“FIFTH INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE”.
ON
HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 & TRAINING RACE 8.
IN
THE 21st SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE
(THE BIGGEST & GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD!)
(THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD)
(THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN THE PIGEON WORLD)
DUE TO BE HELD AT
HERON BANKS GOLF & RIVER ESTATE,
SOUTH AFRICA
ON
SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2017.
ANOTHER RACE SEASON STARTS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SUNSHINE.
LIVESTREAM was up and running at the race loft so I woke up early and logged on at 05.30 (GMT) on Saturday morning at home to watch the pigeons arrive from HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2. Once again it is fantastic to be able to sit nearly 6,000 miles away and watch the pigeons arrive back home. The weather looked very misty and quite a strong wind at the loft and head on for most of the journey. After a few false alarms with late pigeons returning from earlier trainers the first small gang of about 30 arrived at 08.36 (SA time) or 06.36 (GMT), another group of about 10 pigeons appeared swung round the loft and were joined by a few more small gangs, then all of a sudden hundreds started hit the landing platform and started to trap. I also had my iPad ready for the result and all of a sudden I showed 1st OPEN had gone to ROMANIA. The pigeons just fell out of the sky with literally hundreds being clocked within a few minutes of the race winner, in fact over 1,000 pigeons were officially clocked within 23 minutes of the actual race winner. If you have not logged on yet to watch the pigeons arrive from the races, you do not know what you are missing, it is fantastic and also a great experience. https://youtu.be/jM0Yvq1dUuA HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 took place on Saturday 17th December 2016 from 211km (131 miles) and a total of 3,511 pigeons were basketed from 35 different countries and this total included 3,241 International and 270 South African pigeons and this total also included 283 from the United Kingdom and 44 from Ireland. A total of 179 pigeons were held back and not basketed, these included 4 from the United Kingdom and just 1 from Ireland, these were all left in the lofts because they had made mistakes earlier in the week. Total still in the loft was 3,680 pigeons. The convoy were liberated at 05-30 in fine and cool conditions, with a strong head wind on route, 16c (60f) and a good steady race was anticipated. The temperature was expected to rise to during the day. CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st OPEN goes to TEAM FLOREA SORIN from ROMANIA with pigeon named AFRICAN PEARL bred by FLOREA SORIN, which was officially clocked at 08.36.57.65 to record a winning velocity of 1233ypm (18.8096 m/s) (42mph). 2nd Nicole De Weerd from Belgium, 3rd Van Kerckhove – Vercauteren from Belgium with their good pigeon Blue Daisy that has already won 1st OPEN TR2, 2nd OPEN TR4 and now 3rd OPEN HSCR2, surely one to watch out for, 4th HuD Koffler u M Kossow from Germany, 5th K Consultancy from United Kingdom, 6th Fayez Q8 from Kuwait, 7th Holts Loft from United States America, 8th Ignacio Dorronsoro from United States Of America, 9th Team McLaughlin-Malley from United States Of America, 10th Mohammed AlRashiad from Saudi Arabia, 11th Walfred Stockinger from Austria, 12th Robert Darr – Donald Bicknell II from United States Of America, 13th Abdullah Bohaimed from Kuwait, 14th Hans & Evert-Jan Eijerkamp from Netherlands, 15th H-CAL Syndicate from United States Of America, 16th Speedbird Strain – Aylesbury Bucks from United Kingdom, 17th another for Nicole De Weerd from Belgium, 18th Leon Viljeon from South Africa, 19th Brebeanu Florian from Romania and 20th Dominique Velghe from Belgium. The top twenty in this result were separated by just 55.80 seconds and had 10 different countries represented in the top 20 and 12 different countries in the top 50, only 1 minute 47.05 seconds away from the actual race winner. This race resulted as another with fantastic returns with 2,077 recorded by 09.40, then 2,620 by 12.11, then 2,823 by 18.00 and then the last report showed 2,856 pigeons had been officially recorded by 19.12, leaving 655 to make it back to the lofts. I am sure a few more will work back during Sunday and over the next few days. Sunday dawned and the missing pigeons started to roll in from 06.04 and a further 358 pigeons returned to the loft, leaving 297 