KINGDOM RACING PIGEON ASSOCIATION
by Stuart Bowman
A quick run down of the leading pigeons in the Association from the last 3 channel races is as follows.
At Reims with the Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club the birds were away at 12.30 pm into a South West Wind after a 1 day hold over. It turned out to be a little more difficult than expected, with some strong winds coming in from the west making the birds work all the way home. However, I think everyone feels that the control team got it right. It was John Proctor who had the first bird timed to win the Association. John’s timer was a 2yo Chq Pied Hen sent sitting 16 days. She also wins the Section and 2nd Open only to Stuart Mullens Champion Blue Pied Hen, which is a corker winning the National so far west. John, like myself, has nothing but praise for this pigeon. John admits he was beaten by the best bird on the day! When I went to verify John’s pigeon I thought she was still in decent nick. I might add also that John, a double National winner at St Nazaire and Tours, was in the happiest mood after timing in this hen. I have not seen him as happy, and John has celebrated this since I can tell you! The hen, now named 'Elaine P’, is bred direct from “Lucky Jim” 1st Open Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club Tours 2007, only bird into Scotland on the day from 627mls. The dam is a chq hen from John’s 7th Open Tours cock of a few years ago paired to a hen which won 5th Open Chenoise. So you could say 'Elaine P’ was bred for the job!
J. Proctor extending the wing of his chq pied hen "Elaine P", 1st, Assoc, 2nd sect, 2nd Open Reims Gold Medal race in SNRPC, just after hanging out his Jammies!
As a y.b she went to Wakefield 1832mls. As a yearling she went to Wanstead Flats 343mls with the Kingdom. This year she had Whitton Castle 115 mls, Ripon 153mls, Wakefield 183mls, Leicester 257mls then was first bird from the Otterburn cb race 77mls. She then had one toss from Lanark on Monday and one from Peas Bay down the East coast on Saturday. After this toss he was going to give her another but changed his mind thinking by then that she was just right. How right he was. As I said earlier John is very happy with this result, his best this year and is quite content on collecting a Bronze Medal at the SNRPC Dinner and Dance early next year!
Next pigeon in the Kingdom was the loft of one of J Proctor's apprentices namely Penman & Grubb of Thornton, who were also 2nd Sect C, with a small to medium 3yo D Chq hen sent sitting on a 5day baby bird. As a Y.B she had only one race homing at dinner time next day. As a yearling she had 5 races to Maidstone winning 45th Open Association. Then she was sent back to the hard Lessay SNRPC race to win 98th Open. As a 2yo she had 5 races to Leicester 260mls and was trained privately and sent sitting 14 days to SNRPC Reims to win 23rd Open. As a 3yo this year she had 5 races to Huntington 290mls, and the next week she had Otterburn club race 80mls. She then had 2 mid week tosses, one from Dundee the other from Blackburn W, Lothian. She then had one final toss from Peas Bay on Sat morning before basketing and left then on open hole. The hen, now named 'Tuppence', came from a gift cock bird from the living legend Dennis Dall from his good red hen who should now win her Gold Award in this race for 5 National Certificates. The dam is a Delbar from Jim Robinson of Durham lines, out of his 1st Fed Beerstal winner. Peter timed in 3 birds from 5 sent.
Penman & Grubbs' "Tuppence", 2nd Assoc, 2nd sect, 5th Open Reims SNRPC 2008.
Third bird into the Association and 4th Sect, 12th Open was our race controller Ian McClaren, from Largoward. Ian timed in a 3yo Chq Cock flying to eggs and winning quite a bit of lolly and flying 565mls. Ian’s other pigeon was also on the result. I don’t have a lot of details of this at the moment as it is very late while I type this out. What I can tell you though is that this pigeon was bred by John Proctor and scored from SNRPC Portsmouth race last season and is the nest mate of Jim Benvie’s Champion, Kingdom Boy. While mentioning Jim and Kingdom Boy, I can tell you that Kingdom Boy did turn up from Reims a few days after the race a bit thin but other than that he’s ok. Much to the relief of many who know the pigeon and fancier! Like getting one of the family back home safe I bet! I will print some details later when I can get hold of Ian at a reasonable time.
Old stager John Anderson of Anstruther is in 4th place in the Kingdom and wins 5th Sect, C; 14th Open with a 5yo cock which has scored before. John is another fancier I will have to get back to for some info. John up to this stage has been flying very well with his team of birds on the round about system. Also featuring on both Wanstead Flats races and Arras.
