STORIES OF THE CHAMPIONS
Part 2
by Keith Mott
I've had the great pleasure of writing in the pigeon fancy press for almost 45 years and in that time I have visited most of the premier lofts in the United Kingdom. I think it's fair to say that I have handled and inspected more National, Classic and Combine winners than most fanciers. Cameron Stansfield of the Elimar website recently asked me for my top ten pigeons that I have come across in my 45 years visiting premier lofts in the UK and on the Continent. A very hard request to fulfil! I went through thousands of pigeon photographs in my archive files and came up with nearly 80 ‘once in a life time’ champion pigeons. There is probably more in there, but as always, Keith has done his best! This request inspired me to write about some of these great pigeon, so in the coming weeks we are going to feature my ‘Stories of the Champions’, which will feature pictures and the short stories of the history behind the best of the champion pigeons that I have come in contact with in my time in the sport. Over the coming weeks we are featuring the very best of long distance and sprint and one article on world class breeders. I have lined them up in no particular order or preference, as I do not want to offend anybody and I hope my readers enjoy my choices! Here's Part 2.
CH. ‘SUPER LOU’ Peter Wells of Dunstable.
My good friend Terry Haley arranged a mini loft tour of Hertfordshire for me in August 2013, with the view to doing some articles and the second loft we visited was the highly successful fancier Peter Wells of Dunstable. The Wells loft has had some great seasons for many years racing in the Combine, Classic and National. Peter has been a fantastic pigeon racer since he started up in the sport in 1974, but is mostly noted for being the owner and racer of one of the greatest sprint pigeons in the world of pigeon racing ever, Champion ‘Super Lou’. This wonderful Joseph Van Ramadonk widowhood cock was bred by Louella Pigeon World at Leicester and Peter purchased him in a batch of pigeons, which were eight for £80, so ‘Super Lou’ cost him £10. This champion blue chequer pied cock won 52 first prizes, including 16 times 1st Federation, 1st open Combine and several Open races. Peter told me, he has clocked ‘Super Lou’ and then had a batch of five come together five minutes later and taken the first six in the Federation result, that how good that pigeon was! He was always paired to ‘Brandy’ and she was another one from the Joseph Van Ramadonk job lot, and she was also another brilliant racer, winning several premier races. Champion ‘Super Lou’ was sold back to Louella for £11,500!
CH. ‘FRANK’ Crook & Iddenden of Epsom.
Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden are one of the leading racing partnerships in the Three Borders Federation over recent years and they had a brilliant race from Yeovil (1) in 2013, recorded 1st, 3rd, 24th Federation, winning with their champion blue cock ‘Frank’, and then this brilliant cock went on to win 1st Federation Yeovil (2) at the end of the season. Colin and Andy won the Three Borders Federation ‘Ken Besant Memorial Trophy’ in the 2011 season for ‘best pigeon of the year’ and won it for the second time in 2013 with their good blue cock, ‘Frank’. This wonderful Gaby Vandenabeele sprint cock has won 23 Federation positions including six times 1st Federation and twice 2nd Federation, being beaten twice by loft mates on the ETS. Other position won the Federation by ‘Frank’ are: 3rd, 7th, 9th, 9th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 14th, 14th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 16th, 18th and 23rd open. He has won ten times 1st club, plus 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd South Downs Premier FC and was sent to the Classic only once to win 34th open L&SECC Falaise. He was Three Borders Federation ‘Pigeon of the Year’ in the 2011 and 2013 seasons. As Andy Iddenden says, a once in a life time pigeon! Frank and Susan Carson of Mitcham bred Colin and Andy’s champion Gaby Vandenbeele blue widowhood cock, ‘Frank’. This game cock raced to Frank’s loft as a young bird and yearling and when Frank packed up for a while in 2008, the pigeon was gifted to Crook & Iddenden, too set the place alight with brilliant performances. Frank and Susan brought their Gaby Vandenbeele pigeons from Mark and Dickie Evans in 2003 and 2004, and were direct out of their champions, including the great ‘Shadow’. ‘Frank’ is now in the Epsom breeding loft and has bred prize winners in 2014, his first season at stock.
CH. ‘FILMSTAR’ Frank & Ann Tasker of Wainfleet.
When the late Frank Tasker spoke about his Champion ‘Filmstar’, you could hear the pride in his voice, and quite rightly too, as he owned the ultimate in a racing pigeon. ‘Filmstar’ was wonderful to look at and handle, and he was also a champion breeder. He was bred from the very best Mencke Haelterman bloodlines, and his sire, ‘Blue Telstar’ being obtained via Claude Hetru of Lomme, France. ‘Blue Telstar’ was a direct son of ‘Eole’, the champion of the champions; being the winner of 1st open National Royan and 1st open National Poitiers. The dam of ‘Filmstar’ was ‘Jonge Whitenose’, bred by Frank and Ann Tasker and they said she was one of the best breeding hens they ever owned. Her sire was the base of their entire loft, the champion breeder, ‘Blue Eole’, and he was a full brother to Champion ‘Eole’, winner of twice 1st open National. A wonderful family of pigeons!
