Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present...

Bob & Anthony Besant of Worcester Park 

I was highly delighted to see my good friend, Bob Besant, re-enter the sport at the beginning of 2008, after a fifteen years lay off and at that time I predicted he would set the sport alight and he already has! Racing only nine National and Classic races in the last two seasons, the father and son partnership, have recorded: 2008: 16th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 25th, 28th, 33rd open BICC young bird Guernsey (2,316 birds), 2nd, 4th, 38th, 50th, 54th, 60th open L&SECC young bird Guernsey (1,590 birds): 2009: 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 100th open L&SECC Alencon (2,513 birds), 54th, 86th, 135th open L&SECC Tours (2,253 birds), 35th, 121st, 215th, 310th, 334th open BICC Poitiers (2,596 birds), 59th, 118th, 125th, 209th, 362nd open NFC Messac (7,000 plus birds), 2nd, 24th open L&SECC Bergerac (1,135 birds), 456th open NFC Saintes (single entry) (4,417 birds), 14th, 51st, 53rd, 56th, 80th, 94th, 95th, 98th, 99th, 102nd, 108th, 111th, 112th, 113th, 114th, 116th, 118th, 119th, 120th, 121st, 154th, 155th, 156th, 164th, 218th open L&SECC young bird Guernsey (2,000 birds). What a come back!

When the partners were thinking about the re-start they did a lot of research into the best of the modern day families and decided the best, which were taking Europe by storm, were the G. Koopman & son of Emerueen, Holland pigeons. Through the years, Bob, has constantly updated him self on the winning families and tells me the Koopman pigeons are the best one day pigeons around right now and are the most expensive birds in the world. The partners have set out to concentrate all their efforts on middle distance racing up to Bergerac (450 miles). Bob and Anthony have about ten pairs of Koopman pigeons at stock and children off their ‘Master Tip’ have scored at Classic level from the out set.  A big presence in the Besant loft is pigeons obtained from their friends of many years standing, Page Brothers of Yorkshire and the main line is their out standing ‘Gladiator’ long distance bloodline. The Besant stock loft houses direct children of ‘Tips’, ‘Amira’, ‘Shiva’ and ‘De Lorris’, but Bobby says, ‘he is always looking to up grade the stock, as we feel you must always try to improve’. Bobby likes the eye sign theory, but maintains the ‘eye sign’ is only one many attributes he look for when picking out new stock birds.

Bob and Anthony have a very smart new 26ft self designed racing loft, which has four spacious sections and ETS clocking, which Bobby enjoys very much. He says the main factor in good loft design is dryness, good ventilation and plenty of light. Deep litter has been used and Bobby maintains that if it is kept dry there are no problems, but it can be a bit dusty. The old birds were raced on the roundabout system in the 2009 season, because with new families the partners had to find out how good the hens were. The system is very simple, with the cocks and hens being keep separate during the week and allowed to run together before going in to the basket for marking. The racers are paired up just after the BHW Blackpool Show in January and after rearing their youngsters are given training off the south coast, before going on regular exercise around the loft. Bobby has been a Postman for 35 years and because of his work has only a limited time with pigeons, so only lets them out for one hour fly each day, but would prefer two one hour stints. The feeding is basic widowhood, but the Besant partners do use a breakdown mixture when needed and are not shy of training during the season if it was necessary. Bobby says, ‘the birds tell you if they are in good form and as we have one day pigeons we tend to set our loft up for the 450 mile National and Classic races’. During the moult period the birds are given as much variation in the feeding as possible, with plenty of quality seeds.

The best racing cock in the loft at present is the yearling blue cock, ‘Classic Near Miss’ and he has a brilliant racing record, winning six premier positions in the National and Classic including: 2008: 2nd SW section, 2nd open L&SECC Guernsey (1,590 birds): 2009: 2nd SW section, 2nd open L&SECC Bergerac (1,135 birds). This champion racing cock was bred by Page Brothers of Yorkshire and is down from their ‘Gladiator’ bloodlines. Another favourite at the Worcester Park loft is the handsome blue chequer cock, ‘Vic’s Cock’, winner in 2009 of 34th section E, 59th open NFC Messac (7,000 plus birds) and he was bred by the Janssen ‘ace’, Vic Johnson of Kingston. Bob and Anthony breed about 60 young birds for racing each season and these are trained along the south coast from Brighton to Portsmouth, before giving them two Guernsey (166 miles) races. The racing youngsters are put on the ‘darkness’ system and are allowed to pair up, and sit eggs to motivate them for racing. They like the birds to be tame and bonded to them, and say the odd well bred late bred is useful for stock purposes.

