“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Three Borders Federation (Wincanton Race).
The Three Borders Federation were at Wincanton for the fourth young bird race and the convoy of 823 birds had an early morning toss, with Dom McCoy liberating with sun on the baskets at 07.30hrs into a light West wind situation. I personally like the early morning liberations, even from the short race, because it beats clashing with other organisations and the air is fresher! The members enjoyed a good steady race and the Esher RPC members Imran Malik and Atif Khan recorded 1st, 13th, 14th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th Federation. This is the lad’s third Federation winner of the season, previously winning from Honiton and Blandford with their old birds. Imran and Atif’s latest Federation winner is their young blue chequer hen, ‘The 47 Hen’ and she is bred from ‘Sebastian’, a direct Verkerk from two of his best racers and breeders, ‘Volcano’ and ‘Eye Catcher’. When ‘Sebastian’ was paired to ‘Ace Tetske, a direct Tom Van Gaver, full sister to ‘Tetske’ and ‘New Tetske’, this youngster has 1st National ‘Ace’ pigeons are running through her veins. The Malik and Khan loft has had a brilliant 2025 season, as well as winning the Three Borders Federation three time they have won: 1st section, 2nd open NFC Nort Sur Erdre National (344 birds), 1st section, 8th open NFC Fourgeres National (5,272 birds) and 1st section, 62nd open BBC Fourgeres National (2,635 birds). Brilliant pigeon racing by the ‘Ace Lofts’.
The first ten in the Wincanton Federation result were: 1) Malik & Khan 1784: 2) Frank & Sue Carson 1775: 3) Rene Obertelli 1763: 4) Rene Obertelli 1760: 5) Rene Obertelli 1759: 6) Ken Wise 1759: 7) Rene Obertelli 1759: 8) Rene Obertelli 1759: 9) Terry Goodsell 157: 10) Stuart Emans 1757. This was race number sixteen of the season and at this point the Mitcham & Merton are leaders for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 64 points and the Ashridge club are R/U on 59 points. Thanks to ‘Hire and Higher Bouncy Castles Sweets and Treats’ who are now sponsoring the Three Borders Federation.
We lost one of our ‘legends’ of the Surrey pigeon racing fraternity, when the great Frank Carson passed away nearly a year ago. Frank’s wife, Sue and his son, John are still racing the Mr. & Mrs. Carson pigeons and won the Federation earlier in the season from Okehampton , with their good blue hem, ‘Pocket Rocket’. Sue and John recorded 2nd Federation from Wincanton with a young blue cock, which was bred from their good blue, ‘Terry’, who won 1st Three Borders Federation Wadebridge in 2024. This great pigeon is named ‘Terry’ after his breeder, my good mate, Terry Haley of Watford. The Carson family have kindle donated £250 and a new trophy, to be called the ‘Frank Carson Memorial Trophy’ and this wonderful prize will be won by the Federation winner of the fifth young bird race. This is a tribute to the great Frank Carson and will be repeated every season! Thanks to Sue and John on behalf of the Three Borders Federation, it is a wonderful thing to do! Thank you!
I spoke to Iman Malik after the Wincanton race and he told me, ‘we have changed our young bird training slightly over the last two years and dropped them back to six miles for their first toss. As previously we took them to 22 miles on their first toss too face disasters and found taking by taking them 6 miles they’re not too far from home and can work their way back Then gradually working them up to 22 miles until we get them coming comfortably, then move them on to 38 miles and finally take them to 50 miles, leading into the first race. Once the first young bird race has been achieved, we cut down to twice a day loft exercise and then toss three times a week from 22 miles. The birds normally fly for over an hour morning and evening every day and a flag is used when needed. The young birds are encouraged to pair up and to nest to build up to a big race. We feed them twice a day on Natural ‘Finnese’ widowhood mixture, giving them as much as they can eat, as well as adding a high fat energy mixture most days. We use these races to prepare the young birds for the National races. We put enough in their tank, as if a mistake was to be made, the pigeons have the energy to come home. We don’t believe in starving youngsters to win races and if one of us is home at 3pm on a Friday we will feed the youngsters again and find the corn is right through them at basketing time’.
