
midnight_son
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Everything posted by midnight_son
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Live athletics from Gateshead on Sky just now, dry and bright, broken cloud so hopefully the mucky weather is just hanging on the coast
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I would certainly vote for it, I think the NFC website with the live preliminary result and the database facility is great and adds another layer of interest to the classic racing.
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Correct ! Would be great to have such facilities on our national websites. Doesn't seem that difficult to achieve with a relatively small amount of investment so maybe it will happen soon.
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I've sent 4 hens including 3 that have been on SNFC results previously - but only one of them at the long race. My dad has sent 4 as well. 672 miles to us. Good luck all and hope for a Saturday race or its going to be yet another day off work to deal with a national race in 2012 !!
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4 or 5 for Ypres and then 4 for Niort - should be good !
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Timed an old 6YO hen at 1848. For all she's 6YO this was her first time at the water since 2008 due to hawk attack in 2009, lost the plot in 2010 and then retired in 2011. Good to have her back on song four years later !
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What is the fastest velocity in SNFC gold cup history ? Fastest in my memory was Matt McLauchlan winning in 1994. Could be a new record set tomorrow with 20mph SSW all the way from channel up. Hope its not stupidly fast - doesn't feel right to be timing in from the channel in the afternoon rather than the evening !
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Times And Returns In Your Area Sat 23Rd June 2012
midnight_son replied to budgie's topic in Notice Board
Thanks, sounds like they had a good race, hope its a nice 13 hour race next week for us as well ! -
Times And Returns In Your Area Sat 23Rd June 2012
midnight_son replied to budgie's topic in Notice Board
Any times from Bourges into UNC/NEHU ? -
There is a slightly out of date one on the SNFC website, done about 6 or 7 years ago i think, but anything you want to know, please just ask. http://www.snfc.co.uk/Article/R%20Combe%20Article2.pdf Jamie Combe
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11 lengths officially - magnificent display !!
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Bit of exaggeration there Mr Hood. The scary thing is that if we keep having stinkers in the first inland national, it'll not be a 700 mile race with 4 baskets in a camper van, it'll be the gold cup itself. Bring back Sartilly 1 !
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I agree, stick to the channel but I'm sure it was Gareth who proposed no inland nationals at the last AGM and it got beaten soundly. Everybody says cut back on the inland nationals but when it came to putting hands in the air the members voted to keep them unfortunately.
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John Bosworth Elphinstone 1502 and myself Jamie Combe, Elphinstone 1509 1 out of 3 Well done to all the leaders
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Gary, you're a tad west of me and I'm nowhere near the East Coast. Eyemouth up to Dunbar - thats East Coast, we're an hour on the wing from there in a west wind. There is a big difference between East Region and East Coast. Good luck next week, you'll have Mr Bosworth to beat again judging by the way his team were rattling in yesterday but you nearly cracked it last year.
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Were there any boundary changes ?
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I notice from the race program that the BBC has a charity race from Fougeres in early July. That will be a nice distance into central Scotland - around 500-520 miles. Unfortunately it is likely to clash with an SNFC weekend (subject to the race program being set). Maybe the SNFC could joint convoy with them ? Later in July they have a race from Bordeaux which could be an option for those wanting to try something a bit further. It comes after the SNFC programme ends and will be about 775 miles to central Scotland. I think I'd be more inclined to try that one than to try Barcelona as it would still just about be a race at that distance rather than just an endurance test.
