Joe Murphy Article 29th April 2024

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How to prepare for long distance racing. I quote from the article; written by Baker Brothers of
Chesterfield away back in 1947 the year I was born; but believe me there is a lot of true and good common
sense in this article; I hope some novice take notice.
‘After carefully examining each pigeon after the last racing season, with the moult finished we carefully
examine each pigeon and dispose of any that do not come up to our standard. The moult indicated that the
health of the pigeon, from now on we feed one meal each day with the birds given a full crop, with a slight
purgative each weekend. But we cannot stress too strongly about regular times of feeding, so very important
to success is regularity in times of feeding all the year round. The racers are allowed to rear one squeaker
only each year, and then they are raced on dummy eggs, for we soon found out you cannot race and rear
successive nests of squeakers, and win out of turn. The pigeons earmarked for the long-distance races get
slightly different treatment to coincide with date fixed for races, of later mating. These mating’s, as was our
champion cock was allowed to rear one youngster to nine days when it was taken away from him and put
under feeders. He was then allowed to go to nest again, and sent to Bordeaux sitting seven days, and had not
reared a squeaker up fully in his life. Or method of training, in common with the majority of fanciers, are in
stages of from five to forty miles, with old and young birds. Our champion cock was given 3 tosses alone at
150 miles, which we feel sure these single up tosses teach then to be self-reliant when competing in the long
races and the flocks split up. No mysterious potions, or pills, are ever used, they only impair the pigeon’s
digestion, strict cleanliness in the loft, fresh water at each feed, best grain available, plenty of basket
training, with an occasional tonic, is routine work with us. What we consider most important is the breeding
of young from our stock birds, for we well know the loft would be put back two or three years by a setback
during the breeding season. We leave all stock pairs along during incubation and rearing, and all squabs are
weaned at from twenty-one to twenty-four days, when any not up to standard are quickly suppressed. We
take no notice of wing condition of moult in our racers when basketing for marking, relying on general
outward appearance to select our fittest candidates. Many fanciers will disagree with us in our method of
selection, but our champion cock had not thrown a flight when he returned from the Boudreaux races. This
will confound the critics, who say a pigeon only starts to show his best form when it starts to moult. We
would like to mention to our novice friends to make sure first they have the right pigeons to work on, good
fancier-ship will not produce results, you must have the right tackle. Our simple methos on the right pigeons
will produce results’. I hope someone gets something from the above as it is straight forward and good
common sense.

Weekly Results

If any club wishes to have their weekly results published in my column; I require them by Tuesday of each
week, as I have to have my column typed and forwarded to the BHW on Wednesday. If you wish to have
your federation or club winners photo included in the column then please send it by email along with your
result. Or fanciers themselves can forward their photography to me personally; remember to give me some
details on the pigeon.
East of Scotland
News from Tom McEwan regarding the first race of the old bird season for 2024; the convoy was liberated
at 7am into a west wind on 13 th April. Topping the federation on this opening race was Graham Wardhaugh
of Darlington with a yearling blue cock. His sire topped the federation from Catterick and also won 3 rd
federation from Billericay last year. Dam is from David Owen from Coldingham stock. Keith Howie had a
great race winning 2 nd 3 rd 5 th 6 th & 10 th open. With John Baillie in with a nice double winning 4 th & 9 th
position. Grant French & son of Haddington wins 7 th open, completing the top ten are Mr & Mrs March of
Prestonpans in 8 th place.
Prestonpans HS

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Winning 1 st club is Keith Howie with a 2-year-old blue pied cock; he won 2 nd federation last year from
Thirsk and he also won 20 th section 66 th open SNFC Brighton. His sire is a Vandenabeele from Graham
Stewart. Dam of the winner is direct from Keith’s champion ‘Blue Arrow’. Keith’s 2 nd club winner is a
Vandenabeele bloodline his dam is a full sister to Blue Arrow’, this bird won 1 st club 2 nd federation from
Catterick last year. 3 rd club is John Baillie with a blue cock bred by Freddie & Willie Robertson of
Edinburgh from their Herman Custer bloodlines. Tom expressed the wishes and thoughts of ALL club
members by saying; ‘It is very sad that John Bird from Prestonpans won’t be with us to enjoy the start of
the ‘Sport He Loved’.
Pentlandhills Federation
News from Andy Miller; writes; Hope you and the boss are keeping well. Here’s the news of the first old
bird race of the year; which kicked off from Otterburn on 13 th April, with a distance of 56-68 miles for the
members. Liberated at 07:00 in a W/S/W wind, the leaders made short work as always. Winning 1 st
federation is Castlebrae club secretary Robert Sammels who timed his 2-year-old hen on 1571. The sire is a
De Bishop gifted by F & W Robertson in 2019 and the dam a Busschaert x Soontjen. She has been a good
hen previously a winner of 5 x 1 st clubs and 3 rd open in the Danderhall Xmas race in 2023, she is also a full
sister to 1533 the winner of 2022 Xmas race, so as you can see good winning lines; Well, done Robert. 2 nd
place goes to W Kinnear & son with T Nolan & Son winning 3 rd 10 th & 11 th places. Freddie & Willie
Robertson are 4 th & 5 th with Helen Aitken & sons taking the next 2 places, followed by L Affleck in 8 th spot.
Brown & Black win 9 th open; regards Andy. With there not much going on so far at the start of the new
season I have picked out some old photos to make up the column.
Photos

Robert Sammels Pentlandhills Fed Winner; Kardale Style; Winner of SNFC Gold Award bred and raced
by the late Dale Newcombe; as a matter of interest his sire was a son of ‘Fortune Lady’. My next
photograph is of ‘Bonnie Lass of St Vigean’s’ who was bred and race by the late Bill Dorward of Arbroath
racing pigeon club; last but not least is my old pal Walker Kennedy of Dunfermline with his good friend
the late Eric Fox of Bakewell, who was a top NFC fancier.

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