressed from the outset with Derik's pigeons and loft set-up. At that time Derik had played Accordion in a dance band for many years and during the day worked in an engineering workshop, with one of his workmates being the ace pigeon racer, Ralston Graham.

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He first won the SNFC in 1996 from Sartilly with his good mealy widowhood hen, ‘Anne's Delight’, and she flew the National in 10 hours 44 minutes against a north-east wind. This game hen was a Gilbertson / Van Bruaene and the Sartilly National was only the sixth race of her life. Her sire was the wonderful mealy cock; ‘Hightower Darren’s Boy’ and he flew Rennes with the SNFC six times on the day, for six years on the trot. Other premier racers at the Langholm loft were: ‘Champion Anniversary Girl’, blue hen, 1999: 1st Open Rennes SNFC (2,862birds),490 miles. This great hen won over £1,000 and two gold awards for winning five times from the Channel: ‘Danny Boy’, a blue cock, a champion in the truest sense of the word, winning: 1999: 2nd Open Rennes SNFC (2,865 birds); 65th Open Frome SNFC (4,005 birds); 1998: 5th Open Rennes SNFC (3,019 birds); 1997: 9th Open Rennes SNFC (3,269 birds); 38th Open Frome SNFC (3,272 birds) and over £7,000. A brilliant loft of national racers!

One of Derik’s best pigeons, of all time, is his champion Kirkpatrick mealy cock, ‘Hightower Darren’s Boy’ and he was bred down from the Tommy Gilbertson and Bobby Carruthers bloodlines. This wonderful pigeon won many positions racing, but the longest SNFC race from Rennes was his main event each season, flying Rennes (490 miles) six times on the day of liberation and winning:1989: 150th open SNFC Rennes, 1990: 10th open SNFC Rennes, 1991: 97th open SNFC Rennes, 1992: 186th open SNFC Rennes, 1993: 36th open SNFC Rennes. A fantastic racing record! He was named after Derik and Anne’s first grandson, Darren, and his brother was the mealy cock, ‘Hightower Jamie’, and he was named after their other grandson, Jamie. ‘Hightower Jamie’ was also a top racer, winning: 52nd open SNFC Rennes, 157th open SNFC Rennes and 1st section, 2nd open SNFC Rennes (490 miles), the day when Dal Newcombe won the National race. ‘Hightower Darren’s Boy’ died at 22 years of age, after many years breeding winners in the Nordon stock loft and was the sire of Champion ‘Anne’s Delight’ winner of 1st open SNFC Sartilly. ‘Hightower Darren’s Boy’ a once in a life time pigeon!

CH. ‘CULMER BLUE BIRD' – Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming.

'Blue Bird' was my favorite of all Eric Cannon's many champions. She was a perfect long distance type of pigeon in the hand, with wonderful feathering and was a great champion racer and breeder. She was a double 1st section A winner from the Pau Grand National, recording 6th, 28th, 57th, 118th, 251st open Pau NFC (540 miles) and if the Pau Merit Award had started a few years earlier she would have won it. She also recorded 247th open Nantes NFC and 98th open Young Bird National. 'Blue Bird' bred many premier long distance pigeons and was the grand dam of Eric's top hen `Culmer Lass', winner of many premier positions including 1st open SMT Combine Bergerac (440 miles), only bird on the day of liberation in the combine; 1st section A, 12th open Pau NFC (540 miles). ‘Culmer Lass’ was also a great breeder and was the grand dam of Champion ‘Marion’, winner of 1st NFC Sartilly for Eric Cannon. 'Blue Bird' was half-sister to the Cannon's champion, `Culmer Lady', winner of 26th, 27th, 48th, 135th, 140th open Pau NFC, lifting the NFC Pau Merit Award, both being daughters of the premier stock hen, 'The Wood Hen', a daughter of Mr. Wood of Horsham's, 'Pride of Sussex', a big NFC winner. The great ‘Blue Bird’ was one my favorite champions of all time! The Cannon loft won four NFC Pau ‘Merit Awards’ presented to pigeons that score three times in the first hundred in the open Pau Grand National results. If this award started a few years earlier, ‘Culmer Blue Bird’, ‘Culmer Beauty’ and ‘Culmer Julie Girl’ would have won the ‘Merit Award’, making it seven for the Eric Cannon loft.

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CH. ‘SHADOW’ – Mark & Dick Evans of ‘Myrtle Lofts’ in Whitley Bridge.

