Athletes of the Sky

From a family of winners

The first thing to consider when buying your pigeon is pedigree. It plays an important factor when choosing pigeons: It is only through the pigeon’s history that one would get a glimpse of their performance. Were their predecessors performers in long-distance races or were they better in sprints? How about their sire and dam -- were they ace pigeons, too? How about their siblings, did they also perform well in races? You see, choosing a good line of consistent winners is akin to choosing a good pigeon. While champion pigeons is good, onetime champs won’t necessarily produce excellent birds. Consistency is key. If a bloodline consistently wins races season after season (not necessarily always on top), the family is a winner and has a good chance of having excellent racers. Let me give an example: my Crack 52 line. Crack 52 is a pigeon of Josef van den Broucke (vdb) origin, given to me by my uncle Victor Lim. The pigeon, as foreseen by my uncle, gave me excellent race results, winning in 1982 as 6th place in a race by the Philippine Homing Pigeon Association (PHA). While they didn’t win first, consistent with its family’s record, they also won 17th place in Calbayog and 31st in Matnog. Moreover, the pigeon is an excellent breeder with a line that crosses well with other pigeons. Descendants of this Van den Broucke-victor Lim pigeon gave me numerous race victories. Two pigeons from my loft that won 7th and 11th during the 7th Mcarthur National Race were both from the Crack 52 line. There are other pigeon lines in the Philippines who have consistently won races: Kaluluwa Line of Benito Go Que, Victor Lim’s Pogi Line (descended from his speed bird “Pogi”), Double Frisco line of Tommy de Vera, Nelson Chua’s Line which fanciers called “Babaero Line”, and many others. We are lucky that in the country alone, a lot of excellent lines that have continuously performed well are within reach. Once the pedigree has been determined, it’s time to check how well the line crosses with other pigeons. While some fanciers prefer pigeons of pure lines, my long experience in pigeon racing has shown me that outcrosses perform better, have more vigor in racing, and produce excellent fliers and breeders. An example is an outcross I made of Crack 52 and my Flying Machine line, which produced my Flying 52 line. Having a pigeon that crosses nicely with other pigeons is a bankable addition to your loft -- an asset that will help you create a good fleet of winged athletes. Selecting your pigeon based on its bloodline and pedigree will give you an idea where to get your right bird. In my opinion, though, not all pigeons from big lofts or fancier names will give you excellent pigeons. Sometimes, a small loft that does not advertise but has a solid and consistent track of winning races can give you a better pigeon than a big, famous one that breeds for commercial purposes. Don’t get swayed by fancy names or popular names. The key is consistent record and good pedigree.