SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE
Paul Smith
“INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE” REPORT ON 1st HOT SPOT RACE & 8th OFFICIAL TRAINING RACES ON THE 14th SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR
(THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD)
(THE GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD)
WHICH IS DUE TO BE HELD IN SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA ON SATURDAY 30th JANUARY 2010.
Now the team of pigeons are gaining more and more experience after quite a few weeks training tosses and races and they really are ready for the 1st HOT SPOT RACE and the rest of the 2009/10 race series and these athletes of the skies are now ready to have the 1st HOT SPOT RACE which took place on Saturday 28th November from 157km (approx. 98 miles) and a total of 3,908 pigeons from 33 different countries were basketed and this figure included 3,306 International pigeons and included in this figure are 269 from the United Kingdom and 55 from Ireland plus 602 South African pigeons. This convoy were liberated at 06-00 with little to no wind, fine and clear and a temperature of 26c (79f) and a good race was anticipated by Zandy Meyer (Race Director) and Dave van der Merwe (Loft Manager).
It was interesting reading as I was going through some old International Press Releases yesterday and noticed that a total of 3,789 pigeons were sent to the 1st HOT SPOT RACE in the 2007/8 race series and this total was made up by 2,838 International which included 250 United Kingdom and 73 Irish pigeons with 951 South African pigeons entered. Then a total of 3,919 pigeons were sent to the 1st HOT SPOT RACE in the 2008/9 race series and this total was made up by 3,121 International which included 436 United Kingdom and 48 Irish pigeons with 798 South African pigeons entered.
This should show fanciers that have entered the 2009/10 SCMDPR series that the overall losses have been about the same over the last two years which of course is encouraging for the team in charge.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st Open in this 1st HOT SPOT RACE went to Hardy Krueger from Germany with Dressage Diva which was officially clocked at 08-02-51 to record a winning velocity of 1402ypm (48mph), 2nd Open went to Fayez Q8 from Kuwait, 3rd Open to Jim Smith from Canada, 4th Open for Payks Ruhrgebietsmeister from Germany, 5th Open for Mathias Iriacher from Germany, 6th Open for Carelsen – Deno – Herbots from Belgium, 7th Open for Anthony – Rivera Loft from United States Of America, 8th Open for Nemelka Racing Pigeon Loft from United States Of America, 9th Open for Zaben Alazmi from Kuwait, 10th Open for Club Vereeniging Posduifklub from South Africa, 11th Open for Team Muehlenstrodt – Ferchen from Germany, 12th Open for Team Goldener Grund from Germany, 13th Open for Old Boys On Tap from South Africa, 14th Open for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team from the United Kingdom, 15th Open for Davidk Team from Slovakia, 16th Open for Jens Pedersen from Denmark, 17th Open for Mohammad Al-Hindi from Kuwait, 18th Open for Team Schueschue from Germany, 19th Open for Hou Yi-giang from China, 20th Open for Eduard Hoelscher from Germany, 21st Open for the Wallasey Superstars Syndicate from the United Kingdom, 22nd Open for Lighthouse Road from South Africa, 23rd Open for Johann Zetzi from Germany, 24th Open for BT Freunde OWL from Germany and 25th Open for Hok M Reijnen from the Netherlands. There were 6 different countries in the top 10 and these were covered by only 43.30 seconds, with 56-55 seconds covering the top 50 and 74.50 seconds covering the top 100 pigeons in this race. The first report on the web site showed 3,217 pigeons officially clocked up to 08-32-26 which was actually just 30 minutes and 35 seconds after the winner was clocked, next report showed 3,360 by 09-05, then 3,479 by 10-27, 3,499 by 11-10, 3,506 by 11-28, 3,810 by 17-03, then 3,819 by 17-24 and then the final report of the day showed 3,829 in the lofts, leaving just 79 still to return. This represents a return rate of 97.978% which is fantastic to say the least. The first pigeon clocked on Sunday morning was at 05-59 and by 10-08 a total of 3,850 had been officially recorded, leaving only 58 still to return. This return figure represents 98.515%. Two more update reports were put on the web site on Sunday with the first pigeon being clocked at 05-59 and by 16-44 a grand total of 3,856 pigeons had been officially clocked which represents a 98.67% return rate which really is a remarkable feat in any one loft race, which only left 52 pigeons missing by nightfall on Sunday. The Monday morning loft list went on the web site and showed 3,858 pigeons (98.72%) home, which only left 50 still to make it home from the 1st HOT SPOT RACE. WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED.
The winner of the BRAND NEW MOTOR CAR awarded to the first ACTIVATED pigeon in this 1st HOT SPOT RACE was won by Hardy Kruger from Germany with his pigeon named Dressage Diva that had previously won 3,615th, 193rd, 2,056th, 552nd, not clocked on day, 290th, not clocked on day then storms back and wins 1st Open. Once again this just goes to show that when a pigeon has a night out, they sometimes come back with a bang and hit the jackpot and that is what happened in this case.
