THREE BORDERS FED
by Keith Mott
Blandford 2
The Federation has enjoyed a good young bird season with the early results being dominated by the Esher & District RPC members. Positions won by the club include: Blandford (1): Martin Penfold won the Federation with Esher members taking twelve prizes in the result: Wincanton: Danny Allison recorded 1st, 2nd, 3rd Federation and the Esher took eleven positions: Yeovil: The club took six prizes with Chris Slight and Trevor Taylor winning 2nd Federation: Taunton: Bobby & Danny Carter recorded 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 20th, 24th Federation with the club taking eleven positions in the Federation result. A fantastic performance by one the strongest clubs in the South of England!
The Federation sent 1,286 birds to the come back Blandford race and the membership enjoyed a good quick race, with the birds being liberated at 09.30hrs in a west / south west wind. The Malik & Khan partnership of the Esher club carried on the clubs winning ways by recording 1st, 2nd, 3rd Federation. Imran Malik and his partners have been outstanding in the Federation in recent season, but have become really outstanding young bird specialists, winning the Federation many times with their babies.
The first ten in the Three Borders Federation result from Blandford were: 1) Malik & Khan 1723: 2) Malik & Khan 1721: 3) Malik & Khan 1719: 4) T. & G. Dye 1713: 5) Paul Arnold 1706: 6) Trussler Brothers 1706: 7) Tony Dann 1703: 8) Trussler Brothers 1695: 9) Colin Cook & Andy Iddenden 1691: 10) Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden 1690.
The Malik & Khan youngsters are put on the ‘darkness’ system on the last weekend in March and they come off normally at the back end of June. The loft houses 50 young birds for racing and they race the whole programme, although Imran says he wished he had it in him to stop a few and save them for old birds racing, but he is to greedy and wantS to win every thing he can with young birds. He maintains he just loves young bird racing! Ten cocks are put on the widowhood system and the rest are raced to the perch, although they are allowed to pair up and have eggs and youngsters if they want. Training starts two weeks after they come off the ‘dark’ and this is worked up in stages to 25 miles and they get three 25 mile tosses ever week during the racing season. The widowhood cocks are treated like old birds and are not trained during the racing season. The Malik & Khan partnership have won the Federation many times racing their young birds in recent seasons, with 2009 being one of their best to date. The three lads had worked very hard with their young birds and taken the Federation by storm, winning: 1st Federation West Bay (2,183 birds), 1st, 2nd Federation Kingsdown (1972 birds), 5th, 6th, 7th Federation Wincanton (1991 birds). The last weekend of the 2009 season saw the Three Borders Federation hold it’s longest young bird race from Yelverton (175 miles) and Malik & Khan won 1st Federation, 1st open SMT Combine. The Federation sent 1,409 birds to Yelverton and with the convoy being liberated at 09.00hrs in a very stiff East / North East wind, made the partners performance even more outstanding. Fantastic young bird flying by any ones standards!
Imran started racing pigeons in the 2004 season with a team of young birds purchased from Louella Pigeon World and in the 2005 season Janssens were introduced from Imran’s uncles, Khan Brothers of Kingston. The 2005 young bird season saw him smash his novice status and recorded 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th Federation in that season. He races 16 old bird cocks on the widowhood system. Imran only likes short racing and has no interest what so ever in long distance pigeon racing. Whether it be the old bird or young bird widowhood system, the birds are broke down for several days each week and the hens are shown on marking night, but if it looks like being a very easy race, they might only be shown the nest bowls. The cocks get their mates for a couple of hours on their return from the race.
It’s nice to see Tony Dann of Leatherhead up in the Federation result from Blandford, as he been out of Federation racing for a few seasons, returning to the Esher club this year with great success. ‘Desperate’ only keeps a small team of birds and has won this year: 20th Federation Wincanton (1,701 birds), 2nd, 19th Federation Wincanton (1,995 birds), 21st Federation Wincanton (1,748 birds), 3rd Federation Alencon (736 birds), 5th Federation Yeovil (1,506 birds), 23rd Federation Honiton (1,286 birds), 13th Federation Yeovil (857 birds), 19th Federation Bergerac (447 miles), 7th Federation Blandford (1,286 birds).
Tony and his wife, Gudda, put their old birds on the Roundabout system for the first time in 2011 and this produced one of their best racing seasons in recent years. They won many firsts in the very strong ‘Lion Brewery’ mid-week club, but the highlight of the season was recording 2nd open L&SECC Alencon. The London and South East Classic opening race of the 2011 season was the Alencon Classic and members send 1,811 birds, which were liberated at 09.15 am into a light south east wind. Tony recorded 2nd open with his top blue hen ‘Molly’ and she was bred his very successful Steven Van Breeman lines. Originally Tony’s late father, Wally, purchased four birds from Matt Rakes and upon Tony's dad passing these birds were transferred to Tony, and ‘Molly’ was bred from these pairings. ‘Molly’ previously won 3rd Open when Tony won the first three positions in the ‘Lion Brewery’ Open Race from Merville. The Alencon Classic was Molly’s first race on the Roundabout system.
Tony had three pigeons well out in front to record 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the ‘Lion Brewery’ Merville open. He was at work on the Monday morning and 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 has 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. The next two pigeons on the clock to take 2nd and 3rd open were two more natural Van Breemans blue hens, ‘Megan’ and ‘Molly’, and they are 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. 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 ago, 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’. He has not been a member of a Saturday Federation club for several seasons, so decided to use the ‘Lion Brewery’ midweek Hamworthy races 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 in 2008 and recorded an outstanding pigeon to win 4th section E, 6th 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 has raced well from France since.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)