25-Z11348 BLUE HEN A late-bred held back for 2027 — from a dam already breeding winners for Richardson & Son de Bruijne

25-Z11348 BLUE HEN A late-bred held back for 2027 — from a dam already breeding winners for Richardson & Son de Bruijne

A late-bred 2025 blue hen from the Willow Lofts cross of 24-V59476, a stock cock linebred to "Blue Spider", and 23-D92857, the dam of winners for Richardson & Son of Horden including a 2nd Open 2-Bird. Two inbred parents crossed to give a near-outcross youngster carrying both branches of the Syndicate Lofts' William de Bruijne family.

Late-bred in 2025 and given three races only. The card says she was "ready for 2027 but sadly not to be" — she has been brought on slowly, as late-breds should be, with a full season in her ahead.

The Sire — 24-V59476

Stock cock · Equinox × Golden Jade · linebred to Blue Spider

A stock cock the card describes as a "prolific sire of top class birds — his young always in high demand". He is bred from the two most important birds in the Willow Lofts stock loft: "Equinox" (22-V51607) and "Golden Jade" (23-V72081), the loft's No. 1 breeder.

Equinox is a son of "Blue Spider" × "Murphy's Diamond", bought from the syndicate for a large sum, and the card credits him with a 2nd Open 2-Bird and "many more through this cock". Golden Jade's 2026 youngsters won £1,400 in breeder/buyer racing and she bred a 2nd G.Y.A. against 1,200 birds. Golden Jade is also a daughter of Blue Spider, so this cock is bred half-brother × half-sister on Blue Spider — a deliberate concentration of the syndicate's best breeder.

The Dam — 23-D92857

Dam of winners for Richardson & Son, Horden · nest-mate bred, Al Willem × Willems Gold

The card calls her a "brilliant breeder", the dam of "top-top" winners for Richardson & Son of Horden and others, among them a 2nd Open 2-Bird for Jimmy Richardson. Those winners were flown in other men's lofts, which is the most convincing kind of produce record there is.

She is bred from a nest-mate pairing: her sire "Al Willem" (22-V51475) and her dam "Willems Gold" (22-V51476) are full brother and sister, both out of "Yuri" (NL-20-1775679) × "Maggy Murphy" (NL-20-1775681) — a pair another Willow Lofts card says "bred numerous wins". Yuri is a son of "Uranus", 2nd Dutch National, and "Olga", 1st Dutch National.

Foot note from Howard himself

In 2024 I was told I had stage 4 prostrate cancer which had gone to my bones, so I sold nearly all my race bird’s including stock. My last sale was due for Dec 2024 with 20 late breds and 4 stock birds. On my visit too Hull Hospital in Nov 2024 to see my consultant Doctor Patu, he informed me that he though my treatment was working because my P.S.I. was dropping from 940, and it is now undetectable, so I decided too give it another try racing, racing only 5 race bird in 2025 old birds on rubbers. They won or were first 4 in every old bird race, ending with 2nd GYA, 1200 odd bird’s.

I was invited to join a very strong club for young birds, and they flew really well winning a few races, in many arriving in bunches.

In 2026 old bird I was 2nd Fed ECT despite me going on a cruise for 2 wks. In young bird season: first Grantham 88ml 1st 2nd 3rd 4th, 1st Ebor Fed; Grantham (2) 1st club 1st Fed; Huntingdon 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th, first 4 in Fed; and in last race of season 1st club 1st Fed, Decoy Lakes.

Winning 3rd breeder buyer in GYA £400,
In the club 1st and 2nd breeder buyer and £1,000.

So thats all bragging done, now onto birds.

Mostly ‘William De Bruije’ from syndicate loft, with a few Luc Vavort’s, all very nr the tree: Lawman, Blue Spider, Erin, Little China Girl, All the Aces, Yurri, Murphys Diamond, Red Rum, Sweet Caroline, Maggy Murphy, and many more. I still have ‘Golden Jade’ – her young this yr alone have won me £1400 in B and B. These will be my last ever sales as I am 86 now.