Mark Evans and his late father, Dick of ‘Myrtle Lofts’ in Whitley Bridge, Yorkshire have worked extremely hard to build a family of pigeons that will win from 70 miles to 550 miles and with the ability to perform better in head winds. They both enjoy all races that they have entered over the years but National & Classic racing at middle-distance is their favourite competition. The father and son partnership, like any races that are one day events. After many successful years in pigeon racing Mark and Dick Evans told me their most thrilling experiences in the sport are having the telephone, texts, and e-mails going week after week with winning reports from different fanciers all over the world achieving top performances by racing their bloodlines. They both decided to introduce the Gaby Vandenabeele bloodlines back in 1995 with the intensions of putting together a family of pigeons for middle-distance Classic & National racing. Their main ambition was to try and put a 1st Open National winner to their own list of achievements. Back then in the nineties when purchasing these birds little did they realise what outstanding bloodlines they had invested into and how famous they were about to make the name M. & D. Evans become world-wide. These bloodlines have amazed even Mark and Dick achieving far more than they could ever imagine. Over twenty years later and the father and son partnership are proud to pronounce they have to date over 130 times 1st open winners reported in National races, which includes twenty in the last four years that contain their M & D. Evans bloodlines. They have also had winners reported in America, Canada, Hawaii, South Africa, Taiwan, Kuwait, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Hungary and all parts of the UK. For Mark and Dick these outstanding results for other fanciers are far more rewarding than any 1st open Classic or 1st open National winner in their own lofts.

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The all-time best breeders at ‘Myrtle Lofts’ is Belg 95 3211313, Champion ‘Shadow’, bred by Gaby Vandenabeele out of ‘Pujl’ and ‘Gesch Dujardin’. He is sire of winners with 13 different hens and sire of over six generations of National & Classic winners, including over 30 times 1st open winners at classic and National racing. He is himself responsible for a massive list of winners including: 1st National Alencon (6, 823 birds), 1st National Messac (7,000 birds), 1st National Angers (5,977 birds), 1st National Eastbourne (7,312 birds), 1st National Lillers (10,601 birds), 1st National Vire (4,756 birds), 1st National Bordeaux (1,339 birds), 1st National Nantes (10,148 birds), 1st National Maidstone (4,472 birds), 1st National Guernsey (2,433 birds), 1st National Clermont (5,434 birds), 1st National Carentan (5,103 birds), 1st National Alencon (6,590 birds) and so on. ‘Shadow’ is responsible for over 30 times 1st open winners in Classic and National races. Even one of the latest top performance of 1st UK 3rd Open Sun City Million Dollar Race winning $75,000 (approx. £48,000) was also a granddaughter from Champion ‘Shadow’. The list of winners is endless! The 2024 racing season has seen: 1st open Grand Final in the Premier One Loft Race from Arbroath, Mel and Sue King win 1st open NFC Tarbes National, Mark and July Gower win 1st open NFC Falaise National, Ken Wise win 1st open BBC Fougeres National and 2nd open BBC Fougeres YB National, all won with Champion ‘Shadow’ blood lines. The last son of ‘Shadow’ is ‘Bob-De-Batt’ and he is the sire and grandsire to over 100 1st prize winners, including 4 times 1st open National, 3 times 2nd open National with over 9,000 birds competing. Champions breeding champions!

Mark Evans recently told me, ‘Champion ‘Shadow’ was a once in a life time pigeon and is considered by ‘Myrtle Lofts’ to be the best pigeon to have ever left the loft of Gaby Vandenabeele. ‘Shadow’ was bred by Gaby in 1995 and sold to ‘Myrtle Lofts’ as a young bird where he has become ‘Myrtle Lofts’ Number 1 breeder. The winning bloodlines bred down from ‘Shadow’ are unbelievable. He has bred winners to over twelve different hens and must rate as one of the best breeders ever’.

 

CH. ‘LEGEND’ – Brian Sheppard of Trowbridge.

The 2003 Dax International marked the start of a new era in British pigeon racing, when two English fanciers were declared 1st and 2nd open International winners. The British contingent was very strong with the National Flying Club entering a very healthy 739 birds and its sister club, the British International Championship Club, sending a record birdage of 450 birds. John Tyerman and I convoyed the NFC birds to Belgium to meet up with the International train, which carried the record 19,400 birds to Dax. Colin Bates, the N.F.C. convoyer travelled in the carriage with the British pigeons and liberated at 06.00hrs, English time, in no wind at the French site, getting up to north east en route. Only six game pigeons were recorded on the day of liberation in Britain and the first two were clocked by fanciers in the West Country.

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Britain’s first ever 1st open International Dax winner was recorded by the late Brian Sheppard of Trowbridge and on the Sunday morning after the race, I made the 130 mile drive down to Wiltshire to visit his loft and see his champion, now named “Legend”. This game blue chequer widowhood cock was paired up on 6th December and after rearing a pair of youngsters, was put on the widowhood system when sitting six days on his second pair of eggs. Champion “Legend” had several channel races on his build up to his Dax International win, including training races from Picauville, two from Nantes and the Saintes National. This brilliant two year old cock has had lots of wonderful previous racing form. He recorded 2nd section B.B.C. Nantes and 2nd section, 6th open NFC Saintes in the 2003 season, and as a yearling 34th open CSCFC Cholet. Brian sent 11 birds to the Dax International, clocking Champion “Legend” just after 19.00hrs on the day, flying 507 miles, and two next morning, with one arriving home when I was at the loft. On “Legend’s” dam side he is off Brian’s old Pau family, being bred down from his N.F.C. Pau Merit Award winner, “Jingles”, and his sire was bred by Jos Thone of As in Belgium, from his champion cock, “Sumo”.