The Imran Malik and Atif Khan partnership call their loft, ‘Ace Lofts’, and is a brick structure, which was converted from a brick garden shed already in Imran’s garden. The original floor was concrete, but the partners have fitted a new wooden floor over the concrete and all trapping is through the open window for both young and old birds. The loft has three sections, with an aviary on one end, which houses a few latebreds and the loft is cleaned out every day, with the floor and perches being burnt off. Imran tells me, they keep several pairs of stock birds, which are different families that they blend together. When obtaining stock birds the partners go to the sauce and try and buy the very best that the fancier has to offer. They have visited most of the top lofts on the continent in the pursuit of very high quality pigeons. The breeders are paired up on Boxing Day and any new introductions into the stock loft are selected on the pedigree, and never type. The youngsters are put on the ‘darkness’ system on the last weekend in March and they come off normally at the back end of June. The loft houses 50 young birds for racing each and they race the whole programme, Imran maintains, he just loves young bird racing! Ten cocks are put on the widowhood system and the rest are raced to the perch, although they are allowed to pair up and have eggs and youngsters if they want. Training starts two weeks after they come off the ‘dark’ and this is worked up in stages to 25 miles and they get three 25 mile tosses ever week during the racing season. The widowhood cocks are treated like the old birds and are not trained during the racing season. The partner’s race cocks on the widowhood system and the old bird’s racers are paired up in January to rear a pair of youngsters and are trained on their second round of eggs, before going on the widowhood. The cocks are trained twice a day for eight day from 25 miles and are only sent to sprint races. Imran and Atif feed natural widowhood sport mixture and don’t break down. The racers are fed as much as they want twice a day, and fresh grit and water is provided every day, and if they give the birds any supplements, they are given on the feed, as it is wasted in the water. The partners show the hens to the widowhood cocks before basketing and they get the hen for a couple of hours on their return from the race. Imran only likes short racing and has no interest what so ever in long distance pigeon racing.
The late Dick Brooker of Claygate.
You will quite often hear me say that the sport of pigeon racing is losing all it’s great ‘character’ and one of those ‘character’ was the late Dickie Brooker of Claygate. My ol’ mate Dick was ‘Mr. Pigeon Racing’ and loved the sport! Dick maintained pigeon racing is full of disappointments and to be a pigeon man you have to accept these and carry on. Dick must have had many disappointments in his 60 odd years in the sport but his outstanding performances over the years more than outweigh the disappointments.
Dick had been racing pigeons for over 60 years, joining Cobham & D.R.P.C. in 1932, flying pigeons from his late cousin, Bill Palmer, and Dick's then next door neighbour, the late Harry Lusty. Dick said he used to see pigeons while still in his pram as his neighbour flew in the local clubs and Dick actually had his first pair of birds in 1925 when he was eight years old. He kept them up to his death in the late 1990’s. Dick was a sergeant in the Army Pigeon Service during the war and served under Major Claude Hill. He would sit for hours telling a tale or two about the pigeon service when he served at home and overseas. When he started up in pigeons Dick said he learned his trade from great fanciers like Frank Taylor, Harry Branch and Frank Kightly. Dick obtained birds from Frank Taylor and Harry Branch, and once he got a team together he took some beating. His first loft wasn't very practical in fact it was an old chicken house, but it was kept clean and well ventilated and the inmates raced well.