I have known the Besant family for nearly 40 years, and in that time I have seen them win every major award there is to win in pigeon racing. The brothers, Ken, Bobby and Ron, have won at Club, Open, Federation, Combine and National level and theirs must be rated as one of the all time great lofts in the United Kingdom. When I first met Bobby and Ken in the early 1970’s, their dad, Cecil, had just passed away and the boys were about to take over the very successful C. H. Besant & sons pigeons. Although I never met Cecil, I had always admired his fantastic performances in the Surrey Federation. The boys carried this great fancier’s name on in pigeon racing history and took it to an even higher degree.

In the early years the brothers raced many different strains of pigeons with outstanding success including Fred Meale, Delwich, Krauth, Van Hee, Busschaert, and all have produced super pigeons for them. The Besant loft has won 1st open National Flying Club twice; the first time in 1979 from Guernsey with their champion young bird, ‘Stafford All Alone’ and this game Krauth blue cock beat 9,353 birds, and won the Young Bird National by five clear minutes. Champion ‘Stafford All Alone’ was a full brother to the widowhood blue cock Champion ‘White Beak’, winner of 14 times first prize, beaten by loft mates for a further six firsts, and both these Krauth cocks went to Louella Pigeon World. “White beak” was once said to one of the most outstanding Krauths in Europe, winning 68 prizes from 87 miles through to 555 miles. He was also said to be one of the most versatile Krauths at that time, winning from Blandford, and then going on to record 150th open (6,066 birds) N.F.C. Pau (555 miles). The two brothers were bred from the stock pair, ‘Duke’ and ‘Duchess’, both direct Martin Krauth imports. The brothers’ champion Busschaert widowhood cock ‘Little Dark’ was also sold to Regency Lofts and other champions to grace the New Malden loft were ‘Flight Leader’ and ‘Treble Three’. Kenny and Bobby raced to their dad’s loft for my years and were premier prize winners in the Kingston & District H.S. countless times through the year, including 1993, when they flew only part of the programme.

In the most recent years the partnership was made up of Bobby, Ken and Bobby’s son, Anthony. The loft won 1st open National Flying Club for the second time in 1991, from Bordeaux, with 3,776 birds taking part in the race. The partners’ winner, the Herbot blue cock, Champion ‘Besant’s Bishop’s Pride’, was bred by Brian Bishop of Sutton and in six consecutive races he won: 2nd club Weymouth (108 miles), 5th club Exeter (151 miles), 28th section E. (2,500 birds), 254th open NFC Nantes (10,591 birds), 1st club, 1st Surrey Federation Weymouth (1,973 birds), 1st section E, 1st open NFC Bordeaux (3,776 birds). This great pigeon won the National by over 45 minutes, winning £4,478, a record amount of cash for a single pigeon in one race at that time, winning an RPRA Merit Award for 250-450 miles performance, awarded the London Social Champion of London Trophy in 1991. Ken said at the time he was a once in a lifetime pigeon and was a champion at stock, his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews all won in open and national competition. Bobby told me this NFC win was his all time greatest thrill in pigeon racing! The partners’ main racing families in the 1990’s were Herbot, Janssen and Busschaerts. The Herbots originated from Rex Doe of Cornwall, who had been a great flier fore many years. The first Herbot pigeons came from Brian Bishop of Sutton, including Champion ‘Besant’s Bishop’s Pride’, the Bordeaux National winner.

Bobby has been a very good friend of mine for many years and as I’ve written many time before, he is one of the best pigeon fanciers I’ve ever met! Bobby is a pigeon fancier of the highest order, but always knew where to draw the line where his family were concerned, always putting Angela and the kids first. Bobby is a great guy and a brilliant pigeon fancier. Look out lads, Bobby’s back! I can be contacted on Telephone: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.