JOHNNY BARRETT
of Esher
by Keith Mott
The mighty Esher club are really getting into top gear, after taking the first six positions in the Federation result from Yeovil, they have come back the following weekend and won the first four positions from Honiton. The member sent 1,327 birds to the third race from Honiton (130 miles) and Dave Stanway liberated the convoy at 12.00hrs into a strong south west wind. The race was very fast with the leading pigeons doing over 2200ypm and Esher members recorded 12 birds in the Federation result. What a club! John Barrett of the Esher club won 1st and 2nd Federation clocking at his loft in West Ewell and I must say his two pigeon were way out in front of the competing field.
The first ten in the Honiton Federation result were: 1) Mr. & Mrs. John Barrett & son 2224: 2) Mr. & Mrs. John Barrett & son 2221: 3) Paul Arnold 2209: 4) Chris Slight & Trevor Taylor 2205: 5) Terry Goodsell 2192: 6) D. & A. Lebby Brothers 7) R. Harper & son 2180: 8) E. & K. J. Benjamin 2178: 9) Vic Emberson 2178: 10) Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden 2177.
When it comes to doing well in the Federation races, a partnership that is very consistent and does well every season is John Barrett, and his late son Danny. John only lost Danny in early 2012 and it’s great to see him back at the top of the Federation result. Danny was a brilliant pigeon racer and good worker at the Esher club, he is greatly missed. The partners have been premier prize winners in the very strong Esher club several times in recent seasons and were Three Borders Federation Individual Champions in 2009.
They had great season racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2011 winning: O.B: 1st, 10th, 16th, 20th Federation Wincanton (1865 birds), 6th, 7th, 25th Federation Wincanton (2105 birds), 11th, 14th Federation Yeovil (2230 birds), 4th Federation Kingsdown (1966 birds), 16th, 17th, 20th Federation Newton Abbot, 4th, 5th, 6th Federation Falaise, 9th, 25th Federation, 5th Federation Kingsdown (1090 birds), 16th, 23rd Federation Tours (777 birds), 4th, 7th, 12th Federation Yeovil (1021 birds), 10th Federation Bergerac, Y.B: 10th Federation Wincanton (1260 birds), 8th, 9th Federation Yeovil (1497 birds), 12th Federation Taunton (1525 birds), 12th Federation Newton Abbot (885 birds) and lifted the ‘Federation Rose Bowl’ for winning the Combined Average. John and Dan’s good Staf Van Reet blue pied hen, ‘69323’ was runner up for the ‘Ken Besant Memorial Trophy’ won by the best bird of the year and she recorded 10th Federation Wincanton, 14th Federation Yeovil, 4th Federation Kingsdown and 9th Federation Kingsdown. The partners 2011 Federation winner was their good Staf Van Reet blue pied widowhood cock, ‘69327’, and he also put up a brilliant performance winning 1st Federation Wincanton, 5th Federation Kingsdown and 12th Federation Yeovil. A wonderful loft performance!
I have only known Johnny Barrett a few years, with the first time I met him being when he joined my club the Esher & Dist RPC, with his good friend, Bob Carter, and since then they have both set the club on fire with their outstanding performances. The mighty Esher club certainly dominated the Three Borders Federation results in the first few young bird races of 2009, the highlight being when the Federation sent 1,958 birds to the Wincanton (2) and the Esher club took the first eleven positions, plus 13th with Mark and Les Duffell of Hersham breaking the run by taking 12th Federation. John and Danny Barrett took the first five places, flying 95 miles and clocking the five youngsters in 18 seconds on their ETS system. In my many years association with the Three Borders Federation I’ve can’t remember a club taking the first eleven prizes before! The following weekend the Federation sent 1,928 birds to Yeovil (107 miles) and the Esher supreme’s, John and Danny Barrett clocked two birds in 2 seconds to win 1st and 2nd Federation, with the Esher club taking six positions in the result. Brilliant pigeon racing! At the end of the 2009 season the Federation Points champions were Esher (244 points) and the Individual Points Trophy winners were M/M John Barrett & son of Esher (69 points).