Winners of the $20,000 HOT SPOT CASH PRIZES in this 1st HOT SPOT RACE were as follows and the first 20 x “ACTIVATED PIGEONS” all won $1,000 each were virtually the same as the top 25 pigeons in the result with the exception that the pigeons that won 15th, 17th and 20th Open were officially “NOT-ACTIVATED” so could not win any of the $1,000 cash prizes. It was good to see two United Kingdom pigeons both winning $1,000 each and they were Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly which was bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor and then the Wallasey Superstars Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with a pigeon bred by Dave & Paul McCarthy from Wallasey. This meant that 17 out of the top 20 and 20 out of the top 23 in the Open result were “ACTIVATED”.
The winner of the TWO-BIRD AVERAGE in this 1st HOT SPOT RACE and $2,000 Cash Prize went to Zaben Alazmi from Kuwait with his Team A pigeons named Brother 56 and Brother 201. It really was a fantastic international result with 8 different countries represented in the top 10 places. The United Kingdom Team had a great race and had no less than 9 competitors in the top 84 places and they were as follows:- 1st UK, 7th Open Mark Gilbert, NFC – Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly & Southfield Roger, 2nd UK, 17th Open Kirkland – Adams with Rileys Legacy & Ashwood Alfie, 3rd UK, 24th Open Paul Smith Syndicate with African Choice & African Star, 4th & 9th UK, 59th & 84th Open Team Thomas with Kirwood Benjamine & Kirwood Christine and then Kirwood Petra & Kirwood Gladys, 5th & 8th UK, 74th & 82nd Open Team Oberholster with Obi Tiaan & Obi Netanya and then Obi Kate & Obi Andrew, 6th UK, 75th Open Wallasey Superstars Syndicate with Wallasey Bluey & Wallasey Sunrise, 78th Open Roger Sutton with Astbury Treasure & Astbury Orchid. Another 7 fanciers had pigeons in the top 177 in the open. The Irish Team also had a very good result and one fancier dominated the result with 1st, 2nd & 3rd Ireland, 65th, 149th & 217th Open for Cannon Lillis Lofts with My Girl & Sandra Chose, then Carlo & Paul R and then Legs 2 & Tommy, all 6 pigeons bred by Jos Reilly.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st United Kingdom, 14th Open went to Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor, which was clocked at 08-03-35 just 44.54 seconds behind the race winner, this pigeon has now won 484th, 31st, 226th and now 14th Open in its last 4 races, it was interesting to note that one of Mark’s other pigeons Southfield Grey won 1st UK, 10th Open in the previous Training Race 7, 2nd UK, 121st Open went to the Wallasey Superstars Syndicate, administer by Paul Smith of Stansted Mountfitchet and with a pigeon bred by Dave & Paul Mc Carthy from Wallasey, 3rd UK, 64th Open went to Team Thomas with a pigeon bred by Mike, Christine & Thomas Kirby from Asselby, 4th UK, 100th Open went to the Paul Smith Syndicate, administer by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with a pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon , 5th UK, 109th Open for Mr and Mrs Paul Bell from Liverpool, 6th UK, 137th Open for Kirkland – Adams with a pigeon bred by Geoff Kirkland from Longton, 7th UK, 138th Open for Crystal Palace Eagles and bred by Terry Peart and John Donovan from Tadworth, 8th UK, 139th Open another for the Paul Smith Syndicate and this time bred by Terry Robinson from Enfield, then 9th UK, 151st Open for Team Oberholster with a pigeon bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge, 10th UK, 168th Open for PBW KPM + FW Syndicate and with a pigeon bred by Brian, Paul & Wendy Hyatt from Brockeridge Common, 11th UK, 188th Open for Roger Sutton from Congleton, 12th UK, 249th Open another for Team Oberholster with another pigeon bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge, 13th UK, 261st Open another for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team and bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor, 14th UK, 280th Open another for Team Thomas and with a pigeon bred by Mike, Christine & Thomas Kirby from Asselby , 15th UK, 286th Open for Slim Timmis and Snoooker with a pigeon bred by Slim Timmis from Newcastle, 16th UK, 324th Open for the Dave + Paul McCarthy from Wallasey, 17th UK, 331st Open another for the Wallasey Superstars Syndicate with another pigeon bred by Dave & Paul McCarthy from Wallasey, 18th UK, 338th Open for Lloyd and Kelly from Didcot, 19th UK, 342nd Open another for Kirkland - Adams and then 20th UK, 364th Open a third pigeon for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team and once again bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor, it must be mentioned that this fancier only sent 3 pigeons out to this race and this weekend has all 3 in the top 364 in the Open, a truly remarkable