Patrick & Dimitri Houfflijn

A well deserved 1st National win for this top loft

 

1st National General Champion Cureghem-Centre 2006

2nd National Long distance Champion KBDB 2006

2nd National General Champion KBDB 2006 4th National Ace pigeon KBDB 2006

 

3rd National Brive 16,007 birds 2007

4th National Brive 17,456 birds 2009

8th National Cahors 7,347 birds 2009

7th National Brive 16,815 birds 2010 and now 1st National Cahors 8,622 birds 2010

 

The 2010 Cahors National winner

 

Sunday the 13th of June 2010 is a special day for the father and son partnership Patrick and Dimitri Houfflijn, who race their pigeons in the town of Wortegem-Petegem, Belgium.  That day their top racer “Zoon Eenslag” arrived home from the Cahors National to win 1st Rekkem Club 1st Provincial and 1st Belgian National from an entry of 8,622 birds.  Their National winner had to contend with mainly northerly head winds on his 723 km route home so we can safely say that with a respectable speed of 1,140 mpm this super pigeon did it in some style.  Dimitri told me that he came like a meteor without losing one second and as special motivation had been given his hen 20 minutes prior to being sent.

 

 

This superb National winner is no stranger to success his race record is as follows:

 

2007:

Argenton            Club                   407 birds           33rd

                                     Interprov              5,134 birds           367th            

 

2008:

2009;

2010;

I think you will agree that “Zoon Eenslag” has earned his place in the loft and this 1st National win tops a consistent and glorious career.

 

The Houfflijn pedigree

 

Many readers will have heard of the Houfflijn duo before and will understand that before 1986 their colony was based on the birds of Robert Willequet.  With these birds the Houfflijn tandem won many awards such as 1st Provincial Ace Pigeon KBDB, 3rd National Montauban, 7th National Limoges, 5th National Ace Pigeon KBDB and they were 1st General Champions in the strong Rekkem club four years in a row between 1997 and 2000. In 1996 the birds of Gaby Vandenabeele were introduced and crossed in with their already successful bloodlines.  So together with a special breeding hen from Hubert Duhamel of Lauwe today we can say that the Houfflijn pedigree is based mainly on the best of lines from Robert Willequet and Gaby Vandenabeele.  Readers can be sure that this is a modest, noncommercial loft with pigeons of a special quality which are able to compete and win against many of the “big guns” in Belgium.

 

Consider that only two weeks prior to this National win from Cahors the Houfflijn loft had an

“avalanche” from the Brive National, decimating the competition and winning:

 

Rekkem Club        552 birds:            2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 14th?

Provincial           3,754 birds:       4th, 6th, 19th, 29th, 37th, 63rd?

National               16,815 birds       7th,14th, 40th, 55th, 71st, 128th?

 

In fact, “Zoon Eenslag” was himself the fifth pigeon to arrive home from Brive winning 71st National; his breeding is as follows:

 

Father:  “De Eenslager” 044/2003 Top prize winner including 39th Nat Limoges 21,929 birds 2004.  He is a son of “Zoon Blauwe Limoges” 019/1999 (direct from “Blauwe Limoges” Vandenabeele son 1st Nat Limoges x daughter “Bordeauxtje” Vandenabeele) and “Charlyne” 924/1997 (direct from “Charel junior” Vandenabeele x “Het Argentonske” 1st Argenton and daughter “Jonge Witteslag” 30th Nat Limoges 18,608 birds; Willequet line of Houfflijn).

 

Mother:  “Fideelke 538” super stock hen and sister of the fantastic “Fideel” brothers of Houfflijn.  She is a daughter of the number one stock cock “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” 584/1996, direct from the loft of Gaby Vandenabeele (Son of “Blauwe Fideel” 1st National Brive 4,710 birds 1995 x sister Cinderella bred from “Wittenbuik” x “Moriska”) when paired with the mother of the Houfflijn loft “Ronkertje” (daughter of the Houfflijn Willequet base cock, “De Limoges” 1st Prov. 7th Nat Limoges 7,776 birds x daughter “Ronker” 1st National Limoges 1995 8,883 birds, 1st Prov. Ace Pigeon 1994 for Vandenabeele).

 

As you can see the Cahors National winner is mainly of Vandenabeele blood when crossed with the old Willequet line of Houfflijn.  This Willequet line has kept this loft (and many others) close to winning Nationals for many years.  In fact from this same Cahors race the loft of Hok Boddaert won 53rd National with a direct Houfflijn (Son of the Willequet cock, “Geschulpten As” x “Duhamelke”) and they won four prizes with Houfflijn pigeons from their five Houfflijn pigeons sent.  The second arrival to the Houfflijn loft from Cahors was good for 91st National thus demonstrating the quality of the Houfflijn pedigree both for Patrick and Dimitri and many other lofts.