At Messac, convoyed by Teadale Transport, the birds were away at 6.25am into a light S W Wind which was very changeable all the way home and a very difficult race ensued. The winners were Wilson & Jack of Lanark who timed a brilliant bird on the day, again into the West Section. Tam Currie of Ceres was to time in the only bird on the day into the Kingdom of Fife flying 590mls flying into extreme conditions. Tam's timer was first in the Association, 1st Sect C, 2nd Open and was an incredible pigeon finishing into a North East head wind. The 2yo Blue Hen Tam timed was sent to every race on the programme out to Huntingdon then was pared up and sent sitting 12 days. Then received a 20 ml toss followed by a 30 ml toss. The dam was a gift egg from John Proctor. The sire was from Jackie Ritchie of Inverlochie cross with J. Proctor. Tam also timed another a good bit later but still made the result in what was a real difficult race. Like J. Proctor, Tam came really close to pulling of a National win. Very well done indeed!
Tam Currie's Blue Hen 1st Assoc, 1st sect, 2nd Open SNRPC Messac, 590mls, 2008.
Jock King of Kirkaldy was 2nd Association 2nd sect, 5th Open with a 4yo blue hen which hatched as a late bred in her year of birth. As a y.b she was untrained. As a yearling she had 3 races out to Huntingdon 290mls. As a 2yo she flew to the coast. As a 3yo she had 3 races and went out as far as the Kingdom Wanstead Flats race. As a 4yo this year she had 3 races and again her last race was at Wanstead Flats 343mls with the Kingdom. She was sent on 8 day eggs and ¼ up on her 2nd flight. Her sire was a cock bred by the well known Sid and Val Miles of Peasdown St John, near Bath, from their Pau pigeons. The dam was Jocky’s own hen which won 1st Sect, only bird on the day 3rd Open Vire. So there you have it again, a pigeon bred for the job and raced by a great fancier!
Jock King examines his Blue hen, 2nd Assoc, 2nd sect, 5th Open Messac SNRPC, 2008.
3rd and 4th Association in this race and 3rd & 4th Sect plus 6th & 10th Open was one of the sports characters, Jackie Wishart of Kirkaldy. Jackie had been flying pretty steady this year on roundabout out to Leicester. This is how Jackie's timer, a 2yo Blue Cock, was prepared. As a y.b to the y.b Open Wakefield 183mls. As a yearling to Kingdom Wanstead Flats 343mls. As a 2yo this year the blue cock had every race to Leicester 257mls, after which he was paired up then had the cb race from Oterburn and got down on eggs and sent sitting 11 days. He was carrying 8 old flights and had 2 tosses from 30mls. His sire is a g. g. g. son of his good black cock, who at the time was paired to a Jock King hen. The Black cock himself won 4 times from Rennes 555mls, only failing in the disaster in the mid 90s. The dam's side was of similar breeding. Jackie's 2nd bird was a g.son of the old black cock and he had the same prep as his first bird, and also sent sitting 11 days. Jackie started in Novar in 1958, and first flew them in 1959. Later he started flying in the Nationals in 1964. Happy days says Jackie!
From the Kingdom Open race at Arras, our last OB race, we were convoyed by the Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club. The race control team wanted the strings cut at 5.30am after a 2 day holdover, and they were away into a light West wind changing to North West in the London area. This seemed to be the case and reports show that it was a strong headwind all the way. Before giving some details I would like to take my hat off to Pete Virtue who won the race, and who has had a fantastic season also being 3rd Open Reims and 3rd Open Messac with a yearling into a N. East wind on the East coast. You deserve it Pete for you are a trier. Watch out though, there’s always next year. It seemed that it would be a good hard race and this turned out to be the case with 22 clocked on the winning day. Nine of these pigeons were in the Association. Yours truly was the eventual winner on an agonizing night after losing a bit of time, which I thought would cost me the Open race and National positions. After saying that, I still managed to get my neck in front and win the Association, so it wasn’t a complete disaster. The winner, a 2yo Dark White Flighted hen, was eventually clocked at 8.11pm and was doing 948.9 for her 14 hrs 41 mins and 475mls fly. I would sincerely like to thank Jock and Liz Mackenzie for helping me in this as it was Jock who gave me the parents to breed from! Once again many thanks!
Stuart Bowman's Dark wf Hen "Mrs Mack", 1st Open KRPA, 2nd sect, 4th Open Arras SNRPC, 2008.