performance and one he must be very proud of. The first report on the web site showed a total of 216 United Kingdom pigeons were officially clocked in by 08-32, the next one showed 233 by 09-05, followed by 240 by 10-27, 244 by 11-10, 245 by 11-28, 266 by 17-03, 267 by 17-24 and then the final report of the day showed 267 in the lofts by 19-09, leaving just 2 missing. Two more updates were issued on Sunday up to 16-44 which showed 1 more UK pigeon had returned, leaving just 1 pigeon to return to base, which represents a 99.626% return rate. On Monday morning the listing on the web site showed 269 UK pigeons were in the lofts and this meant that no pigeons were missing, which of course resulted in a 100% return in this 1st HOT SPOT RACE, which in itself is a remarkable achievement.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st, 4th & 5th Ireland, 35th, 239th, 362nd Open for Cannon Lillis Lofts with the winning pigeon named Carlo being clocked at 08-03-42, only 51.29 seconds off the race winner and all pigeons being bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, whose pigeons have started this race season off really well and Carlo has now won a 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd beaten by loftmate, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Ireland and also 57th, 352nd, 318th, 17th, 420th, 65th, 211th and now 35th Open in the first 8 official races. WHAT A FANTASTIC PIGEON THIS IS and I bet Jos is over the moon with its performances so far and now after this race this great pigeon is again still holding onto 1st Ireland and the coveted 1st Open in the Sun City Overall Averages by a clear six and a half minutes, 2nd Ireland, 71st Open for Gleeson and Lucas, 3rd Ireland, 124th Open for Pats Team and the 6th Ireland, 515th Open for Tom Cahill. The first report on the web site showed a total of 46 Irish Team pigeons were officially clocked by 08-32, the next one showed 48 by 09-05, followed by 50 by 10-27, 51 by 11-28, 53 by 17-03 and then the final report of the day showed 54 home, leaving just 1 pigeon to return. No more Irish pigeon returned on Sunday ad there return rate was 98.18%. It really turned out to be a great day for the Irish as they also beat South Africa in the rugby international.
SUN CITY OVERALL AVERAGES carries $5,000, $3,000 and a $2,000 cash prize for the first three pigeons in this category but only No. 1 pigeons or pigeons fully paid for before the first official Training Race are eligible to win the actual prize money. Now after eight official races have taken place the web site shows the following:- 1st Open goes to Cannon Lillis Lofts from Ireland with his excellent pigeon named Carlo bred by Jos Reilly which has won 57th, 352nd, 318th, 17th, 420th, 65th, 211th and now 35th in the 8 races that count and total time is 06-39-50, 2nd Open goes to Team Germany – Helios from China with German Carneval which is now six and a half minutes behind the winning pigeon, 3rd Open goes to Team Bremen from Germany with Tomtom, 4th Open to Team Schueschue from Germany with Flip, 5th Open goes to Sauer - Wang from Germany with Shao Wang 5, 6th Open to Team Waldeck from Germany with Dancers Choice, 7th Open for Hannes Weinberger from Austria with Dansgill, 8th Open for Team Godau from Germany with Merima, 9th Open for a Defaulter Pigeon and then 10th Open for Manfred Faber from Germany with Wild at Heart. It was good to see 4 different countries represented in the top 10 in this category and with just over10 minutes covering them all.
Holding onto 1st UK, 40th Open in this category goes to Tony Darling from Southampton with his very consistent pigeon Hampshire Boy which is now leading this competition by nearly 10 minutes, his results so far are 512th, 349th, 467th, 1056th, 1622nd, 49th, 69th and now 1920th Open, then 2nd UK, 82nd Open goes to the Magnificent Seven Syndicate with Ocean Wave bred by Paul Simpson from Ripon, 3rd UK, 94th Open goes to the Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with a pigeon named African Girl bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 4th UK, 98th Open goes to Gorse Syndicate with High Tip bred by Arnold Tweats from Congleton, 5th UK, 105th Open for the Paul Smith Syndicate with African Pacemaker bred by Terry Robinson from Enfield, 6th UK, 123rd Open for Horseshoe Syndicate with Horseshoe Mistress bred by Steve Radcliffe from Skelmersdale, 7th UK, 149th Open for Mr and Mrs Paul Bell from Liverpool with Ramblin Man, 8th UK, 216th Open for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Grey bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor, 9th UK, 249th Open another for Tony Darling from Southampton with Hampshire Queen and then 10th UK, 275th Open another for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly which was this weeks UK winner.