John & Danny Barrett have been Esher premier prize winners several times in recent seasons racing to their loft in West Ewell. The partners race their 16 pairs of old birds on the roundabout system and the racers exercise around the loft twice a day during the racing season to maintain their fitness. They are broke down the racers from Saturday through to Tuesday morning, being fed on Super Widowhood and Depurative mixtures, the same method as with widowhood cocks. The old birds do not fly out around home in the winter months and are locked up after the last race in September until the first round of youngsters are weaned the following season. The birds are paired up on Boxing Day each year and when the first round of youngsters are 18 days old the hens are taken away and then they are on the Roundabout, being trained well before the first Federation race. John likes racing at all distances through to 450 miles and send their birds every week in the Esher club. The Roundabout hens and cocks are both sent to the same race and John tells me the hens raced best in the last few seasons. In recent seasons the Barrett’s have used three section of their loft for the Roundabout system, with the middle one being the nest box section and so minimize the time the racers see their nest sites and keep them keener. The 40ft loft is ‘L’ shaped, with grilled floors, which are cleaned out once a week and the partners are on to the ETS System for the first time in the 2009 season, maintaining it now helps out with trapping the birds. John doesn’t keep any stock pigeons and the main families raced are Staf Van Reet and Vandenabeele. The 40 young birds are raced on the ‘dark’ system, with them being put on about a month after weaning as it is still winter, with long dark nights and are taken off in June to start their training. John tells me the babies start their training at 20 miles because they tend to loose more on any tosses shorter than that and finish training with about three Winchesters (50 miles) just before the first Federation race. If the young birds are fit and well they are sent to every race, with two training tosses mid-week.
When Johnny Barrett was a young man he was a champion Boxer and started up in pigeon racing in 1968, and after a twenty year partnership with Ronnie Keeley went in partnership with his son Danny in 2000. The Barrett alliance has been very successful through the years winning the Federation numerous time and 1st open Combine a couple times. John says the Esher club is brilliant, being a good friendly set up with ‘red hot’ competition. Well done to Johnny Barrett, on his fantastic success in Three Borders Federation in recent seasons!
New Esher member, Paul Arnold of North Cheam recorded 3rd Federation from Honiton and this lad is no stranger to winning at the highest level. Paul has probably one of the best lofts of all round Staf Van Reets in Europe today, winning a long list of premier positions in the Three Borders Federation in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, including 1st SMT Combine Bergerac (450 miles), with him clocking his sole entry on the day and 2nd SMT Combine Messac. His performance from the longest old bird race Bergerac was what dreams are made of; he sent one pigeon and won the Three Borders Federation and SMT Combine by a country mile! I think I’m correct in stating that Paul’s Combine winner had the best velocity of any pigeon liberated in Bergerac that day, also beating the London & South East Classic Club and the Central South Classic Flying Club. An absolutely fantastic performance! The Bergerac Combine winner was Paul’s two year old Grizzle cock, ‘Victor’ and he is a Staf Van Reet / Roland Janssen cross, with his sire being a top performer at the Arnold loft, in the form the ‘19’ cock. This super Staf Van Reet cock has won many premier positions including: seven times 1st club, 2nd Federation (twice), 3rd Federation and is a grandson of Paul’s champion breeder, ‘The Governor’. Paul had trouble motivating the Combine winner, ‘Victor’, in the first half of the 2011 season, but a week before the Tours race hen lost his hen and took up with a new mate in a different nest box. After that he never looked back, being sent to Bergerac for his Combine win driving his hen to nest. The super Paul Arnold / Staf Van Reet pigeons are winning premier prizes for many other fanciers in the UK!
That’s your lot for this week! I can be contact with any pigeon news on telephone number: 01372 463480. My new email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)