2nd & 3rd Open was Big Davie Burns of St.Serfs club. Dave timed 2 at 8.13 and 8.14 both doing 941 for the 472mls. In actual fact Davie had 3 arrive together, one was a y.b and the other 2 he timed in were paired together. These 2 birds were also duplicated to win 3rd &4th Sect, 6t h& 8th Open National. Davie wins the A&J Galloway Trophy for the 2-bird Ave in the Association. Well done Davie. I remember when going to get the clock checked it was big Davie who was first over to congratulate me and for that I thanked him. Then I said I’m sorry, he said what for. I said for winning. Davie quickly replied, don’t be daft, such is the sportsmanship in this fancier. Second to none!!!
Dave Burns' Blue cock, 2nd Assoc, 3rd sect, 6th Open SNRPC Arras, 2008.
Back to Davie’s 2 birds. The first one was a 2yo Blue cock sent sitting 12 days. As a y.b this one had no racing, just trained. As a yearling he was a steady pigeon out to Leicester 257mls. This year he was on roundabout for a while and had every race to Huntingdon 290mls with no training in between. He was then 3rd club 13th Open Wanstead Flats in our Open race, so obviously showing some potential. The sire is his 3rd Open SNFC La Ferte Bernard, while the dam is a Dennis Dall hen which has already bred winners. Dave's next one and paired to the above cock is a 2yo Chq Hen also racing to 12 day eggs. She only flew as far as Tow Law as a y.b. As a yearling she went to Leicester. This year she had the same prep as her mate with the last race being Kingdom Wanstead Flats. Her sire is a Bob Blyth pigeon, while her dam is Davie’s 13th Open SNRPC Alencon 2005, she in turn is from the 3rd Open La Ferte Bernard pigeon. Dave timed 3 next morning the first at 6.28, and this is the nest mate to his 2nd pigeon and will also feature well on the result and in the first 30 in the National result. Dave is very pleased with this result as his first 4 birds are either children or G. Children of his 3rd Open. A good day's racing for the Big Fella, well done Davie!
4th Association and 9th Open National was the Penman & Grubb loft with a yearling Blue Hen timed at 8.22pm on 935 for 474mls. This one wins the J & J Keir & Son trophy for first yearling in the Association. This chq pied hen was sent sitting 11 days. Her sire was came from a daughter of Pete Penman's SNRs, 3rd Fed Falaise 2004, and 10th Open KRPA Falaise 2005. The dam is a daughter of J. Proctor's Ugly Duckling which can be seen in the breeding of many good pigeons in the area! The pied hen had every race on the program out to Wanstead Flats except missing Otterburn back in early April. She then had a toss from Wormit near the Tay Bridge on Wednesday, then Torryburn and one from Peas Bay down the East coast on Sunday.
My thanks to the above fanciers for supplying me with some details. The next 6 places in the Kingdom were as follows: Pete Penman Snr of the Coaltown club was 5th Open on 910, timing in at 8.48pm for the 475mls. This one was 10th Open National. Pete was also 10th Assoc, on 749 and Duplicated to win 23rd Open National, with the first one timed at 5.35 am. In 6th Open on 903 timing a yearling at 8.41 pm for 468mls and Duplicated to win 13th Open National Was old Pal Jock Mackenzie of the Leuchars club, but flying in Anstruther. I was not long on the phone telling him about the pigeon I timed from his birds when this yearling Blue hen dropped, much to his delight. This in actual fact was Jocks fancy and she wins a bit of lolly and the K & B Reid trophy for first nominated bird in the race. Well done Jock. 7th Open Assoc, and Duplicated to win 16th Open on 870 timed at 9.29pm flying 474mls was Pete Patrick of the Coaltown club, who also clocked a 5yo pigeon and timed 5 next morn the first at 5.42 am which will be 11th Assoc, and in the first 30 in the National. 8th Open was John Anderson of Anstruther flying with Leuchars club. John timed at 9.37 pm for 470mls doing 861, and 19th Open National. Finally in 9th Place also Duplicated to win 22ndOpen was Louie Mitchell of Rosyth same club as me. Louie’s pigeon was timed at 10.29pm, in fact only 5 seconds before the race closed at 10.30pm. Louie was flying 472mls, and doing 814, and was one of only 9 pigeons on the day to break 800ypm. Louie had just left the loft only 2 or 3 mins earlier, and was off to bed . On drawing the curtains for the night he thought he saw a cat on the loft and on looking again he could see it was a pigeon from the race. Louie was delighted not to have missed the pigeon and chuffed getting down to the loft to clock in. Meanwhile the toasted cheese got burnt!!! A brave pigeon giving it’s all to get home, well done Louie!