pigeons missing. A Loft Listing appeared on the SAMDPR website on Monday morning and this showed that 3,246 pigeons were now in the race loft and this total included 270 from the UK and 37 from Ireland. THE BRAND NEW MOTOR CAR was won in HSCR2 by the pigeon which actually took 1st OPEN TEAM FLOREA SORIN from ROMANIA with pigeon named AFRICAN PEARL. A nice early Christmas Present for FLOREA SORIN. HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1, the 19 x US$1,100 (£917) CASH PRIZES were won as follows:- The pigeons that took 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th OPEN positions which are all mentioned above. Then the pigeons that took 21st, 22nd, 23rd OPEN won the remaining Hot Spot Cash Prizes, these included 2 x American pigeons and a German pigeon. WELL DONE TO ALL THESE WINNERS. THE 2-BIRD AVERAGE and US$2,000 (£1,667) was won by HELMUT SCHULZ (Team 2) from GERMANY with pigeons named AFRICAN DREAM and WILLEM with an average velocity of 37.316 m/s. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 20th OPEN went to MANCHESTER MAESTROS (Team 1) with pigeons named LADY LOIS 3 and LADY LOIS 2 bred by JOHN CREHAN from MANCHESTER with an average velocity of 36.018 m/s. 1st IRELAND, 237th OPEN went to PHILIP & MARK SMITH (Team 3) with pigeons named ELIZ and PAULA S both bred by this fancier. THE 3-BIRD AVERAGE and US$3,000 (£2,500) was won by ADO FAMILY LOFT (Team 2) from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with pigeons named ALMA, SUPER 83 and NOT PLAY WITH ME with and average velocity of 54.003 m/s. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 3rd OPEN went to ZANDYS DREAM TEAM (Team 4) with pigeons named ZANDYS VENTURE, ZANDYS PRIDE and ZANDYS HOPE all bred by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with an average velocity of 53.185 m/s. 1st IRELAND, 74th OPEN went to GROVE HILL LOFTS (Team 1) with pigeons named GROVE HILL TED, GROVE HILL BRUNO and GROVE HILL TINY with an average velocity of 44.137 m/s. CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 5th OPEN went to K CONSULTANCY and with their pigeon named BLACK DOT which was bred by PIETER OBERHOLSTER from KEYSOE, which was officially clocked at 08.37.08.29, just 10.64 seconds away from the race winner. 2nd UK, 16th Open Speedbird Strain – Aylesbury Bucks, entered by the late Peter Entwistle from Aylesbury and with a pigeon bred by Keith & Graham Jones from Aylesbury, 3rd UK, 28th Open The Royal Lofts (Her Majesty The Queen) from Sandringham with a pigeon bred by Peter Farrow (Loft Manager), 4th UK, 38th Open Crossley & Truszkowski from Melton Mowbray,5th UK, 52nd Open J & J Syndicate with pigeon bred by Joe Kennedy & Son from Belfast, 6th UK, 82nd Open Grumpy Old Men entered by Tony Kent from Wareside and with a pigeon bred by J Dixon, 7th UK, 84th Open another for J & J Syndicate with a second pigeon bred by Joe Kennedy & Son from Belfast, 8th UK, 95th Open Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 9th UK, 105th Open Zandys Dream Team with a pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 10th UK, 107th Open Sue Bennett from Darlington with pigeon bred by Woodroffe Brothers, 11th UK, 123rd Open Lloyd & Kelly from Didcot, 12th UK, 132nd Open Hilamb Syndicate, administered by Ken Ambler from Keighley and with pigeon bred by Ron Hillcoat from Sheffield, 13th UK, 138th Open Les Green GB from Irlam, 14th UK, 141st Open Gary & Annette Tomlinson from Blackbrook, 15th UK, 160th Open Smith – McAllister, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Bruce McAllister from Furneaux Pelham, 16th UK, 161st Open another for Paul Smith Syndicate with a second pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon, 17th UK, 168th Open UK Elite Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Lee Fribbins from Frating, 18th UK, 187th Open Kingsmead School from Hednesford with pigeon bred by C Rose & Son, 19th UK, 213th Open Guys Lofts Elite with pigeon bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton and then 20th UK, 225th Open Premier Stud UK Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Premier Stud from Patringham Haven. Another great race with 131 UK pigeons being officially clocked by 09.14, then 162 up to 09.34 and then 168 by 09.40, then 197 by 10.41, 214 by 14.49 and then they last list showed 224 UK pigeons were in the loft by 19.12 which left 59 to return to base camp. Sunday morning the missing pigeons started to roll in and a further 30 UK pigeons returned to base camp, leaving 20 pigeons still missing. The Monday morning Loft Listing showed 270 UK pigeons in the loft. CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 164th OPEN went to MORAN & BOWDEN with their pigeon named CAPTAIN CHRIS, bred by ANDREW MORAN which was officially clocked at 08.43.04.50, 6 minutes and 06.85 seconds after the actual race winner. 