Holding onto 1st Ireland, 1st Open in this category goes to Cannon Lillis Lofts with their great pigeon named Carlo and bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, is now leading this competition by a clear six and a half minutes, 2nd Ireland, 134th Open goes to Gleeson and Lucas with their pigeon named Frau Gleeson, 3rd Ireland, 140th Open goes to Tom Cahill with pigeon named Danny C, 4th Ireland, 192nd Open goes to Cannon Lillis Lofts another pigeon named Paul R bred by Jos Reilly, 5th Ireland, 297th Open for Curtin Brothers with Mosses and 6th Ireland, 314th Open for Oliver Bond Flats with their pigeon The Budgie. IT REALLY IS GREAT TO SEE AN IRISH PIGEON LEADING THE SUN CITY OVERALL AVERAGES.
The 1st HOT SPOT RACE GLOBAL Nominations attracted a total of 509 pigeons (56 from the UK) and there was 1,753 nominations placed and flown for in the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 categories and a total of $14,572-40c was up for grabs and the two winners in the UK Team were Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly winning $51-00c in 14th Open and bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor, then we had Team Thomas with Kirwood Benjamine in 64th Open winning $340-00c and bred by Mike, Christine & Thomas Kirby from Asselby. In the UNITED KINGDOM Nominations there was 38pigeons entered and a total of 146 nominations were placed and $738-65c was paid out and there was four winners and they were as follows:- Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Kelly in 14th Open winning $38-25c, then Team Oberholster with Obi Kate in 151st Open winning $484-50c and then Obi Tiaan in 249th Open winning $211-65c both these pigeons being bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge and lastly Slim Timmis and Snooker with Spartakus in 286th Open winning $4-25c and being bred by Slim Timmis from Newcastle. Congratulations to all these winners.
All results are available for anybody wanting to see them by just logging onto the official Sun City Web Site at www.scmdpr.com
After a day enjoying themselves around the lofts on Sunday and another couple of daily training tosses Training Race 8 took place on Wednesday 2nd December and a total of 3,855 pigeons from 33 different countries were officially basketed, which included 3,259 International which included 269 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 54 from Ireland, plus 596 South African pigeons and then they were all liberated at 06-45 from 81km (approx. 50 miles) with a strong head wind with overcast conditions and a temperature of 24c (75f) and a steady race was anticipated by Zandy Meyer (Race Director) and Dave van der Merwe (Loft Manager).
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st Open in this race went to Sauer - Wang from Germany with pigeon named Shoa Wang 5 which was clocked at 07-47-32 to record a winning velocity of 1396ypm (47mph), this pigeon has been racing well and already won 53rd, 443rd, 289th, 1933rd, 228th, 471st, 108th, 46th and now 1st Open in its last 9 races, 2nd Open went to Josef Becker from Germany, 3rd Open went to Team Chattenfighter from Germany, 4th Open Robert Marjanovic from Austria, 5th Open to Gabriel + Daniel Kint from Belgium, 6th Open to Team Ruhr from Germany, 7th Open for Sudor, Brncal and Skreka from Slovakia, 8th Open for Karl Fuermsinn from Austria, 9th Open for Christian Steinhagen from Germany and 10th Open for Fahad Al-Azmi from Kuwait. It turned out to be a truly great International result with 5 different countries represented in the top 10 and with only 14.10 seconds between them with 42.55 seconds covering the first 50 and 71.70 seconds covering the first 100 in this result. A total of 2,675 pigeons were officially electronically recorded by 08-05, then 3,658 by 08-53, 3,778 by 10-57, the final report of the dat showed 3,795 back in the lofts by 16-34, leaving 60 still to make it back to base camp.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st United Kingdom, 31st Open went to Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team named Southfield Kelly bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor which was clocked at 07-48-05, just 32.90 seconds after the actual race winner, this pigeon has now won 484th, 31st, 226th, 14th and now 31st Open in its last 5 races and has now won 2 x 1st UK in the last two races and something worthy of a mention is that Mark has now won 3 x 1st UK on the trot with two different pigeons which really is outstanding flying, 2nd UK, 85th Open went to Harrow Boys 3 with a pigeon bred by D Damalie from Wembley, 3rd UK, 88th Open for Team Oberholster with a pigeon bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge, 4th & 5th UK, 119th & 123rd Open for the Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet with the first pigeon being bred by Terry Robinson from Enfield and the second one bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 6th UK, 124th Open for Freedom Fighters with a pigeon bred by Mr & Mrs Bill/Beryl Lewis from Kempsey, 7th UK, 129th Open for the Magnificent Seven Syndicate with a pigeon bred by Paul Simpson from Ripon, 8th UK, 139th Open for