It had been worrying, but local pigeon fanciers managed to get their birds valuable experience before Saturday’s race from Garstang.
There were fears that not enough birds would have been to Flookburgh ahead of the next programmed racepoint but special training tosses were organised in mid-week.
Although the first was not a good one, the second one was so there was a bit more confidence about the Garstang race.
It proved a typical Garstang race in many ways with birds missing when the clocks were read, but the majority towing in later.
John, Liz and Lucas Walters took first and second in both the two Workington clubs.
They were actually nest mates bred for them by the Egremont maestro David ‘Sugar’ Wilson, who might not race now but still breeds top class pigeons.
It’s always interesting learning of the breeding when Peter Dobie and Ralph Palmer pop in a winner in the Seaton club.
They like to involve themselves in worldwide One Loft races and the stock loft houses many purchases from those epics over the years.
The winner on Saturday is a blue hen whose sire is a South African pigeon that was 24th in the very last Million Dollar race conested by 1,653 birds over 375 miles.
He is closely related to the winners of 6 Million Dollar races.
These were all bought at auction by the American fancier Mike Ganus.
The dam was 2nd in the Algarve Great Derby involving 1,420 birds over 300 miles in 2019 when he was beaten by a second.
She is a daughter of Wentworth Lofts ‘Golden Pair’ which have bred a host of top one loft performers including 1st in the RPRA One Loft.
She has bred a number of good racers at home and abroad including 1st Moledo 300km race in Portugal and 1,500 Euros.
She currently has a son and daughter in this year’s Afrikapro which have completed the training and start racing in earnest next week.
Jason Dempsey has recovered from a bad training toss with his young’uns to start the competitive programme in great form.
After getting the first 20 in the Midweek race he took all six tickets in Dearham.
His Garstang winner, a blue hen, was in a kit of six he bought from Alan Devlin.
Winner in Harrington Central was Neil Semple with a blue hen bred through his Guernsey winner.
It also incorporates blood from families he has introduced over the years – Karel Boeckx, Dirk van den Bulck, Herman Custer and Stefan Lambrecht.
It was a good race for Ian McGarr in the Flimby club as he took the first four positions.
His first two are nestmates bred off a cock from Bob Langrish of Chorley which is through the famous Pitbull 777 which has now bred him three winners and six to ticket.
The mother is from McLuckie brothers who has also bred three winners, including one to top Fed and Amal and take 2nd in the Cumbria Combine.
He hadn’t fancied the weather for the opening Flookburgh sprint so this was the first race he had sent and he got 44 out of 45.
In the West Cumberland Federation it proved a good day for Lowca’s David Lofthouse who had the first eight on the sheet, clocked inside a minute.
The actual winner was one introduced to the team by David’s loft helper Barry Irving who had to end his own individual involvement in the sport through a health issue.
A blue cock, the sire from McLuckie brothers of Workington and the dam from Roy Greenwood of Ireland, was the race winner.
Another blue cock, bred through a McLuckie brothers cock and a hen from another successful Irish loft of McGimpsey brothers was close behind in second place.
The Dobson team were successful in Cleator Moor, taking the first 11 positions.
Their winner was a chequer cock bred from a cock off Ray Lunt and a hen from Angwin Lofts that were paired together for the first time.
Winning in Egremont were John Wilson and Neil Buchanan with a Frans Zwol hen.
The sire is a son of their blue hen Winx which won the Cumbria Combine from Guernsey.
He was paired to a very special daughter of the Prince of Rekkem, who is the dam of many good birds.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (442 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1168.9, 1168.5, 1168.5, 1168.5, 1168.2, 1168.2.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (5 sent 184): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1129.5, 1129.04, 1129.04, 1128.8, 1128.5, 1128.3.
MILLOM SOCIAL (Lymm, 8 sent 214): 1, 2, 3, 4, J. and S. Benn 1176.3, 1176, 1175.8, 1175.6; 5, 6, Fullard, Murning and Coward 1175.4, 1175.3.
EGREMONT RANGERS (154 birds): 1, 3, Wilson and Buchanan 1146, 1130; 2, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1136; 4, 5, 6, D. Harrison and son 1106, 1105, 1100.
FLIMBY (8 sent 241): 1, 2,3, 4, I. McGarr 1244.6, 1244.4, 1244.1, 1243; 5, 6, M. Varty, son and grandson 1206.6, 1206.4.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL (8 sent 289): 1,2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1178, 1177; 3, 4, 5, 6, Williams and Hadfield 1176.2, 1176.06, 1176.06, 1175.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 395): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1231, 1230.7; 3, 4, 5, Williams and Hadfield 1230.4, 1230.24, 1230.24; 6, Evans and Abraham 1230.21.
DEARHAM (2 sent 85): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Dempsey, son and Reay 1158, 1157.9, 1157.7, 1157.5, 1128.3, 1128.3.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 258): 1, 5, 6, N. Semple 1177,1171, 1170; 2, 3, I. and D. Wood 1176,1174.6; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 1174.2.
SEATON (3 sent 79): 1, 3, 4, 5, Dobie and Palmer 1185, 1173.8, 1173.2, 1172; 2, 6, A. Parker 1181, 1164.