Champion ‘Filmstar’ won 26 times 1st prize, 12 times 1st open Federation and in 1986 was the R.P.R.A. Sprint Champion of Great Britain. He also won two R.P.R.A. Awards and 7th World Champion Versalaga Laga. Frank told me, he was the base of his loft at that time and his children have bred at least 50 times 1st open Federation winners. He is grandsire and great grandsire of ten 1st open National and Classic winners including, ‘Starlett’, winner of 1st open NFC Pontorson for Ced and Clive Allwright, ‘Digit’, 1st open MNFC Nantes for Dave Sharratt, 1st open CSCFC Rennes for Tony Hayne, 1st open CSCFC Bergerac for Staddon Brothers, 1st open Up North Combine Abbeville for Les Thurlow, two champion racers for G. White & son and of course 1st open North Road Championship Club Berwick National in 2000 for Frank and Ann Tasker. Champion ‘Filmstar’, a once in a lifetime pigeon!
CH. ‘WHITE BEAK’ - C. H. Besant & sons of New Malden.
The Besant loft has won 1st open National Flying Club twice; the first time in 1979 from Guernsey with their champion young bird, ‘Stafford All Alone’ and this game Krauth blue cock beat 9,353 birds, and won the Young Bird National by five clear minutes. Champion ‘Stafford All Alone’ was a full brother to the widowhood blue cock Champion ‘White Beak’, winner of 14 times first prize, beaten by loft mates for a further six firsts, and both these Krauth cocks went to Louella Pigeon World. “White Beak” was once said to be one of the most outstanding Krauths in Europe, winning 68 prizes from 87 miles through to 555 miles. He was also said to be one of the most versatile Krauths at that time, winning from Blandford, and then going on to record 150th open (6,066 birds) NFC Pau (555 miles). The two brothers were bred from the stock pair, ‘Duke’ and ‘Duchess’, both direct Martin Krauth imports. I have known the Besant family for well over 40 years, and in that time I have seen them win every major award there is to win in pigeon racing. The brothers, Ken, Bobby and Ron, won at Club, Open, Federation, Combine and National level and their loft at that time must be rated as one of the all-time great lofts in the United Kingdom. When I first met Bobby and Ken in 1970, their dad, Cecil, had just passed away and the boys were about to take over the very successful C. H. Besant & sons pigeons. Although I never met Cecil, I had always admired his fantastic performances in the Surrey Federation. The boys carried this great fancier’s name on in pigeon racing history to an even higher level.
CH. ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ Dave Hawkins of Doncaster.
The world famous ‘Lord of the Rings’, with his nest sister, ‘Lady of the Rings’ were bred and raced by Dave Hawkins, and were champion young birds for the loft in Yorkshire. This wonderful champion cock was bred from Mark and Dick Evans / Gaby Vandenabeele stock birds and is a grandson of the champion racing and breeding cock, ‘Solitaire’, winner of ten first prizes. ‘Lord of the Rings’ flew the English Chanel three times as a young bird, winning over £7,000 and won many premier positions in National competition, including: 1st open MNFC ‘Gold Ring’ Picauville (3,193 birds), 1st Championship Race from Chale (2,549 birds), 2nd open National Picauville (5,577 birds), 2nd North East Section Picauville (1,705 birds). On-going in to the stock lofts at ‘Myrtle Lofts’ as a yearling he has become one of Mark and Dick Evans’ top breeders, being the sire and grand sire of many winners, including 1st open National Flying Club and 1st open London & South East Classic Club. His nest sister ‘Lady of the Rings’ was 2nd open MNFC ‘Gold Ring’ Picauville (3,193 birds) and also went to ‘Myrtle Lofts’ after young bird racing that season. A brilliant nest pair of Gaby Vandenabeele racers!
CH. ‘KENNY’ Keith & Betty Mott of Claygate.
Dare I put one of my own pigeons in this article of pigeon racing excellence? Well he was a bit special! My best pigeon of the 1980’s and probably my best of all time was our famous Champion ‘Kenny’ and this Denys Brothers grizzle cock won 37 positions in the first six, including thirteen times 1st club, also 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th and 24th in the very strong Surrey Federation. This ‘once in a life time’ pigeon was eventually put to stock, breeding many winners and his daughter bred a pigeon to win 2nd open Up North Combine for a fancier in the north east of England. His grand dam was the champion stock hen, ‘Little Mo’, bred in 1972, by the Denys family in Belgium and I purchased this great hen off the late Alec Martin of Worplesdon. The ‘Little Mo’ Grizzle bloodline produced a density of premier racers, including Geoff Snelling’s Saintes Amalgamation winner in the 1970’s. Geoff's 1st Open Amalgamation winning pigeon was his yearling red grizzle cock called 'Magri' which won the Amalgamation by 31 ypm, earning him an RPRA Southern Region Award. 'Magri's' sire, a Denys Brothers grizzle, was bred by Bernard Miles from the two champion stock pigeons 'Grey Flight II' and 'Little Mo', both from Denys Brothers in Belgium.
Champion ‘Kenny’ had several outstanding brothers, the best one being another grizzle named ‘Warrior’, and he won seven times 1st club, also 2nd, 3rd and 15th in the Surrey Federation. These brilliant cocks were raced on the natural system and never raced further than Plymouth (180 miles). A third brother, ‘Double Top’, won three times 1st club, including 1st club (by 75 minutes), 5th Surrey Federation, 7th open S.M.T. Combine Penzance. The 1980’s were a golden decade for our loft at Claygate, winning up to ten firsts in most seasons and were the premier prize winners in the Surbiton F.C. three years consecutively.
Well, this week it was the turn of the champion sprinters and next time we are going back to look at some more long distance champions. 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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Elimar - November 2014
