GWENT GREATER DISTANCE CLUB
Reports by Gareth Watkins
Tarbes International Race Report
Continuing the long distance race programme of this go ahead club, nine members entered 26 birds to compete against the rest of the U.K. and 12,000+ European pigeons in this 600 mile race. The convoy was liberated at 5.45 am on Saturday 11th July. Conditions in France were excellent with broken cloud and light and variable winds to start the journey, with the winds turning to south westerly in Northern France and in the English Channel. Given these favourable conditions it was hoped that there might be the possibility of day birds, certainly into Southern England and hopefully into Wales. However, all hopes of day birds into Wales were dashed with the arrival of torrential rain into South Wales during the afternoon. This heavy rain persisted for the rest of the daylight hours and was so bad that the local ducks were seen to be seeking shelter! Despite the conditions in the west of the British Isles, four gallant birds were clocked on the day into southern England – the first of these proving to be the race winner for Alan Holdaway of Portsmouth. Congratulations Alan on yet another excellent long distance performance to add to your long list of National and Classic showings.
Nevertheless, getting back to the Welsh angle in this report, the old saying “cometh the hour cometh the man” proved to be appropriate here as the old war horse Wilf Reed of Monmouth, ably assisted by wife Janet, timed one of his entries early on the second morning to win 1st GGDC, 1st section 9th Open BICC. Wilf’s first in the clock is a two year old blue w/f cock that was raced on roundabout in the early part of the season and entered in a number of short channel races in this condition before being re-mated and sent to Tarbes feeding a small youngster. The cock, now named “Ali G” by Janet, is a previous prize winner in channel races and is bred from some of the loft's best bloodlines, as his dam is a daughter of “Endurance Pride of Wales”, a winner of 1st BBC Palamos for Wilf when paired to a cock bred from 1st sect NFC Pau and the sire of “Spanish Queen”.
Wilf & Janet Reed receiving diplomas from Jan Deacon (centre) at the GGDC 2008 Prize Dinner
Later on the Sunday morning, Wilf clocked two more battlers to win 2nd & 3rd GGDC and 2nd & 3rd Section plus 27th & 40th Open BICC. The first of these is a three year old latebred chequer pied hen, which in fact was paired to the section winner and therefore was sent feeding the same small youngster. She had not received much road work this year due to a hawk attack during a training spin from Frome earlier in the season, when she returned minus most of her tail and all of the secondaries in one wing. Her dam is a sister to “Spanish Queen”, one of the loft’s great long distance racing hens, when paired to a cock bred by Belgian long distance aces the Desbuquois Brothers.
Next in the clock was a dark chequer two year old cock which is a winner of 5th sect 26th Open NFC earlier this season. His sire is bred from a daughter of “Endurance”, the Palamos winner, and his dam is bred from the 1st sect NFC Pau winner when she was mated to “09”, one of Wilf’s most reliable middle-distance performers. So the common thread running through the bloodlines of all these birds is the presence of the genes of the Palamos winner “Endurance Pride of Wales” and Wilf’s NFC Pau section winner with a bit of “Spanish Queen” blood thrown in for good measure. Wilf certainly believes in keeping close to proven performers in long distance races when formulating his breeding programme.
Ted Garwood and Jimmy Bullock were in at the formation of the GGDC and it’s good to see two of the sport’s “quiet men” doing well, as, on the Sunday afternoon ,Ted and Jimmy clocked two of their small entry to win 4th & 5th GGDC and 4th & 5th section 41st & 52nd Open BICC. First in the clock is a 2 year old blue cock bred by the late Keith Nethercott of Bristol. This one was a celibate cock and his last race before Tarbes was a 350 mile pipe opener from Tours. Mated in mid-February, he was raced celibate but was temporarily able to take advantage of a spare hen prior to the hen’s mate returning late from an earlier race. In the lead up to Tarbes basketting the cock was flying the skies out in his solo flights and so was sent with confidence, given his excellent long distance background.
Ted Garwood receiving diplomas from Jan Deacon at the GGDC 2008 Prize Dinner
The second in the clock is a six year old Busschaert x Sean Proctor dark chequer cock sent sitting eggs and feeding a big youngster. [Ted, I’ll bet the youngster is a hen?] This one’s last race prior to Tarbes was from Saran with the BICC. All birds have access to a hopper of beans and this is supplemented by a little high carbohydrate mixture fed by hand each evening.
Congratulations to the two [three] fanciers mentioned above who swept all before them in this 600 mile tester and maintained the GGDC members' outstanding record of success in BICC races. Next race Marseille followed by the finale from Perpignan in early August. Let’s hope the success story continues! Reports on the Saintes and Bergerac races will follow shortly, as soon as I get all the information together.