2nd Ireland, 509th Open H+C Thorpe – McMorrow, 3rd Ireland, 604th Open Philip & Mark Smith, 4th Ireland, 791st Open another for Philip & Mark Smith, 5th Ireland, 926th Open Grove Hill Lofts and then 6th Ireland, 1171st Open John Byrne & Sons. A good race with 21 pigeons being officially clocked by 09.34, then 24 by 09.52 and 28 by 10.41, then the final list showed 32 had been officially recorded by 19.12, which left 12 Irish pigeons to make it back to the loft. Sunday morning they started to return to the lofts and during the day another 3 Irish pigeons made it back to base camp, leaving 9 still missing. The Monday morning Loft Listing showed 37 Irish pigeons in the loft. THE OVERALL AVERAGES after 9 official races now stand as follows:- 1st OPEN goes to JOSEF HOELSCHER from GERMANY with his pigeon named LAURENZ and bred by JOSEF HOELSCHER, actual flying time 13.52.48.79, with 377th TR1, 42nd TR2, 158th TR3, 100th TR4, 131st TR5, 845th TR6, 335th HSCR1, 561st TR7 and now 39th HSCR2. 2nd Open goes to Don Hart from United States Of America and 3rd Open goes to Michael Repapis from South Africa. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 13th OPEN goes to ZANDYS DREAM TEAM, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named ZANDYS PRIDE bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, actual flying time of 14.15.19.44, with 403rd TR1, 632nd TR2, 1318th TR3, 146th TR4, 491st TR5, 379th TR6, 639th HSCR1, 324th TR7 and now 546th HSCR2. 2nd UNITED KINGDOM, 24th Open is Carlos Dream Syndicate with pigeon named Carlos Magic bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin and 3rd UNITED KINGDOM, 43rd Open is Manchester Maestros with pigeon named Lady Lois 2 bred by John Crehan from Manchester. 1st IRELAND, 168th OPEN goes to H+C THORPE – McMORROW with their pigeon named CABELIN bred by KARL DONNELLY, actual flying time 14.59.52.98, with 166th TR1, 1828th TR2, 2401st TR3, 1738th TR4, 730th TR5, 2601st TR6, 491st HSCR1, 2288th TR7 and now 509th HSCR2, 2nd IRELAND, 209th Open is Safet Duran with pigeon named Bosnian Predator and 3rd IRELAND, 635th Open Robbie Daly with pigeon named Big Bird. GLOBAL NOMINATIONS on HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 amounted to a staggering US$19,466.70c (£16,223) and there was a total of 469 pigeons actually entered which included 30 from the UK and just 1 from IRELAND and there was 1,576 nominations and all this money in this race was won by pigeons in the top 102 positions. There was just one UK winner and that was 5th OPEN for K CONSULTANCY with pigeon named BLACK DOT bred by PIETER OBERHOLSTER from KEYSOE which won US$306 (£255) for its efforts. UNITED KINGDOM NOMINATIONS amounted to $584.80c (£488) and there was a total of 18 pigeons entered and there was 69 nominations. There was two winners as follows:- 5th OPEN for K CONSULTANCY with pigeon named BLACK DOT bred by PIETER OBERHOLSTER from KEYSOE winning US$193.80c (£162) for its efforts, then 361st OPEN for MANCHESTER MAESTROS with pigeon named LADY LOIS 2 bred by JOHN CREHAN from MANCHESTER winning US$391 (£326) for its efforts. WELL DONE GUYS. THE HOT SPOT AVERAGES after 2 races was as follows:- 1st OPEN goes to FAYEZ Q8 from KUWAIT with pigeon named Q8_FAYEZ_277 and bred by FAYEZ JAMAAN ALOTIBI, with a time of 05.21.49.85, which has taken 27th HSCR1 and now 6th HSCR2. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 5th OPEN goes to SPEEDBIRD STRAIN – AYLESBURY BUCKS with pigeon named JU87 STUKAB DIVE BOMBER, entered by the late PETER ENTWISTLE from AYLESBURY and with pigeon being bred by KEITH & GRAHAM JONES from AYLESBURY, with a time of 05.24.14.15, which has taken 56th HSCR1 and now 5th HSCR2. 