T Birchall –MCC Sponsor Team with a pigeon bred by T. Birchall from the Midlands, 9th UK, 188th Open for Evans and Bamford with a pigeon bred by Paul Bamford from Pembroke Dock, 10th UK, 232nd Open another foe Team Oberholster and bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge, 11th UK, 234th Open for Ken Darlington from Barry, 12th UK, 237th Open for the Wallasey Superstars Syndicate, administer by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and bred by Dave & Paul McCarthy from Wallasey, 13th UK, 255th Open went to Kirkland – Adams with a pigeon bred by Geoff Kirkland from Longton, 14th UK, 247th Open for the Horseshoe Syndicate with a pigeon bred by Steve Radcliffe from Skelmersdale, 15th UK, 265th Open a third pigeon for Team Oberholster with their good pigeon Obi Kate bred by Pieter & Kate Oberholster from Lask Edge, 16th UK, 273rd Open for Mr & Mrs Brian & Mavis Clayburn from Ackworth, winners of 1st Open in the 2009 SCMDPR, 17th UK, 278th Open for Joesch – Burger with a pigeon bred by Jurgen & Caroline Josch from Hailsham, 18th UK, 282nd Open a third pigeon for the Paul Smith Syndicate and with another bred by Terry Robinson from Enfield, 19th UK, 288th Open a second pigeon for the Wallasey Superstars and bred by Dave & Paul McCarthy from Wallasey and then 20th UK, 313th Open for Witto-Porto with a pigeon bred by Dave Whitefield from Dorchester. A total of 187 UK pigeons were electronically recorded by 08-05, then 256 by 08-53, 263 by 10-57, then the final report of the day showed 265 had made it back to base camp, leaving 4 still to return.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st Ireland, 67th Open went to Oliver Bond Flats with their pigeon named The Warlord which was officially clocked at 07-48-26 just 54 seconds after the race winner, 2nd Ireland, 71st Open for Karl Donnelly, 3rd Ireland, 92nd Open for Paul Poole and Son, 4th Ireland, 220th Open for Mackin, McKeown and Son, 5th Ireland, 260th Open for Philip + Mark Smith and then 6th Ireland for Nashers Team. A total of 34 Irish pigeons were electronically recorded by 08-05, then 52 by 08-53 and all 54 by 10-57.
SUN CITY OVERALL AVERAGES carries $5,000, $3,000 and a $2,000 cash prize for the first three pigeons in this category but only No. 1 pigeons or pigeons fully paid for before the first official Training Race are eligible to win the actual prize money. Now after nine official races that count have taken place the web site shows the following:- 1st Open goes to Cannon Lillis Lofts with their champion pigeon named Carlo with positions 57th, 252nd, 318th, 17th, 420th, 65th, 211th, 35th and now 524th Open and bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, Ireland which now leads by just over four and a half minutes, 2nd Open goes to Sauer – Wang from Germany with Shao Wang 5, 3rd Open for Team Waldeck from Germany with Dancers Choice, 4th Open for Team Germany – Helios from China with German Carneval, 5th Open for Team Godau from Germany with Merima, 6th Open for Hannes Weinberger from Austria with Dansgill, 7th Open for Manfred Faber from Germany with Wild at Heart, 8th Open for a Defaulter Pigeon, 9th Open for Team Bremen from Germany with Tomtom and 10th Open for Tony Rodgers from Canada with Snowbird. A truly International result with pigeons from 5 different countries represented in the top 10 positions with just over 10 minutes separating them all.
Holding onto 1st UK, 58th Open in this category goes to the Magnificent Seven Syndicate with their excellent pigeon named Ocean Wave bred by Paul Simpson from Ripon, 2nd UK, 73rd Open for Tony Darling from Southampton with his good pigeon named Hampshire Boy, 3rd & 4th UK, 74th & 85th Open for the Paul Smith Syndicate, administer by Paul Smith of Stansted Mountfitchet and the first pigeon African Pacemaker bred by Terry Robinson from Enfield and second bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 5th UK, 97th Open for Horseshoe Syndicate with Horseshoe Mistress bred by Steve Radcliffe from Skelmersdale, 6th UK, 117th Open for Mr and Mrs Paul Bell from Liverpool with Ramblin Man, 7th UK, 134th Open for Gorse Syndicate with High Tip bred by Arnold Tweats from Congleton, 8th & 9th UK, 196th & 204th Open for Mark Gilbert – NFC Sponsor Team with Southfield Grey and Southfield Kelly both bred by Mark Gilbert from Windsor then 10th UK, 241st Open a third pigeon for the Paul Smith Syndicate with African Delight bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon. Great to see the United Kingdom Team doing so well in this very tough International competition.
Holding onto 1st & 4th Ireland, 1st & 223rd Open in this category goes to Cannon Lillis Lofts and their first pigeon is named Carlo and the other is named Paul R and both pigeons bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin, 2nd Ireland, 84th Open for Gleeson and Lucas with Frau Gleeson, 3rd Ireland, 122nd Open for Tom Cahill with Danny C, 5th Ireland, 290th Open for McCourt – Larkin with pigeon named Larkin and 6th Ireland, 335th Open for Oliver Bond Flats with The Budgie. It really is great to see an Irish pigeon doing so well in this great International competition.
