Not cheep! The Lewis Hamilton of racing pigeons sells for £1m

A RACING pigeon dubbed the avian world’s Lewis Hamilton has been sold for a record £1.1million.

Armando was snapped up for the skyhigh price after a fierce bidding war between two Chinese fanciers.

The bird – Belgium’s best long-distance racer of all time – had been expected to break the previous record of £322,000 but the final figure shocked owner Joel Verschoot, 63, of west Flanders.

Mr Verschoot said: ‘The two Chinese had told me in advance that they absolutely wanted Armando.

‘But I didn’t see this coming. This is a crowning glory of all those years in the sport. It is the icing on the cake.’

Armando is five years old and is nearing his retirement age, but has been praised for his exceptional sense of direction and amazing wing strength. The unnamed buyer is expected to use him to breed champions. Armando, pictured, had been hailed as the ‘Lewis Hamilton of pigeons’ by Belgianbased racing bird financier Fred Vencaillie. He was a champion at the 2019 Pigeon Olympiad in January, and also triumphed at the 2018 Ace Pigeon championships. Seven of Armando’s offspring were also auctioned online, raising £18,400 each on average. A new-found passion for pigeon racing by Chinese enthusiasts continues to drive prices up.