The late John Tyerman and I were good friends for many years and we have been through several pigeon campaigns together, including serving on the NFC committee and convoying pigeons together. We roomed together when we travelled for the National Flying Club committee meetings and in 2003 we convoyed the International birds to the waiting train in Belgium, when Brian Sheppard won the race with his wonderful blue chequer cock, Champion ‘Legend’. When the members of the NFC sent their birds to their first International, no one really knew what an outstanding success it would be and that British racing history was in the making. That Dax International marked the start of a new era in British long distance pigeon racing and John and I were very proud to be a part of it.

 

CH. ‘NOBBY’ – Tony Seery of West Drayton.

Tony Seery has always lived in the London and Southern Counties area, apart from a six year stint in the army, and after a weekend visit to the North East of England in June 2008 he move up there lock, stock and barrel. He has been very successful racing his pigeons in his many years in the sport and has won the Federation many times. In recent seasons he has owned some of the best racing Busschaerts in the U.K. and tells me he likes on the day racing up to Bergerac (450 miles). I would think his London & South East Classic Club winner, Champion ‘Nobby’, must be one of the best racing Busschaerts in the U.K. today, winning a long list of premier prizes, including 1st open L&SECC Alencon and 1st open Combine Fougeres. A brilliant racer!

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The London & South East Classic Club kicked off the season, with a banger of a race from Alencon, in northern France and with lots of wind and rain on the day; it produced plenty of thrills and spills. The heavy showers didn’t seem to have any bearing on the outcome of the first classic, but the strong south westerly winds produced some very high velocities. Marriott & Seery won the race with their all pooler, the champion widowhood Busschaerts cock; ‘Nobby’ and he made a winning velocity of 1928 ypm. This game three year old blue cock was no stranger to winning, having previously recorded, twice 1st club inland, 2nd club, 3rd Federation, 12th open Combine Fougeres (beaten by loft mate) as a yearling and 1st club, 1st Federation, 1st open Combine Fougeres (200 miles), 1st club, 4th Federation, 4th open Combine Guernsey as a two year old. He was bred from the very best Busschaerts bloodlines, with his sire coming from Tom Sparks of Gravesend and his dam from Roy Fox of Harrow. Champion “Nobby” has won many other premier positions racing and has a brother named ‘Milton Keynes’ that had won many firsts racing and has been fantastic at stock, breeding many winners for Tony Seery and other fanciers, including ‘Tony’s Choice’ winner of 2nd section L&SECC Bergerac. I asked Tony why he was called ‘Milton Keynes’ and it’s because on one inland race he went wrong and was picked up in the town in Hertfordshire, and returned homes to carry on with his wonderful racing career. It was the only time he went wrong in his long successful racing career, as he is a champion racer winning many firsts and a brilliant breeder. A brilliant line of Busschaerts!

 

CH. ‘BUSTER’S PRIDE’ – The late Norman Middleton of Iver. 

The last weekend of May 2001 saw the London & South East Classic Club hold its Sennen Cove race, incorporated the annual Yearling Derby, and members entered 1,530 birds for this 250 miles event. The weekend after the race I made the 30 miles drive to Iver in Buckinghamshire to visit the winning loft of late Norman Middleton Brothers and I must say how impressed I was with the quality of the pigeons in the loft, which were mainly Starview Busschaerts. Norman clocked his winning pigeon, a two year old Busschaert blue chequer hen, to record 1668 ypm and she was raced on Norman’s own roundabout system. He named his champion hen, ‘Miss Camin’, and she was bred from the very best Massarella Starview Busschaert lines, with her sire being Norman’s champion blue chequer cock, ‘Buster’s Pride’. This wonderful champion was now at stock, breeding many winners, after a brilliant racing career, winning 1st section E, 2nd open N.F.C. Saintes (beaten by 2ypm) and 1st open U.B.I. Combine Nantes. Another daughter of ‘Buster’s Pride’, a blue pied sister of ‘Miss Camin’, won 4th open U.B.I. Combine Liskeard. ‘Buster’s Pride’ a brilliant racer and breeding pigeon! Norman Brothers are no longer with us, but they had a fantastic loft of pigeons.

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That our insight in to the ‘CHAMPIONS’ for this week, next time we are featuring some of the very best of yester year! I can be contacted with an pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 07535 484584 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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