***KNOCKOUT COMPETITION*** After the result of Training Race 8 had appeared on the SCMDPR web site another special section showed that 33 different countries had entered a total of 2,923 pigeons, which includes 2,554 International with 235 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 44 from Ireland, plus 369 pigeons from South Africa had been officially entered into the “KNOCKOUT COMPETITION” which starts on the 2nd HOT SPOT RACE on Saturday 12th December 2009 from a distance of 190km (118 miles) and carries a $25,000 FIRST PRIZE for the first pigeon clocked in the “FINAL RACE” on Saturday 30th January 2010 that is still left in this competition. Only pigeons that were “ACTIVATED” prior to the 1st Hot Spot Race are eligible to compete in this competition and it works as follows:- Knockout Round 1 – 2nd Hot Spot Race the first 65% (1900) clocked will go forward to Round 2 – 3rd Hot Spot Race when the first 55% (1045) clocked will go forward to Round 3 – 4th Hot Spot Race when the first 35% (366) clocked will go forward to Round 4 – 5th Hot Spot Race when the first 20% (73) will go forward to compete in Round 5 – FINAL RACE and the first pigeon clocked from the remaining 73 pigeons left in will walk away with a cool $25,000 First Prize.
***Once again it was interesting to see that the entry for the 2009 series was 2,739 pigeons, showing that the 2010 series was 184 pigeons up on last years entry. GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS.
If you have Sky television you will be able to see where your pigeons are flying out on a daily basis because The Nedbank Golf Challenge will be taking place at Sun City on the Gary Player Golf Course which borders the Pilanesburg Game Reserve on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (3rd to 6th December 2009). Some of the greatest golfers in the world will be playing for a $700,000 first prize on one of the greatest golf courses in the world today. This will be a great opportunity for fanciers or entrants to see the surroundings that their pigeons see on a daily basis.
More training on Thursday and Friday weather permitting and then hopefully the official Training Race 9 will take place on Saturday 5th December from 110km (approx. 68 miles).
The training and race programme will then consist of daily training tosses (except Sundays) and a race nearly every Saturday as follows, plus numerous Wednesday races. No races will take place on Saturday 26th December 2009 or Saturday 2nd January 2010 as these are Bank Holidays. The whole race programme will consist of 24 Training Races, which will include 5 x Hot Spot Races and of course the Final Race. All of these Training Flights, HOT SPOT RACE and FINAL RACE are subject to weather conditions and if they can’t be held on these appointed dates, they will be held on the best available date. The Race Directors decision will be final. THE RACE PROGRAMME IS AS FOLLOWS:- Training Flight 1 will take place on Wednesday 4th November from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 2 on Saturday 7th November from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 3 on Wednesday 11th November from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 4 on Saturday 14th November from 110km (68 miles), Training Flight 5 on Wednesday 18th November from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 6 on Saturday 21st November from 110km (68 miles), Training Flight 7 on Wednesday 25th November from 80km (50 miles), HOT SPOT 1 on Saturday 28th November from 150km (93 miles), Training Flight 8 on Wednesday 2nd December from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 9 on Saturday 5th December from 110km (68 miles), Training Flight 10 on Wednesday 9th December from 80km (50 miles), HOT SPOT 2 on Saturday 12th December from 190km (118 miles), Training Flight 11 on Wednesday 16th December from 80km (50 miles), HOT SPOT 3 on Saturday 19th December from 230km (143 miles), Training Flight 12 on Wednesday 23rd December from 80km (50 miles), HOT SPOT 4 on Wednesday 30th December from 280km (174 miles), Training Flight 13 on Wednesday 6th January 2010 from 80km (50 miles), HOT SPOT 5 on Saturday 9th January from 350km (218 miles), Training Race 14 on Wednesday 13th January from 50km (31 miles), Training Flight 15 on Saturday 16th January from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 16 on Wednesday 20th January from 80km (50 miles), Training Flight 17 on Saturday 23rd January from 110km (68 miles), Training Flight 18 on Wednesday 27th January from 80km (50 miles) and then the SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR FINAL RACE on Saturday 30th January 2010 from 552km (343 miles).
GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED AND REGULAR “PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO ALL COMPETITORS/ENTRANTS ON A WEEKLY BASIS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. ALSO WEEKLY “PRESS RELEASES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO OUR PIGEON PUBLICATIONS AND WILL ALSO BE ON OUR WEB SITE www.scmdpr.com FOR ALL TO VIEW.
This is the “FOURTEENTH YEAR” since this great International One Loft Race started and every year since day one the Organising Committee have created new competitions and this year will be no exception, more on this as details come through.