Rosyth - Arras
From the longest club race of the year it was Stuart Bowman who took the top spot with a 2yo Dark White Flighted hen bred from a pair of birds gifted to me by Jock and Liz Mackenzie of Anstruther. Louie Mitchell managed the next 3 places with the first one a 2yo chq cock on 10 day eggs already mentioned. This one on one side was Janseen based and on the other it came from a hen Louie hatch from a pair of late breds from Denise Bingham before she came out the sport. The next one was a 4yo blue cock on 10 day eggs bred down from the late Jimmy Milnes birds. The 3rd bird was a 5yo blue cock also on 10 day eggs and is the sire of the one previous. That raps up the OB season thank goodness!
Dead Pigeon
Just the other day I was driving past St Columbus high School in Dunfermline and noticed a dead racing pigeon at the side of the road. I turned the car around and got to the other side of the road to find a Red Chq, hen which had an injury to the back of it’s neck which looked like a hawk attack. It must have been knocked down as it tried to escape, either flying or walking across the main road, as other than the injury it was in fine condition. The number is SU- 08 P- 2031. This will at least let the owner know what befell this poor bird, as we as pigeon fanciers so often blame the pigeon. Not in this case.
Dennis Dall
I also have some details of Dennis Dall's pigeon timed at 12.50pm from Reims 570mls. She is an 8yo Red Chq Hen now named Ulrica, so Dennis and Helen tell me, as all Dennis’s birds names come from the novel “Ivanhoe”, written by the famous Sir Walter Scott. As a yearling she was 12th Open Fife Fed Fareham 386mls. As a 2yo she flew the coast again and then won 51st Open Fed Clermont. Then the National Diplomas are picked up starting in 2004 with 128th Open SNFC La Ferte Bernard. Then 18th Open SNRPC Alencon 2005. 9th Open SNRPC Reims 2006. 29th Open SNRPC Reims 2007. This year she was timed at 12.50 pm to win 20th Open SNRPC Reims 2008,What a tremendous pigeon I’m sure you agree. This year she had Otterburn, Wakefield, Leicester, and Wanstead Flats 350mls with the SNRPC, where she was first to the loft winning 117th Open vel 998. Once down on eggs again she had 4 short tosses from Crail approx 15mls on the East coast of Fife and was sent sitting 9 days. Ulrica will now qualify for a SNRPC Hall of Fame Gold Award. Dennis has previously won a Gold Award in 1989 with his Red Hen “Barbara” who had 6 prizes, 5 of them in the first 100 in the Open. The next Gold Award Dennis won was in 2004 with his great mealy hen “Rebecca 2” who had in fact won 7 times from the channel, 6 times in the National, and I think they were all from different race points, the best of which was 2nd Open Tours only beaten by that good National flyer Norman Renton. Interestingly, the sire of Ulrica is a stock cock, a direct son of Barbara. The dam is a blue hen and she too is direct from Barbara when she was paired to blue cock “2203” who was in fact the sire of Dennis’s Champion Blue Hen “Rowena”, 5 times a channel winner, the best being 1st Open Niort 697mls! You can therefore see that “Ulrica” is from a half brother half sister pairing! Well done Dennis, youv’e done it again!
Dennis Dall's Red Chq, Hen, "Ulrica", 5 times a channel winner and a Hall of Fame Gold Award Winner with the SNRPC 2008.
Kingdom LATE BRED SALE
Just time to remind you that the Kingdom Racing Pigeon Association are holding our Late Bred Sale at Coaltown Of Balgonie Bowling Club on Sunday 24th August, at 6pm or a 7pm start. There will be some top late breds at this one, make no mistake. With some from the current winners who have some of the best winning pigeons and lines in Scotland. Also one each from Jim Benvie’s National winner Kingdom Boy and one from John Proctors two National winners McFly, and Lucky Jim. This speaks volumes for these two fanciers as it was last year and the year before that they won these races, yet they are still giving one from their very best. There are too many fanciers in this day who just want to sell, and sell anything. This year the prices of pigeons have fallen a bit due to the present economic crises, and with some losses again for everyone in pigeons it should make this sale very interesting. I will have to pop along and see if I can get a well bred bargain myself. You know where to be!
Also don’t forget the Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club Sale on the following Sunday 31st August at Newbridge Bowling club, where there a sure to be some crackers from some of the country’s finest, with about 40 or so on offer. Another sale not to be missed if you are thinking of upgrading your stock!
That’s it for now anything of interest send to me Stuart Bowman 118 Sinclair Dr, Cowdenbeath Fife ky4-9rg, or tel 01383-518471or email to