1st IRELAND, 174th OPEN goes to H+C THORPE – McMORROW with their pigeon named CABELIN bred by PROUDS TOWN LOFTS, with a time of 05.41.56.25, which has taken 491st HSCR1 and now 509th HSCR2. THE COUNTRY CHALLENGE is a separate country competition which costs US$120 (approx. £100) per pigeon to enter and offers 3 cash prizes in each of the 5 Hot Spot Car Races and currently there is 143 UNITED KINGDOM pigeons entered and the Prize Money will be as follows:- There will be cash prizes of 1st Prize US$125 (approx. £104), 2nd Prize US$75 (approx. £62) and 3rd Prize US$50 (approx. £42) on Hot Spot Car Races 1, 2, 3 & 4. Then on Hot Spot Car Race 5 the prizes will increase to 1st Prize US$5,130 (approx. £4,275), 2nd Prize US$3,078 (approx. £2,565) and 3rd Prize US$2,052 (approx. £1,710). In The Final Race there will be just a 1st Prize winner takes all and that will go to the entered pigeon with the best average over the 5 x Hot Spot Car Races and The Final Race. The winning pigeon will be crowned THE UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY CHALLENGE ACE WINNER and the Prize is now standing at US$5,920 (approx. £4,934). Of course only pigeons that were fully paid for and entered into this competition prior to basketing for Hot Spot Car Race 1 are eligible to fly for this ACE PIGEON AWARD. The UNITED KINGDOM TEAM have always supported this extra competition and the winners in this HSCR1 were as follows:- 1st UNITED KINGDOM and US$125 (approx. £104) goes to 16th OPEN SPEEDBIRD STRAIN – AYLESBURY BUCKS with pigeon named JU87 STUKAB DIVE BOMBER entered by the late PETER ENTWISTLE from AYLESBURY and bred by KEITH & GRAHAM JONES from AYLESBURY. 2nd UNITED KINGDOM and US$75 (approx. £62) goes to 95th OPEN PAUL SMITH SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named STANSTED GOLD bred by JIMMY RICHARDS from LAINDON, 3rd UNITED KINGDOM and US$50 (approx. £42) goes to 105th OPEN ZANDYS DREAM TEAM, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon bred by him and named ZANDYS VENTURE. THE COUNTRY CHALLENGE AVERAGES after 9 races are as follows:- 1st UNITED KINGDOM is ZANDYS DREAM TEAM, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named ZANDYS PRIDE which was bred by PAUL SMITH and has a combined flying time of 14.15.19.44. 2nd UNITED KINGDOM is CARLOS DREAM SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET and with pigeon named CARLOS MAGIC bred by JOS REILLY from DUBLIN and has a combined flying time of 14.23.03.40, 3rd UK UNITED KINGDOM is MANCHESTER MAESTROS with pigeon named LADY LOIS 2 bred by JOHN CREHAN from MANCHESTER and has a combined flying time of 14.32.24.15. The IRELAND TEAM only entered 6 pigeons and will fly for 1st Prize US$125 (approx. £104), 2nd US$75 (approx. £62) and 3rd Prize US$50 (approx. £42) on Hot Spot Car Races 1, 2, 3 & 4. Then on Hot Spot Car Race 5 the prizes will increase to 1st Prize US$335 (approx. £279), 2nd Prize US$201 (approx. £167) and 3rd Prize US$134 (approx. £112). In The Final Race there will just be a 1st Prize winner takes all and that will go to the pigeon with the best average over the 5 x Hot Spot Car Races and The Final Race. The winning pigeon will be crowned THE IRISH COUNTRY CHALLENGE ACE WINNER and the Prize is now standing at US$440 (approx. £367). Of course only pigeons that were fully paid for and entered into this competition prior to basketing for Hot Spot Car Race 1 are eligible to fly for this ACE PIGEON AWARD. 1st IRELAND and US$125 (approx. £104) goes to 604th OPEN PHILIP + MARK SMITH with pigeon named ELIZ, 2nd IRELAND and US$75 (approx. £62) goes to 791st OPEN PHILIP + MARK SMITH with pigeon named GAELIC HOPE, 3rd IRELAND and US$50 (approx. £42) goes to 1588th OPEN PHILIP + MARK SMITH with pigeon named JAMIE HAYDEN. THE IRISH COUNTRY CHALLENGE AVERAGES after 9 races are as follows:- 1st IRELAND is PHILIP & MARK SMITH with pigeon named ELIZ bred by these fanciers and with a combined flying time of 16.53.14.10. Pigeons nominated and paid for into THE COUNTRY CHALLENGE competition from other countries were as follows:- AUSTRALIA 18, BELGIUM 10, CANADA 2, DENMARK 9, GERMANY 35, IRELAND 6, NETHERLANDS 5, POLALD 9, SOUTH AFRICA 72, UNITED KINGDOM 143 and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 17. These figures quoted just shows what great support the UNITED KINGDOM gives this special competition. GOOD LUCK TO ALL FANCIERS AND ENTRANTS IN TRAINING RACE 8 ON WEDNESDAY 21st DECEMBER 2016. THE KNOCKOUT COMPETITION offers a US$25,000 (£20,834) First Prize and only fully paid up pigeon before basketing of Hot Spot Car Race 1 are eligible to compete for this great cash prize. This great competition offer the following conditions and one lucky winner will walk away with “THE POT OF GOLD” after the Final Race. These rules are as follows:- This competition will take place over the last four Hot Spot Car Races and the Final Race, if however any Hot Spot Car Race is cancelled the race committee can use a Training Race to replace any Hot Spot Car Race. As usual this competition is very well supported and this year was no exception as there was a total of 2,747 pigeons entered, which was made up of 2,571 International pigeons, which included 236 from the United Kingdom and 37 from Ireland, plus 176 pigeons from South Africa. KNOCKOUT ROUND 