“TRIP OF A LIFETIME” in Sun City, South Africa. Once again Sun International will be going out of their way to make sure everybody that travels out for the race weekend has a fantastic time in the fabulous Sun City Resort and as in past years and I will as usual be organising a 10 day (7 nights) “TRIP OF A LIFETIME” for fanciers or friends to travel out to watch and be part of this fantastic race and meet lots of top fanciers from literally all over the world, whilst the same time enjoying the fantastic South African scenery, weather, food, beer and of course the superb South African hospitality. If you are genuinely interested then please get in touch with me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 as return flights and hotel accommodation are already at a premium and all seats and rooms will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Just ask anybody that has travelled out with my group in past years, all will tell you that they have had a wonderful experience, in fact many are travelling out again for the 2010 SCMDPR to enjoy a well earned break in the South African sun and quite a few fanciers will be going out for their seventh or eighth time and some have even been more times. It really is a great experience to spend a few days involved with the most prestigious pigeon race in the world and then to have a few extra days enjoying everything that is great about South Africa.
***SPECIAL NOTICE*** One point that should be pointed out to all competitors and entrants is that only your NUMBER 1 pigeons is “ACTIVATED” (FULLY PAID UP ENTRY) with the other TWO (2) pigeons in each of your “TEAM OF 3” being your RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS. Another point worth mentioning is if you happened to lose your NUMBER 1 PIGEON, your NUMBER 2 PIGEON would replace it FREE OF CHARGE and likewise if you then lost your NUMBER 2 PIGEON, your NUMBER 3 PIGEON would then replace that one FREE OF CHARGE. If you were unlucky enough to lose all your entries of 3 pigeons in any of your “TEAMS” and they had won no “Special Prize Money” in the Hot Spot Races then you are entitled to a FREE ENTRY into the 2011 SCMDPR, all you have to pay is the shipping/export costs. This of course represents great value for your money. All pigeons go to every training toss and Saturday races providing they are fit enough but can only compete for any of the allocated PRIZE MONEY or SPECIAL AWARDS in the 5 HOT SPOT RACES if they are “ACTIVATED” and that means that these must be paid for prior to the 1st HOT SPOT RACE, which is due to take place on Saturday 28th November 2009. The cost to “ACTIVATE” these “RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS” is US$1,000 but that will then entitle all these fully paid up pigeons to compete and be eligible to fly for all the extra cash prizes and special awards that amounts to close to US$300,000 (approx. £187,500). The one thing to remember is that once your reserve pigeon or pigeons are fully paid for, if then they get lost and have won no prize money or special awards in the Special Money Races, then you get this money refunded (less about US$15 for bank charges) or added to your ASI account, which can then be used to purchase another pigeon at a later date and be entered into the Final Race under your name or syndicate. So as you can see it is “BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY” and pay for them early, after all you have nothing to lose. HOW MANY OTHER RACES IN THE WORLD OFFER THIS OPTION TO COMPETITORS AND ENTRANTS?
PLEASE DON’T FORGET:- Please make sure that you “ACTIVATE” your remaining “Reserve Pigeon/s” with the person you shipped your pigeons with prior to the 1st HOT SPOT RACE on SATURDAY 28th NOVEMBER 2009. I suggest that get all your “UN-ACTIVATED” pigeons “ACTIVATED” before THURSDAY 26th NOVEMBER 2009 so they are all in the running for any allocated cash awards or special prizes. Every year some fanciers get caught out by “NOT-ACTIVATING” some of their unpaid reserve pigeons, this has actually cost fanciers/entrants winning cash prizes and even in some cases a Brand New Motor Car. IT REALLY IS NOT WORTH TAKING THE RISK OF NOT HAVING ALL YOUR PIGEONS ACTIVATED.
