2017 Nationals

[dunc50]

with another poor national, could this be the end off the blue ribbon races from over the water in France, or is it just a bad season ??

[greenbar]

Serious bad season,a whole stack of winners missing,and one more national to go.our dodgey weather does not help.who,d be a race controller,

[DJWa]

with another poor national, could this be the end off the blue ribbon races from over the water in France, or is it just a bad season ??

 

why not try a year of only liberating snfc races on a Friday

where possible

 

that would have to help with returns

with very few or no other liberations

to interfere with the birds :drinking-coffee-200:

[craigydoo]

why not go to two day nationals, liberated between 12-2 , then there will be no day pigeons they will all go down, not completely exhausted and race home on day two.

[greenbar]

Won't happen Craig.

[eastcoaster]

There have been bad years in the past and will be again , the national from France is the buzz race and can never change ! Ask all the top distance men and they will dust themselves down and get on with it .

But agree there must be changes in the information we get about weather and other organisations in same area not libbing when we do and let's get video of liberation and pictures of the channel sent back to the members as the more info the better .

I was lucky to get a good doo in gold cup but it was still a disaster of a race , but I know how it feels not getting one as I never timed from 1st or 2nd national plus many more over the years so do know the hurt .

But the gold cup HAS to be from France or national racing has bit the dust ,

This is only my opinion on way forward .

Colin

[Dmurray]

This is the worse year for national racing that I have saw since being in the doo game

[dal2]

Won't happen Craig.

Thankfully

[hotrod]

Thankfully

It's no use shooting it down Steven ,something needs to be done or there will be no overseas races soon , so we've not to lib mid day ,not race from Ypres line of flight what's the other options ? Yes the weather doesn't help .

[geordie1234]

Channel racing is dead... if Peta got a hold of the percentages tht return we would be fkd

 

Imagine 10% of horses survived the grand national? The rest never survived...ppl would be in jail

[dal2]

It's no use shooting it down Steven ,something needs to be done or there will be no overseas races soon , so we've not to lib mid day ,not race from Ypres line of flight what's the other options ? Yes the weather doesn't help .

It's my opinion Stuart that a midday lib is needless from distances that are very achievable in 10 hrs. The chances of coming a cropper milling about in the dark? Is that what we want for the Birds? Would there be some bleeting if libbed at 12 and they were times in the solway at night? Or would we then want to let them off at 4 in the afternoon?

As regards line of flight. Reims last year with the snfc wasn't great and I certainly wouldn't put ypres this year down as stotter would You? SNRPC? Areas and Reims this year?

No sure line of flight has much to do with it.

So that's my opinion on it mate. No shooting anything down without putting some thought into it.

[eastcoaster]

Channel racing is dead... if Peta got a hold of the percentages tht return we would be fkd

 

Imagine 10% of horses survived the grand national? The rest never survived...ppl would be in jail

Sorry George channel racing will never die , as for PETA think they could go to you and me and every other loft and see a lot worse than giving a pigeon it's liberty that has the choice to come home or not , I think you know what I mean by that .

It has been a very bad national season all over uk and Ireland for losses .jmo

[Bobby4]

Me personally we will never have good channel racing again

[geordie1234]

Me personally we will never have good channel racing again

Thts my thoughts and thts why I said it was dead.... getting 10% home isn't a race

[Bobby4]

Thts my thoughts and thts why I said it was dead.... getting 10% home isn't a race

Yes it's hard eneogh to get a good traing toss these days

[hotrod]

It's my opinion Stuart that a midday lib is needless from distances that are very achievable in 10 hrs. The chances of coming a cropper milling about in the dark? Is that what we want for the Birds? Would there be some bleeting if libbed at 12 and they were times in the solway at night? Or would we then want to let them off at 4 in the afternoon?

As regards line of flight. Reims last year with the snfc wasn't great and I certainly wouldn't put ypres this year down as stotter would You? SNRPC? Areas and Reims this year?

No sure line of flight has much to do with it.

So that's my opinion on it mate. No shooting anything down without putting some thought into it.

I agree with you Steven but things have to be put forward ideas etc because status quo isn't working ,as for Ypres ,yes it wasn't great but prob the best overseas race in the snfc this season . The SNRPC let go 56 birds at near 600 miles and get great returns , DKJ quoted that they got help up the road with the unc going up 10 mins at their *expletive removed* ,same can't be said with the ansenis race up 10 mins in front of MNFC . Surely the members must look at going with the unc or doing what the SNRPC do /did for the sake of the pigeons .