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There is only so much that can be done as there is a finite number of long distance flyers around at the moment. For me, the long term solution is to get more people into long distance racing and to do that requires a radical rethink of the race programme so that it encourages fanciers to develop a team for long distance racing. In the pre inland national days there was an excellent programme, structured well allowing 4 x channel races (over 500 miles to the central belt). That was an encouragement for folk to keep a team of channel birds, prepare them properly and have ample recovery time between the first and last to get them sitting down again thereby recycling the entries from race 1 into race 4, making the most of the available pigeon population. There is a school of thought that if we have less distance races we'll have a great gold cup. I disagree - there is a great danger in trying to focus all the channel birds into one race that it will actually put people off having long distance pigeons. I for one would not be knocking my pan in all year to have one long distance race. What if you wait all year for your one wee buzz of long distance racing and it turns out like Messac this year ? That is extreme but bad races happen at long distance (regardless of route) always have and always will. For me, a programme is needed, the more people keep long distance pigeons the more suitable pigeons are available for the gold cup. My solution would be to dump the first inland national or change it so that it becomes 2 liberations (one for the east side of the country and one for the west - different racpoints if necessary) and loses its "national" status. It is effectively a trial for the channel birds, a prep race with no bearing on national trophies and averages. It would take the pressure out of getting a time in from it, folk would only send birds that really need a bit of time on the wing before France rather than sending big squads to try and be competitive, usually taking a pasting in returns. All that race has to do is provide good returns so the birds are ready for the gold cup or the long race so we should take steps to try and make returns better - hence my idea to split it east and west. I would then move Ypres from where it is now and have it to replace Eastbourne and allow the feds to treat it like Eastbourne and add it to their programme if they wish. This would have the benefit of allowing federation flyers to sample cross channel racing, hopefully they have a good experience and try to get more involved in future years. It would take away the mental block about going over the water. Then the gold cup in its usual slot - 530 to 560 miles into Central belt Having 2 races on the same weekend in recent years has been madness and detracts from both. Moving Ypres frees up the long race to be the headline act of that weekend. Hopefully we can continue joint convoy with Midlands National as that gives our birds a good start. Finish off with 500 miler 2 weeks later as is traditional. Perhaps we can tag onto Midlands National again who were at Vire when we were at Clermont in 2011. In Summary Channel Prep/Trial race 1st Sat June SNFC Ypres (with feds) - 3rd Sat June SNFC Gold Cup - last Friday June SNFC Tours/600 mile - 1st weekend July SNFC 500 miles central belt - 3rd weekend July That, to me, is a program that supports and develops long distance racing within the SNFC which in turn would boost the gold cup.
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What Have Your Club Mates Done That Have Made You Laugh
midnight_son replied to a topic in Chit-Chat
In his youth my old man used to run regular shows through the winter in the Pond Hall in Port Seton. At that time he had a pigeon that was famous within the club for its highly unusual appearance - a darkish red cheq on one side and a dark cheq on the other. Whichever way you looked at it, it was quite a fine looker. He used to enter it in the thru the wires class where the judges would usually mark it on the first pass and come back with the cane to have a closer look at it when deciding the cards. There was always great hilarity when all the members were waiting to see the judge's reaction as he turned this bonny red/dark around to find it was the other colour on the other side ! -
Pigeon related double on Monday at Newcastle races. 2.20 Grizzle 2.50 Slatey Hen Each way double ?
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Grizzle has his 2nd run in the 1820 at Newmarket on Friday. Looks to have a very good chance if he comes on a bit for his debut but you won't get rich at forecast odds of 2/1
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I got one about 10 days after the race, totally flown out, poor wee hen. Just the 1 home out of 3. My dad up to 3/5 now, his 3rd one home last week.
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I believe Alastair Rae of Bonnyrigg still has a good team of mostly red/red cheq Carmichael Kirkpatricks that have been kept pure
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Raymond White won Sartilly with a Red Cheq hen in 85. My dad was 3rd open that day and I remember being a wee lad at the time and being fascinated with the photo of Raymond's red hen in the BHW studbook. Sarkfoot Jean or something she was called if memory serves. As for Dickie Graham's red Carmichael Kirkpatricks, they didn't just win in the show pen. I bought SU83S 09043 when he was a 7 year old for £20. He was a beautiful red cock bred by Dickie but he had changed hands and I bought him at a sale. There was no pedigree, just said Kirkpatrick '1276' lines. I was 13 at the time and had some pocket money saved so snuck away from my dad so I could bid without him seeing as he wouldn't have approved of buying a 7 year old. Got him for £20 and he went into the stock loft. He escaped from the stock loft 2 years later and out of the handful that he bred were 0399 Red Cheq Cock who won 33rd open Rennes as a yearling, his nestmate 0400 another Red cock who won from the YB national before going on to breed Midnight Son a Gold Award winner and Dewar Trophy winner and another sister of those 2 - 3220 who was 22nd open Sartilly as a yearling.
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Got my last one home today. The old hen has been hawked again ! That is 4 times to France, two high positions and twice hawked. As a 2YO she was set up for the last one when bird flu hit France and we had to fly Eastbourne instead - she won from that as well but that doesn't count for silver or gold awards. Between bird flu and hawks, fate has certainly made sure she isn't getting one. Thats her retired now, not going to chase a silver award after all the things that have gone against her I can take the hint.