KEITH MOTT
STEVE HOWARD OF GUILDFORD
I have a constant stream of visitors to my pigeon loft, 12 months of the year, but the month of November saw a fancier visit who last came up the A3 to my home in Claygate about 25 years ago. Steve Howard last came to my home all those years ago when he had won the SMT Combine from Bordeaux with his good cock; ‘Scot’s Boy’ and we were sorting out an article. He moved down to Cornwall for several years and is now back living in Guildford racing pigeons with his partner, Tessa. Like myself, Steve is a long distance enthusiast and was keen to look at my Eric Cannon and Brian Denney stock birds and racers. Being a Guildford man and friend of my ol’ mucker, Peter Taylor, they came up to Claygate together for the loft visit. Steve is a really nice man and being an acquaintance of the late great Eric Cannon, has a good knowledge of long distance racing. We had a good three hour visit and I will be breeding Steve a couple of premier youngster next season!
Casting my mind back 25 years, I remember I made the 20-mile drive to Guildford to visit Steve Howard, who had just had a golden two weeks racing his team of natural pigeons. From the London & South East Classic Club's Yearling Nantes Derby he clocked a Bill Johnson Busschaert blue cock which was especially paired for the race after being spare all season, to record 2nd open (1,443 birds). Two weeks later he clocked his good yearling blue chequer cock ‘Scott's Boy’ on the day from Bordeaux, 436 miles, to win 1st open SMT Combine (2,143 birds). This game cock was unpaired, flying to his nest box, and was 10 hours 4 minutes on the wing to top the Combine. All Steve's yearling cocks were unpaired because, at the start of the season, he had eleven hens and one cock killed by sparrow hawks. ‘Scott's Boy’ was bred out of an Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming cock and a hen obtained from Mr & Mrs Newman of Petersfield. As a young bird he was very consistent, being raced to the perch and on his build up to Bordeaux, had several inland races and the L&SECC Yearling Nantes Derby.
Steve started up 40 years ago with ten pairs obtained from his friend and his father, who were good fanciers in the Guildford area many years ago. He likes races from 250 miles, through to 500 miles, and has won many premier prizes in the N.F.C. through the years, including 24th open Pau with only one pigeon sent. At that time he raced 15 pairs natural, because he said it's the best system for the long distance. He tried the widowhood system for one season and won five firsts in the sprints but could not get them from the long-distance races. He paired up the second week in March then gives them three 50-mile training tosses and a few club inland races to get them fit for the early Channel events. He liked the old birds to fly from Pau but preferred yearlings for the 450 mile stage, with hens sitting ready to hatch and cocks driving to nest. He hopper fed a good mixture of beans, peas and maize, with a little barley added in the winter months. Steve had three lofts, the main one being 16ft long, three sections with sputnik trapping. The other small lofts contained the young birds and seven pairs of stock birds. Steve only cleaned the lofts out once a year, as he maintained too much scraper upsets the inmates and he liked the dryness of the un-cleaned loft. I must say his pigeons really did look well!
Steve’s best pigeon was his champion blue pied cock ‘Blue Jean’ and he was a Dordin / Barker cross. Steve tells me, he was a brilliant channel racer and the harder the race, the better he came! This game cock won: 1st club Marmande, 1st club Bergerac, 1st club Bordeaux, recording top positions in the Federation and Combine in all three races, he flew and scored in the NFC Pau National five times, recording 24th open NFC Pau as an eight year old and won 112th open NFC Bordeaux. A fantastic racing record! ‘Blue Jean’ was also a good breeder and when mated to his hen, ‘Victory Girl’, produced several top racers, including: 42nd open NFC Pau and 100th open BBC Rennes. At that time of my loft visit Steve Howard had a really bad hawk problem, living as they did on a hill near woodland, but he said he lost a lot of his pigeons to crows. The main families raced then were Eric & Pat Cannon and Mr & Mrs Newman, and the two long-distance families crossed very successfully. One of the main stock hens was a two year old and on the road she won 4th open L&SECC Angers Yearling Derby. Steve had a type in mind when picking out stock birds but said at the time winning long distance lines are very important.
STEVE APPLEBY OF GUILDFORD
Congratulations to Jennifer!
Steve Appleby of Guildford enjoyed a great 2014 racing season, being in the first few on the result sheet most weeks, including some firsts, racing to his loft in Surrey. Steve is one of the sport's workers and it’s great to see him do well with his small team of pigeons. I first met Steve about twenty years ago when I first started convoying for the London & South East Classic Club and he was my race advisor. In that time we had some great fun working together, producing some good racing for the Classic and have become very good friends. Steve has a sound knowledge how forecasts work as he has studied meteorology for over 20 years. Stevie is the best race advisor in the sport and in recent years has taken the job to new higher level of excellence.
Aside from pigeon racing and weather forecasting Steve and his wife Annette took great pride in Jennifer their daughter’s success as a graduate. After three years studying at Merrist Wood in Guildford she was awarded a Bachelor of Science Honours degree 1st class in Animal Management from Kingston University. In addition she received the Guildford College Principal’s award for outstanding academic performance by Dr Lucy Jones B.S.C., P.H.D., F.B.S. This certificate is given to the best student from all the land based courses participating at that time. As parents obviously they were delighted for Jennifer as all her hard work put in over the years has been rewarded. She now attends Surrey University where she is studying veterinary microbiology hoping to achieve a master’s degree. Steve told me, ‘I must add she gets her brains from her mother not me’.
On a personal note!
My internet website (www.keithmott.com) has proved internationally very popular over the last two years and I have recently spent a lot of time giving its annual up dating it for the new 2015 season. I have invested in some new camera equipment and a new ‘Paint Shop’ system for my pigeon work. I have re-photographed 22 of the principal pigeons on the new system and the website is now up dated with new pigeon photos, including stock bird eyesign shots. The website’s ‘FAMILIES RACED’ and ‘PHOTO ALBUM’ are now fully up dated for the 2015 season. Thanks to every one for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy the website!
Well, that’s it for this week! Next time we are going to have the next instalment of our ‘Stories of the Champions’ series. I can be contacted with any pigeon banter on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
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