***WHAT CAN BE WON DURING THIS 2009/10 RACE SERIES*** Prizes and awards that add up to a staggering US$1.6 Million American Dollars and these include 5 x Brand New Cars, 1 for each of the 5 Hot Spot Races, 100 x US$1,000 Hot Spot Cash Prizes, split into 20 x US$1,000 Cash Prizes for each of the 5 x Hot Spot Races, a US$5,000 Hot Spot Ace Pigeon Award for the best pigeon in these five races, 5 x US$5,000 Country Cash Prizes on the 5th Hot Spot Race, plus numerous other US$1,000 Cash Prizes, these prizes are for the first pigeon from each country in the result, the first five different countries take the US$5,000 prizes, then after that US$1,000 prizes. A Two Bird Average Competition and a US$2,000 Cash Prize in each of the 5 x Hot Spot Races, the Sun City Ace Pigeon Award and US$10,000 in Prize Money, split 1st US$5,000, 2nd US$3,000 and 3rd US$2,000, a US$5,000 Cash Prize for the pigeon with the best overall average in all the Training Races and Hot Spot Races, 50km or over. A Knockout Winner and US$25,000 Prize Money, which starts on the 2nd Hot Spot Race and the winner is the first one to be clocked in the “FINAL RACE” (over the past few years there has been around 30/40 pigeons still left in this competition which are eligible to compete for this fantastic prize). Around US$160,000 (approx. £100,000) National Championship Cash Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Country in the “FINAL RACE”, the amount of prize money depends on how many pigeons are entered from each country but I can tell you that over US$300,000 (approx. £187,500) has been paid out in the last two years, which in itself makes it another nice little earner if you happen to strike lucky. Then in the “FINAL RACE” there are 10 magnificent gold pendants to be won and around US$950,000 American Dollars in Prize Money and 300 cash prizes being on offer. (ONLY “ACTIVATED” PIGEONS ARE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE FOR ANY OF THESE SPECIAL CASH PRIZES OR AWARDS). PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATED TO THE 2010 “FINAL RACE” IS AS FOLLOWS:- 1st $200,000 (approx. £125,000), 2nd $120,000 (approx. £75,000), 3rd $75,000 (approx. £46,875), 4th $50,000 (approx. £31,250), 5th $25,000 (approx. £15,625), 6th $20,000 (approx. £12,500), 7th $15,000 (approx. £9,375), 8th $10,000 (approx. £6,250), 9th $9,000 (approx. £5,625), 10th $8,000 (approx. £5,000), 11th/15th $5,500 each (approx. £3,438), 16th/20th $4,500 each (approx. £2,813), 21st/30th $3,500 each (approx. £2,188), 31st/50th $2,500 each (approx. £1,563), 51st/75th $2,000 each (approx. £1,250), 76th/100th $1,500 each (approx. £938), 101st/150th $1,250 each (approx. £782), 151st/200th $1,000 each (approx. £625), 201st/300th $500 each (approx. £313). (Subject to terms and conditions of entry and the US Dollar exchange rate on the day of these races).
It is worth mentioning that three brand new cars have been won by fanciers representing the United Kingdom Team in the last three years, Richard Elliott from Plymouth and Chris Gordon from Old Snydale both won new cars during the 2005/6 race series and Paul & Dave McCarthy from Wallasey won one a new car during the 2006/7 series. Also John Nash from Dublin, Ireland won a car last year in the 2008/9 race series. I am hopeful that somebody from the United Kingdom or Ireland will also win one or maybe more during the 2009/10 series. GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS IN THE FIVE HOT SPOT RACES IN THE 2009/10 RACE SERIES.
I would also just like to notify fanciers that my weekly “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE”, “NEWSLETTERS” and “UPDATES” can now also be seen on the following pigeon web sites:- www.iprr.co.uk www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonportal.com www.pigeonglobe.co.uk www.cyberpigeon.co.uk www.pigeonbasics.com plus of course they will also be in the “”BRITISH HOMING WORLD” and “THE RACING PIGEON” for all fanciers to see.
The race date for the 15th SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE has already been agreed and this will once again take place in Sun City, South Africa on Saturday 29th JANUARY 2011. If you are interested in participating or acting a Country Race Team Shipper, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 and I will give you all the information you require. I have just been notified that the organisers are bringing the first intake period forward by about two weeks, so my shipping date will now take place on about the 20th MAY 2010.
If you have any questions about any aspect of the SUN CITY MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, then please contact me on 01279-812005 and I will do my best to answer any of your questions or queries.
If you need anymore information regarding the 14th SCMDPR then a full International Press Release was published in the BRITISH HOMING WORLD and THE RACING PIGEON on the 2nd October 2009.
IF ANY PIGEON FANCIER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR IRELAND WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE MY WEEKLY “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” BY EMAIL, THEN ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS EMAIL ME THEIR ACTUAL CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS AND I WILL FORWARD THEM ALL THE INFORMATION BY EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.
Why not join in the fun and be part of THE NATIONAL TEAM and “FLY THE FLAG FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM”?
These International Press Releases take me hours of time to collate the information and then write it and I know by the response I get from fanciers literally all over the world that they really enjoy reading them, however unfortunately it is not possible to mention every competitor in each race but anybody anywhere in the world can log onto to a state of the art web site www.scmdpr.com and follow the weekly reports on each Training Race and Hot Spot Race. This web site is without doubt the most informative and best presented one loft race web site anywhere in the world, just take a few minutes to log on and you will agree.
Paul Smith.
United Kingdom Race Team Shipper for The 14th Sun City Million Dollar (The Greatest Pigeon Race In The World), which is due to be held in Sun City Resort, South Africa on Saturday 30th January 2010.
Regency Lofts Limited, “Five Pennies”, High Lane, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. CM24 8LQ. England. Telephone/Facsimile:- 01279-812005 (Int. Code:- +44-1279-812005).
Mobile:- 07860-568216. Email:-