One of Dick's best racers was his dark chequer Busschaert cock 'Mighty Mack' which had won many good positions including six times first in London Coly Midweek club. 'Mighty Mack' was pigeon of the year in London Coly in 1983 winning four races and untold pool money. This great pigeon strayed into Dick's loft as a youngster and since Mr Richards of Ilford gave him to Dick, he has won six firsts for the Brooker loft. The Brookers' team were raced on the Natural system being paired up on 14th February and his two lofts housed two pairs of stock birds, 15 pairs of racers made up of the Fleming, Dordin, Busschaert and Cattrysse strains. His old bird loft was 18ft x 8ft with two sections and the birds were trapped through drop holes. Young birds were raced to an 8ft x 4ft loft and trapped through bob holes. Dick scraped the lofts most days and loft white was used on the floors to dry up any damp. Dick said good ventilation and air flow are very important in a loft and you should not smell pigeons in the loft. Dick says the best fancier in his area was undoubtedly the late Alex Fleming of Esher, who was at the top level in the Surrey area for nearly 40 years. Dick had great admiration for the late Eric Cannon of Wormley and Ron Wasey of New Addington. Dick had held many top posts in the racing pigeon sport but said his biggest thrill was when he was voted in as president of London Coly, following in the footsteps of many great fanciers, including the late Wing Commander Lea Rayner and Col Patterson.
Another of Dick's best pigeons was the six year old Dordin blue cock, ‘The 13 Cock' and he had won many prizes including seven firsts and bred race winners with three different hens. He was bred from a stock pair obtained from his good friend, Vic Wise of Richmond and was bred from the best Dordin bloodlines. Dick's good blue cock '51' was a son of 'The 13 Cock' and he had chalked up 1st Club Exeter and 1st Club Nantes.
Over the years Dick had won at all distances, and one old pigeon that came to mind was NURP52KT887 and he was 4th Barcelona (698 miles) in the first Barcelona International organised by London Coly. '887' was the first pigeon into the London area from Barcelona in 1956. The year 1972 saw another good pigeon from Barcelona when Dick's blue chequer cock NU68P14286 was 2nd Sect, 6th open, 788th open International. He said he had won races at all distances, his first winner being from Marrenes in 1933, but he had always maintained that one must not keep harping on what you have won, but keep looking forward to what there is to be won. Dick's late wife, Margaret, although not able to handle the pigeons was always able to note birds' arrivals and help Dick keep records. Dick said that pigeons should be dealt with as individuals as every bird has its own best racing condition. Any pigeon two years old or over depending on its breeding should be able to fly any distance, but one should not generalise on this, as some strains excel up to 150 miles, some up to 300 miles and some at any distance. He liked to give the birds plenty of work, but knowing how much is necessary for the individual pigeon is the keyword. Many pigeons are ruined by over training and young birds need to be schooled well over the ground for club racing, but many long distance men do not train youngsters at all in the year of their birth. Dick firmly believes they must have a certain amount of training in their first year.
Dick's introduction to eyesign was by the late Henri Rey during the war, with the late Tommy Buck. Dick had also visited Belgian lofts but from what they taught him a little knowledge can be dangerous, he said. A lot of eyesign judges don't use a glass, but a glass was a must for Dick, although he didn’t confess to be an expert, and would never judge an eyesign class.
Another of Dick's best racing Dordin cocks was the handsome blue 'Treble One' and he had three times 1st Club and 1st Surrey Federation to his credit. He was another son of the Vic Wise stock pair and brother to 'The 13 Cock'. One of Dick's best stock birds was a Dordin blue hen which he calls 'The Wasey Hen', bred by Ron Wasey of New Addington and she had bred a Federation winner when mated to ‘The 13 Cock’.
No one did more for the sport than Dickie Brooker, he was always out at some meeting or something and how Margaret stood for it all those years, God only knows. He was chairman and past president of Surrey Federation, chairman of SMT Combine, president of London Coly, chairman of Esher & Dist RPC and chairman of RPRA Southern Region. He was also a much sort after show judge, but said he was not a showman, although showing in the winter months brings fanciers together and can be a good thing socially. We all still miss ol’ Dick, although he has been gone a few years now, he was a wonderful man and will never be forgotten in the pigeon racing fraternity!
That’s it for this week! Well done to Imran Malik and Atif Khan for their third Federation winner of the season! If you win and want a write up in this space, contact me on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email me on:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