1 will take place on HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 and 1,787 (65%) of the entered pigeons will move forward to the next round. KNOCKOUT ROUND 2 will take place on HOT SPOT CAR RACE 3 and 983 (55%) of the entered pigeons will move forward to the next round. KNOCKOUT ROUND 3 will take place on HOT SPOT CAR RACE 4 and 345 (35%) of the entered pigeons will move forward to the next round. KNOCKOUT ROUND 4 will take place on HOT SPOT CAR RACE 5 and 69 (20%) of the entered pigeons will move forward to the next round. Then KNOCKOUT ROUND 5 will take place on THE FINAL RACE on SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2017 and just 69 top class pigeons will be competing and the first pigeon clocked of these remaining 69 KNOCKOUT PIGEONS will walk away this coveted First Prize of US$25,000 (£20,834). THIS REALLY IS A GREAT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION THAT CREATES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INTEREST AND EXCITEMENT THROUGHOUT THE RACE SERIES. After HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 there were a total of 1,787 pigeons still in this competition and they were 1,669 International pigeons which included 150 from the United Kingdom and 19 from Ireland, plus 118 South African pigeons. See SAMDPR Results & Listings for full list. GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PIGEONS IN THE NEXT ROUND. More short training tosses will take place on Monday and Tuesday giving these pigeons even more confidence and experience to cope with TR7 and Wednesday 14th December and Hot Spot Care Race 2 on Saturday 17th December 2016. LIVESTREAM was once again up and running and I logged on bright and early at 05.30 GMT (07.30 SA) time, the weather was beautiful with a lovely clear blue sky and fluffy clouds and quite a strong head wind on route. The pigeons were liberated at 07.05 and formed into one big pack, then split into 3 gangs and headed straight for home. It was decided to liberate slightly later than usual so the pigeons would get used to the hotter conditions. I did not have to wait long until I saw a gang of about 50 pigeons swing round the loft at 07.01 and hit the landing area, smartly followed by another gang of about 100 pigeons, then another 200 plus arrived. The result came up on the iPad screen and I saw that 1st OPEN went to a fancier in KUWAIT. Within a few minutes of the winner being clocked over 1,000 pigeons had been officially recorded. If you have never logged on to watch the pigeons arrive, I strongly suggest you give it a try, you will just love the experience. https://youtu.be/idUiJMMNdoA TRAINING RACE 8 was held on Wednesday 21st December 2016 from 62km (39 miles) and for this race a total of 3,283 pigeons from 35 different countries were basketed and this included 3,029 International pigeons and 254 pigeons from South Africa and this figure also included 265 from the United Kingdom and 35 pigeons from Ireland. There were also 157 pigeons that were not basketed because they were left in the Hold Back section because they had made earlier mistakes and were not fit to be entered, this total included 7 from the United Kingdom and 2 from Ireland. So the total in the loft was 3,440 pigeons. The convoy were liberated at 07.05 with a strong head wind in fine and clear conditions and a temperature of 17c (62f). The convoyer reported the pigeons formed into one big gang but then split into 3 big gangs and headed directly for home. A good race was anticipated. As the day progressed the temperature would steadily rise to around 31c (90f). CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st OPEN goes to MOHAMMAD AL-FEZEIR from KUWAIT with pigeon named VLADO V bred by MOHAMMAD AL-FEZIER, which was officially clocked at 08.01.06.95 to record a winning velocity of 1,225ypm (18.4143 m/s) (41 mph), this same pigeon also won 1st OPEN in TR7 from the same distance. 