 

The influence of “Zoon Blauwe Fideel”

 

So where do we start with this top and in-form loft.  There is only one place and that is to consider the influence that the grand-father of this new National winner has had on the Houfflijn loft and those fortunate enough to obtain his children.  “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” 584/1996 is now sire, g-sire and great g-sire of the Houfflijn dynasty.  To put it in context - in 2006 when I first visited the Houfflijn loft their race team contained at least five ace racing cocks which were all direct sons of “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” when coupled with different hens.  All these brothers and half-brothers were multiple top-prize winners in the National races during the previous years.  One of these was the two year old, “As Fideel” who won 4th National Ace pigeon long-distance KBDB that very year.  These racing cocks helped the

Houfflijn’s win some special prizes in 2006.  They were 2nd Long distance Champions of

Belgium KBDB and 2nd General Champions of Belgium KBDB 2006.  Consider the 2006 National results of those Fideel brothers:

 

03/06/06 Limoges National 9,545 birds: 11th, 48th, 74th, 87th

24/06/06 Brive National 9,466 birds: 21st, 65th, 72nd, 97th, 182nd

15/07/06 Limoges National 15,507 birds: 59th, 128th, 130th

22/07/06 Souillac National 6,475 birds: 20th, 23rd, 36th, 161st

 

Their full list of honours can be seen on the montage and are summarised as follows:

 

• “As Fideel” 4th National Ace Pigeon KBDB, 2nd National Ace Pigeon Entente Belge, 2nd Provincial Ace Pigeon KBDB and 36th Nat (6,475 birds), 48th Nat (9,545 birds) and 72nd Nat (9,466 birds) in 2006.
• “Super Fideel” 13th Nat (19,477 birds), 29th Prov (2,811 birds), 87th Nat (9,545 birds), 97th Nat (9,466 birds) and 98th Nat (4,534 birds)
• “Fideel 152” 10th Nat (7,214 birds), 32nd Nat (1,311 birds), 110th Nat (16,945 birds)
• “Fideel 100” 15th Prov (3,021 birds), 20th Nat (6,475 birds), 21st Nat (7,446 birds), 65th Nat (9,466 birds)
• “Cippolini” - 21st Nat (9,466 birds), 53rd Prov (2,658 birds), 73rd Prov (7,233 birds)
• “Grote Fideel” 3rd (1,216 birds), 10th (3,051 birds), 11th (1,778 birds), 18th (1,488 birds), 20th (7,000 birds)
• “Blauwe Fideelke” 1st Prov. 31st Nat (13,118 birds), 8th Prov (1,572 birds), 21st Prov (1,202 birds) plus 43rd, 71st and 87th Prov.
• “Crayonne Fideel” 5 National positions and 2nd Prov Tours 2,658 birds, 16th Prov Orleans 1,068 birds, 74th Prov Orleans 7.233 birds, 182nd Nat Brive 9.466 birds and 189th Nat Brive 20.310 birds.

 

Although the “As Fideel” and “Super Fideel” were sold (the latter via Pipa) the Houfflijn loft has been much strengthened by the retrial of these Fideel brothers and in 2010, as their children are maturing, this has really begun to pay dividends.  In fact, in the 2010 race from

Brive the Fideel line was well represented by those five early pigeons, namely:  7th National

(Son “Fideel 152”, i.e. g-son “Zoon Blauwe Fideel); 14th National (G-son “As Fideel”); 40th National (G-son “Grote Fideel”); 55th National (Son “Fideel 034”); 71st National (“Zoon Eenslager”, g-son “Zoon Blauwe Fideel”).  This has been an unbelievable line for Houfflijn for almost fifteen years and is continuing to decimate the competition in 2010.

 

Readers should note that Patrick and Dimitri decided, after the “avalanche” from Brive, not to send back to Cahors their first four pigeons from Brive but to send the fifth (and onwards).   “Zoon Eenslag” was the fifth home from Brive (71st National) and now has won 1st National Cahors.  One can only wonder whether the “avalanche” might have happened again at Cahors had the first four “Fideel” cocks been sent back.

 

 

Another star of the loft (retired in 2009) is the “Kleine As”; yet another g-son of “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” and the Willequet cock, “Geschulpten As” winner of 1st Provincial Ace pigeon KBDB 1995.  The “Kleine As” has had some terrific results and his highlights between 2006-2008 include:

 

1st Club 189 birds 11th National Limoges 9,545 birds

4th Cub 108 birds 23rd National Souillac 6,475 birds

2nd Club 67 birds 21st National (Z) Montauban 2,101 birds

2nd Club 147 birds 14th National Montauban 5,438 birds

1st Club 363 birds 21st National (Z) Souillac 3,625 birds

 

 

 

The “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” line in other lofts

 

There are many other lofts to have success with this “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” line of Houfflijn and the highlights are as follows:

 

Gaby Vandenabeele

 

The grandmaster Gaby Vandenabeele has re-introduced his own Fideel line from Houfflijn.  His “Louie” 413/2007 is a son of Houfflijn’s top racer “Crayonné Fideel” 604/2001 (direct from

“Zoon Blauwe Fideel”).  “Louie” has won the following:

 

Eddy and Maarten Leutenez

 

Another sister of the “Fideel” brothers and sister of the mother of 1st National Cahors 2010 (i.e. direct from “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” x “Ronkertje”) is a special stock hen in the loft of Eddy Leutenez; she is the dam of “De Limoges” and “Bolt” (see pictures).

 

 

 

 

Gevaert Lannoo

 

Their top breeder is “Fideel Etienne”, a direct son of “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” and is responsible for a.o “Basserke”, their super racing hen of 2009 (see picture).

 

 

Eric Claerhout

 

This fine racing loft is mainly Houfflijn based being well represented by the superb “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” line.

 

Summary

 

Wow what a line the blue cock “Zoon Blauwe Fideel” has produced for the Houfflijn loft and for many others.

 

It is often the case that some of the best and most consistent lofts do not win a National race.  I’m so pleased to say that in the case of Patrick and Dimitri Houfflijn this is no longer the case.  I wish them and their families all the very best and hope that now they have learned to do it once they can go on and do it again.  As readers will be aware from this brief article, they certainly have the bloodlines to make another National win a reality.

 

Robert J Rome

Tel: +44 7894 938205