[hotrod]

Yes it's hard eneogh to get a good traing toss these days

Kev I've been lucky up till yesterday ,had brill trying out to 20 odd miles beating me home every time and not losing any ,that was until yesterday sent birds on transporter fk me one home then another after about 20 mins then all day right up till 20-45 last night and 2 down so got 21/23 and one home hawked ,it's not the sport of old ,it's getting harder and harder to keep going .

[dal2]

I agree with you Steven but things have to be put forward ideas etc because status quo isn't working ,as for Ypres ,yes it wasn't great but prob the best overseas race in the snfc this season . The SNRPC let go 56 birds at near 600 miles and get great returns , DKJ quoted that they got help up the road with the unc going up 10 mins at their *expletive removed* ,same can't be said with the ansenis race up 10 mins in front of MNFC . Surely the members must look at going with the unc or doing what the SNRPC do /did for the sake of the pigeons .

We have had good and bad races with joint libs as well Stuart but it is a no brainer for me that you go with numbers travelling in the same direction. Colin is right every organisation has had problems over the water this year. My theory is atmospherics but who knows.

[hotrod]

We have had good and bad races with joint libs as well Stuart but it is a no brainer for me that you go with numbers travelling in the same direction. Colin is right every organisation has had problems over the water this year. My theory is atmospherics but who knows.

Might be ,but why is it there are nearly always birds on time ,so does the atmospherics only affect a few ?or doesn't affect a few more like it .yes at most races quite a good % of birds aren't up to it or bred for it or right for it ,but the main race the gold cup and ancenis you would think that most would be right for the job in hand . Lots of empty doo kits about this year .

[dal2]

Might be ,but why is it there are nearly always birds on time ,so does the atmospherics only affect a few ?or doesn't affect a few more like it .yes at most races quite a good % of birds aren't up to it or bred for it or right for it ,but the main race the gold cup and ancenis you would think that most would be right for the job in hand . Lots of empty doo kits about this year .

I thought the Gold Cup birds were late mate.

[eastcoaster]

Might be ,but why is it there are nearly always birds on time ,so does the atmospherics only affect a few ?or doesn't affect a few more like it .yes at most races quite a good % of birds aren't up to it or bred for it or right for it ,but the main race the gold cup and ancenis you would think that most would be right for the job in hand . Lots of empty doo kits about this year .

Lost 40+ old birds this year inland racing so it's not the channel that's the problem 12 had flown over 300 mls several times all lost before they hit 300 ml . I think chopping and changing direction is a bigger problem than some think .

[airdrie2]

Lost 40+ old birds this year inland racing so it's not the channel that's the problem 12 had flown over 300 mls several times all lost before they hit 300 ml . I think chopping and changing direction is a bigger problem than some think .

agree with you there colin

[bluebell101]

we have lost a lot of old birds under 300 mile as well but the National worst since i can remember only first 1 was good race nYpes was no to bad but a tough 1 would like to try Belgium for 3 /5 years think something different must be tried or we could be down to 1 channel race per year English Nationals have had it very hard this year too

[novo10]

There have been bad years in the past and will be again , the national from France is the buzz race and can never change ! Ask all the top distance men and they will dust themselves down and get on with it .

But agree there must be changes in the information we get about weather and other organisations in same area not libbing when we do and let's get video of liberation and pictures of the channel sent back to the members as the more info the better .

I was lucky to get a good doo in gold cup but it was still a disaster of a race , but I know how it feels not getting one as I never timed from 1st or 2nd national plus many more over the years so do know the hurt .

But the gold cup HAS to be from France or national racing has bit the dust ,

This is only my opinion on way forward .

Colin

No disrespect Colin but we need to change the line of flight Belgium is the answer no question about it and the birdcages will be up imo France is finished for some reason Brussels liege this is the places we should be trying

[walterboswell59]

channel racing has never been easy but we need men at the top that can get and read a weather forecast and when in doubt hold the birds regardless of cost this seasons national disasters have all been caused by human error imo no matter where we were racing from every bad race we have had has been forecast as just that so why did it happen yes its a hard and thankless job but there is no excuse when bad weather has been forecast and ignored