2nd Aldahoum Loft from Kuwait with their outstanding pigeon named Bent Alfaakher that has already won 2nd OPEN TR3, 14th OPEN TR4, 1st OPEN TR6 and now 2nd OPEN TR8, holding 3rd OPEN in the OVERALL AVERAGES and already won a tidy amount of Nomination Money, 3rd Comb van Wanrooij from Netherlands, 4th Klaus Stieneker from Germany, 5th Blessing Loft from United States Of America, 6th Guido Barth from Belgium, 7th Saleh Abdullah Buhimal from Saudi Arabia, 8th Team Ellenbroek – Seelen from Netherlands, 9th Red Dragon from United States Of America, 10th Ganus Family Loft from United States of America, 11th Van Kerckhove – Vercauteren from Belgium with their outstanding pigeon Blue Daisy 1st OPEN TR2, 2nd OPEN TR4, 3rd OPEN HSCR2 and now 11th OPEN TR8, 12th SG Adelmann from Germany, 13th Saad R Alabhoul from Kuwait, 14th JV Partridge from United States Of America, 15th Gordon Meng from United States Of America, 16th Abdullah Bohaimed from Kuwait, 17th Reinhard Hykade from Germany, 18th Team Chatpower from Germany, 19th Adnan Al-Shaeel from Kuwait and 20th Defaulter Pigeon. The top twenty were separated by just 1 minute 03.14 seconds and had 6 different countries represented in this result with 14 different countries represented in the top 50 and these were 1 minute 25.39 seconds apart. A total of 544 pigeons were officially clocked up to 08.05, then 1,270 up to 08.07. A further update showed 2,297 pigeons were officially recorded by 08.13, then 3,196 by 10.20. The last loft list showed that 3,215 pigeons had been officially recorded by 14.27, leaving just 68 pigeons to make it back to base camp, however I am fairly sure that a few more will work back early on Thursday morning. With the 157 pigeons that were not sent that were still in the lofts the total left was now 3,372 pigeons. CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 23rd OPEN went to UK ELITE SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, with their pigeon named ESSEX WONDER which was bred by LEE FRIBBINS from FRATING, which was officially clocked at 08.02.11.59 just 1 minute 04.64 seconds away from the actual race winner. 2nd UK, 45th Open J & J Syndicate with pigeon bred by Joe Kennedy & Son from Belfast, 3rd UK, 58th Open Lloyd & Kelly from Didcot, 4th UK, 60th Open Crammond, Langstaff & Gilbert from Fontwell & Windsor, 5th UK, 77th Open Taffy Thomas from Newmarket, 6th UK, 83rd Open Zandys Dream Team, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Paul Smith, 7th UK, 91st Open John Chipperfield from Herne Bay, 8th UK, 99th Open Smith – McAllister, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet with pigeon bred by Bruce McAllister from Furneaux Pelham, 9th UK, 121st Open R Bartley & W Gardner from Lancaster with pigeon bred by SL Booth, 10th UK, 135th Open Bartley & Tweats with a pigeon bred by this partnership, 11th UK, 141st Open Tim Atkin from Rugby, 12th UK, 150th Open K Consultancy with pigeon bred by Pieter Oberholster from Keysoe, 13th UK, 158th Open another for K Consulancy with a second bred by Pieter Oberholster from Keysoe, 14th UK, 171st Open UK Elite Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet with pigeon bred by Lee Fribbins from Frating, 15th UK, 193rd Open another for Zandys Dream Team with a second pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 16th UK, 226th Open Millys Loft with pigeon bred by Michael Mellor from Crewe, 17th UK, 232nd Open Syndicate Lofts UK with pigeon bred by Peter Fox from Bangor, 18th UK, 253rd Open Trainspotters with pigeon bred by Turner & Watson, 19th UK, 293rd Open Team Lincs with pigeon bred by Paul & Tracey Stacey from Sleaford and 20th UK, 297th Open Paul Smith Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet with pigeon bred by Jimmy Richards from Laindon. A total of 20 pigeons from the United Kingdom were officially recorded up to 08.04. A later update loft list issued showed 182 UK pigeon had returned to the lofts by 08.13 and then 256 by 08.51 and by nightfall a total of 257 had been officially recorded, leaving 8 still to return to the lofts, however I am sure a few more will work back in the next few days. CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 32nd OPEN went to DONNELLY & KIRKWOOD with their pigeon named ZIMBA and bred KARL DONNELLY, which was officially clocked at 08.02.17.65, just 1 minute 10.70 seconds behind the actual race winner. 2nd Ireland, 469th Open Moran & Bowden, 3rd Ireland, 591st Open Maurice O’Donnell, 4th Ireland, 654th Open Moran & Bowden, 5th Ireland, 906th Open Joe Kennedy & Son and 6th Ireland, 956th Open Philip & Mark Smith. A total of 20 Irish pigeons were officially clocked by 08.13, with a later report showing all 35 were clocked by 08.51. The Thursday loft list showed 37 Irish pigeon in the loft. THE OVERALL AVERAGES after 10 official races now stand as follows:- 1st OPEN goes to DON HART from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with pigeon named WENDY bred by DON HART, actual flying time 14.51.21.94 with 968th TR1, 927th TR2, 1134th TR3, 103rd TR4, 321st TR5, 49th TR6, 8th HSCR1, 497th TR7, 45th HSCR2 and now 40th TR8. 2nd Open goes to Josef Hoelscher from Germany with pigeon named Laurenz and 3rd Open goes to Aldahoum Loft from Kuwait with pigeon named Bent Alfaakher. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 22nd OPEN goes to ZANDYS DREAM TEAM, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named ZANDYS PRIDE bred by PAUL SMITH, actual flying time 15.22.54.44 with 403rd TR1, 632nd TR2, 1318th TR3, 146th TR4, 491st TR5, 379th TR6, 639th HSCR1, 324th TR7, 546th HSCR2 and now 2233rd TR8. 2nd UNITED KINGDOM, 41st Open goes to Manchester Maestros with pigeon named Lady Lois 2 bred by John Crehan from Manchester and 3rd UNITED KINGDOM, 53rd Open goes to Carlos Dream Syndicate, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Jos Reilly from Dublin. 1st IRELAND, 144th OPEN goes to H+C THORPE – McMORROW, with pigeon named CABELIN bred by PROUDS TOWN LOFT with a combined flying time of 16.02.28.53 with 166th TR1, 1828th TR2, 2401st TR3, 1738th TR4, 730th TR5, 2601st TR6, 491st HSCR1, 2288th TR7, 509th HSCR2 and now 1280th TR8. 2nd IRELAND, 190th Open goes to Safet Duran with Bosnian Predator and 3rd IRELAND, 599th Open also goes to Robbie Daly with pigeon named Big Bird. THE UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY AVERAGES after 10 races are as follows: 1st UNITED KINGDOM ZANDY DREAM TEAM, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, with pigeon named ZANDYS PRIDE bred by PAUL SMITH, with a combined flying time of 15.22.54.44, 2nd UNITED KINGDOM MANCHESTER MAESTROS with pigeon named LADY LOIS 2 bred by JOHN CREHAN from MANCHESTER, with a combined flying time of 15.34.40.80, 3rd UNITED KINGDOM CARLOS DREAM SYNDICATE, administered by bred by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET and with pigeon named CARLOS MAGIC bred by JOS REILLY from DUBLIN with a combined flying time of 10.53.37.34. THE IRISH COUNTRY CHALLENGE AVERAGES after 10 races are as follows:- 1st IRELAND PHILIP & MARK SMITH with their pigeon named ELIZ with a combined flying time of 17.54.55.50. This partnership are also 2nd and 3rd with pigeons named Jamie Hayden and Paula S. GLOBAL NOMINATIONS on TR8 amounted to US$3,801.20c (£3,168) and there was a total of 190 pigeons actually entered which included 7 from the UK and none from Ireland and there was 548 nominations and all this money in this race was won by pigeons in the top 85 positions. There were no UK winners in this race. UNITED KINGDOM NOMINATIONS amounted to US$215.05c (£179) and showed 13 pigeons with 29 nominations and the winners were K CONSULANCY taking 150th OPEN with pigeon named BLACK SL which won US$11.05c (£9) for its efforts and then MANCHESTER MAESTROS taking 312th OPEN with LADY LILLY 3 winning US$59.50c (£50) for its efforts. This race resulted in some refunds because there was not enough pigeons entered in some categories. More short training tosses will take place on Thursday and Friday providing the weather is OK in preparation for TRAINING RACE 9 on Saturday 24th December from 80km (50 miles). PROPOSED RACE PROGRAMME:- The remaining Training Races, Mid-Week Races and Saturday Races during 2016/17 race series are now listed as follows:- Training Race 9 from 80km (50 miles) on Saturday 24th December 2016, HOT SPOT CAR RACE 3 from 250km (155 miles) on Wednesday 28th December 2016, Training Race 10 from 80km (50 miles) on Saturday 31st December 2016, Training Race 11 from 80km (50 miles) on Wednesday 4th January 2017, HOT SPOT CAR RACE 4 from 300km (187 miles) on Saturday 7th January 2017, Training Race 12 from 62km (39 miles) on Wednesday 11th January 2017, Training Race 13 from 100km (62 miles) on Saturday 14th January 2017, Training Race 14 from 80km (50 miles) on Wednesday 18th January 2017, HOT SPOT CAR RACE 5 from 350km (218 miles) on Saturday 21st January 2017, Training Race 15 from 62km (39 miles) on Wednesday 25th January 2017, Training Race 16 from 80km (50 miles) on Saturday 28th January 2017, then THE FINAL RACE from 550km (342 miles) on Saturday 4th February 2017. These dates are not be set in stone and if the proposed date for any of these races is not suitable for liberation, then these will take place on the next best day in that week. Daily training will also take place during the week providing the weather is suitable. No training will take place on Sundays unless of course a holdover takes place on the Saturday race. The Overall Averages and the allocated US$17,500 (£14,000) Prize Money will only count in races of 50km (31 miles) and over. ***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** I am sorry that I can’t add all the information about who bred all the pigeons or where they live as I can only publish details which I am in possession of. If there are no details besides your winning pigeon/s then please contact me on