NEWS FROM BALERNO
by Norman Dixon MBE
The first official Scottish Central Combine race of the season is the Yearling Derby. At 9.30 hours on Saturday 28th May 2015, the 806 Yearlings that had been entered in the Scottish Central Combine Yearling Derby race were liberated within the convoy of Scottish Central Combine Pigeons at Leicester. The birds raced into a Light North East wind for the majority of the way home that was approximately 260 miles to the centre of the Combine area.
The winner of Yearling Derby was timed after 5 hours 19 minutes and 57 seconds by John Boyd, from the Bo’ness Homing Society in the Scottish Central Federation. The velocity for the 156 miles 282 yards home was 1409.101. Johns winning bird, a roundabout Cock, was purchased at the Bo'ness Homing Society young bird sale last year after being donated by the Fife partnership of Turpie & McCord from their stock loft. The Sire of the winner is a Gabby Vandenabeele cross Eagelson Busschaert carrying the ‘Jester and Carrie’ lines of M and D Evans and the Eagelson lines of ‘Greedy’ a notorious award winner and ‘Northern Lass’ the Derby winner for J.Eagleson and Son Ballymena, Northern Ireland. The Sire is the only pigeon John got out of the Vandenabelle hen as she was 10 year old when he bought her and this Cock has now bred good winners with 3 different hens. The Dams side is Norman Black and Sons Northern Ireland with an Eagleson cross again. These pigeons have served Turpie & McCord well over the years
The Combine winner flew the six Scottish Central Federation young bird races to Ripon and was always steady to the loft. This year he was paired at the beginning of March and allowed to sit ten days on eggs before being split from his hen and put on the roundabout system. He has raced every week in the Federation and was again steady to the loft always getting better each week cumulating in this performance from Leicester. 2nd Combine and 2nd in the Scottish Central Federation section was David Jamieson with a Welsh rung pigeon on a very close velocity of 1409.054. 3rd Combine and Scottish Central Federation were Tom and Kate Manger from Bo’ness with Peter Keogh from Winchburgh, last year’s winner of the race, 4th. 5th Combine and 1st West Lothian Section was the partnership of Alistair Mackie and Robert Wilson from the Fauldhouse Club timing a natural dark chequer hen bred by club mates Hope Brothers and Bryce that was racing home to a small youngster. They were quickly followed by club mates Drummond Son and Hilditch who recorded a velocity of just under 0.200 yards a minute slower for 6th Combine, 2nd West Lothian section. 7th Open in the Combine and 1st in the North West Federation section was the partnership of Duncan Cowan and Jim ‘Chuck’ Berry with a Grizzle Hen. The Grizzle hen is raced on the partnerships own version of the roundabout system that gives each sex a day about in the nest boxes to keep them stimulated. The grizzle hen is a home bred bird from a Jos Thone Hen purchased from Armstrong and Wheatley and a Gabby Vandenabelle Cock from Mr. and Mrs. Ian Purvey from Skinningrove in the Up-North-Combine. The grizzle won a race as a youngster last year and has been well up in the North West Federation results for the last two weeks. 2nd in the North West section and 8th Combine was D.H Ogilvie with Mr and Mrs Graham 9th Combine and 3rd North West Federation. 10th Combine was Peter Keogh with his second bird to be timed giving him the two bird average Trophy for the race for the second year in a row. 3rd West Lothian Section and 18th Combine was John Hadfield from Blackburn, 1st in the Midland section and 43rd Open was M & J Miller, 2nd & 3rd Midland Section was John Hendrie and Sons at 46th & 62nd Combine respectively.
Peter Keogh last years Scottish Central Combine Yearling Derby winner congratulating this years winner John Boyd.
Despite the Yearlings racing into a dreaded North East wind, overall it was a good fast race with some fanciers timing in a lot of birds. For the purists who say the liberation should be entirely made up of Yearlings for it to be a proper Yearling Derby race you have to say that at the moment Pigeon Racing has become a safety in numbers game and in the circumstances available today a race within a race is the best option. However if any Combine members can come up with a sensible well thought out plan with substance to once again make it a pure Yearling race, possibly by joining up with other organisations etc. Then please get that information to the Combine committee via your delegates in time for the next Scottish Central Combine Annual General Meeting.
