IS THIS A PIGEON.
OR IS THIS A PIGEON.
By Jack Curtis.
This article is based upon a Fancier and pigeon well outside my normal range, but I just could not overlook
The chance to put them before the fancy, as they have both caught my imagination, by their unique record.
The fancier in question is Adrian Human of Petersfield in Hampshire, and I remember passing through Petersfield in the bus, on my way to Portsmouth while I was doing my National Service, and was stationed at Bordon in Havana Barracks the REME workshops. That was some 60 years ago but I remember the big NAAFI Club in Pompey, with its vast array of female talent from all three services, not a bad place to spend your Saturday nights. So apart from my view from the bus window, you know as much about peters field as I do, however if you refer to the BBC Barcelona Race flown the 2nd of July, and look at the pigeon in 4th position, you will read the ring number GB99J41926 and see that it flew 678 miles 393 yards, at a velocity of 556.85 ypm.
That ring number is no miss print as the Blue Chequer Cock “RAMSDEAN RELIANCE” had it placed upon his leg when he was born in 1999, and has carried it across the channel almost every year of his life, to many long race points in both France and Spain. He is of almost 100% Cattrysse bloodlines going back to the Davenport family at their base, with Newmans lines of the same family added later, plus Norman Bishops Cattrysse to create the present family. If you own a copy of my book “Breeders Digest” there is a comprehensive pedigree of the Cattrysse breeding methods from the foundation cock “Grote Blauwe” right through to Davenports “Game Lady”, and these are the lines that have produced an ELEVEN YEAROLD 4th OPEN WINNER at the massive distance of 678 miles, against 415 hand picked competitors, to which I will add Bloody Fantastic.
His Eye,
The first thing I noticed about this fantastic cock was his eyesign, which I knew straight away was almost identical to the two UNC pigeons that were 1st and 2nd Open bourges, which is our longest race and the winner flew 586 miles and the 2nd Open 569 miles, with velocities of 869 and 860 ypm. I have harped on now for quite a few years about my common factors, and here I find further proof as Reliance has almost identical sign structure to the two Bourges pigeons, plus they are all CLASSIC LONG DISTANCE WINNERS IN LOW VELOCITY RACES. You wouldn’t say he has a FLASHY type of eye, and would struggle in a show, but he carries all of the right characteristics both as a racer and a breeder, so lets have a peep.
Pupil is quite normal, and with a good glass his second circle of adaptation is shown as wisps of smoke, then moving out from the pupil his third circle of correlation is easy to see, all nicely etched around its perimeter
To hold in a yellow based sign, full of spots, pock marks,dust and a dark slash right in the 9 oclock position,
With the dilute shading sitting right in line with his beak, for a great racing sign. His iris is really red cloud over an old gold base, with the breeding marks showing as wires, worms, and squiggles, especially strong at the front of his eye, and from what I can see of his fifth circle it is dark brown/green which again is a big plus from me. It is still bright and clear, end of story.
Barcelona.
The name of this famous race point always brings one pigeons name to the front of my mind, and that pigeon is none other than John Taylor of Walsalls “NEWS LAD”, who won this race in both 1956 and 1957 seasons, a UNIQUE DOUBLE especially in the conditions in which these races were flown. This fine Blue Cock was five years old when he won the first time, with a velocity of 712 ypm flying 797 miles, and he was placed 49th in the international result. In 1957 he came again and won a disasterous race with a velocity of 270 ypm, and what a test of stamina that must have been for him, as well as homing ability. I know his genes went into DEREK SMITHS great all distance winning family, and are still floating about in Bryan Denny’s brilliant 700 plus mile family, which proves the point that class will always tell.
However let me return to RAMSDEAN RELIANCE and his illustrious career, which I want to pick up in 2003 when he came out of Palamos with the British Barcelona Club, to win 7th Section A, 19th Open, velocity 446 ypm flying 657 miles, he followed on in 2004 with 10th section, 44th Open, vel344 ypm, then in 05 he came again to claim 17th
Section,51st Open, vel 198 ypm. The year 1006 saw him back again to win23rd section, 108th Open, vel 455 ypm,
Then from Barcelona in 2009 he won 4th section, 16th open at 678 miles, vel 568 ypm, and finally 2010 saw him come again to win 2nd section, 4th Open, with a velocity of 556 ypm, and I don’t know if Adrian is going to finish him there or keep him going, but if he never flies another inch he has proven himself to be a SUPER PIGEON, TESTED AND TESTED AGAIN AND AGAIN
He has bred some superb offsprings which makes him a complete all rounder, and I congratulate Adrian for having the nerve and skill to create such a marvellous pigeon, which is a credit to the whole British Fancy, win so outstandingly, when many lofts can hardly raise performing 3 and 4 yearolds.
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The N.E.H.U race from Melton Mowbray 21/4/2012 was won by Peel bros of South Shields, they took 1st club 1st fed, also taking 2nd and 4th club and 15 of the 25 birds clocked in the club......well done Peel brothers.