reglofts@aol.com with your details and I will include these in my later International Press Reports. I personally do my best to give all the fanciers, entrants and breeders all the credit they and their pigeons deserve when they manage to get in the results so your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated. For the first few races numerous pigeons will not trap, so do not worry if yours is clocked late. The main thing to consider over the first few shorter races is that all the pigeons will not trap quickly but if they have made it back to the race loft on Heron Banks Golf & River Estate they are there to fight another day. With each race the pigeons will learn a bit more, giving them more experience to tackle all the tasks that they are going to have in front of them during the testing 2016/17 training and race series. GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED AND REGULAR “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO ALL COMPETITORS/ENTRANTS AND SYNDICATE SHAREHOLDERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS BY EMAIL OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. ALSO WEEKLY “PRESS RELEASES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO BOTH OUR TWO PIGEON PUBLICATIONS NAMELY THE “BRITISH HOMING WORLD” AND “”THE RACING PIGEON” PLUS IT WILL ALSO BE ON MY REGENCY LOFTS WEB SITE www.regencylofts.com FOR ALL TO VIEW. 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.regencylofts.com www.iprr.co.uk www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonportal.com www.pigeonglobe.co.uk www.cyberpigeon.co.uk www.pigeonbasics.com www.starpigeons.com www.pigeonpixels.co.uk www.theloftreport.com www.oneloftracing.com plus of course they will also be published in the “”BRITISH HOMING WORLD” and “THE RACING PIGEON” weeklies and other world pigeon publications for all to see, read and enjoy. The race date for THE 22nd SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE has already been agreed and confirmed by the race organisers as SATURDAY 3th FEBRUARY 2018. If you are interested in participating or acting a Country Race Team Shipper/Co-ordinator, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or SMS or email on reglogfts@aol.com and I will give you all the information you require. My two proposed shipping dates for THE 22nd SAMDPR will take about the middle of MAY 2017 and then the second one should be around the middle of JUNE 2017. Of course these two dates will be confirmed nearer the time. I strongly recommend that you try to ship your race entries on the 1st shipping date as this then gives these pigeons much more time to settle into the race lofts. If you have any questions about any aspect of THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or by SMS or email at reglofts@aol.com and I will do my best to answer any of your questions or queries about this great race. These “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES” do take a lot of my time to prepare and I try to get as much into them as possible as I know fanciers and entrants like to know what is happening, unfortunately some time, some information will not be to hand when the print deadline is reached so can’t be included in that report. I can only apologise if I leave something out but I can assure everybody that I do my best to get as much information as possible to put into each of these international reports. IF ANY PIGEON FANCIER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR IN FACT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD 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 EMAIL ADDRESS I WILL PUT THEM ON MY EMAIL DATABASE AND I WILL THEN FORWARD THEM ALL THE INFORMATION BY EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS. BEST OF LUCK TO ALL PIGEON FANCIERS/SYNDICATES & ENTRANTS WORLDWIDE DURING THE 2016/17 RACE SERIES. Paul Smith, United Kingdom Race Team Co-ordinator/Shipper and International Race Co-ordinator for The 21st South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race, which is due to be held at Heron Banks Golf & River Estate and Emerald Resort, Casino & Hotel, South Africa on Saturday 4th February 2017. Regency Lofts Limited, 2, Highmead, off Coltsfield, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. CM24 8LJ. England. Tel/Fax:- 01279-812005. (Int. Code:- +44-1279-812005), Mobile:- 07860-568216. Email Address:- reglofts@aol.com Regency Lofts Website:- www.regencylofts.com Skype Address:- talbot7944 Twitter Address:- PaulSmith@SmithReglofts The South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race Website:- www.samdpr.com ]]>