Established 1904
www.lanarkshireracingpigeonfederation.co.uk
This week we arrive in Brighton & Hove on the south east coast of England. The convoy of 331 birds had to fly 389 miles ,an ultimate test of extreme heat and head winds all the way back into lower Central ,Scotland.
This was never going to be a walk in the park and with a North east wind on route although it would bring out the best in some of the birds.
As everyone settled down for a tester, the ten hours mark passed with no word of any pigeons being recorded, then just after 10 hrs 25 minutes the winner hit the landing board of Gault and Quinn who's loft is in the village of Plains on the east side of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. The winner arrived at the small back garden of Wullie Gault .
This partnership have a fabulous record at such distance events and as recently as 2024 were crowned Lanarkshire federation "Champion loft" this included winning the Yeovil Open race from 346 miles with their "Champion" blue cock "The Special One".
The Special One is out of the Davenport Cattrysse pigeons that Wullie has had as his main bloodlines for many a decade. His Sire was also a winner from SNFC Ypres.
Wullie Gault is also past winner of the Scottish Central Combine from France in 1991 again with a Cattrysse hen.
These are beautiful pigeons in the hand and radiate class!
Their winner itself is a brilliant racer ,showing his potential as a yearling winning 1st sect,11th Open Cheltenham 284 miles ,40th Open Yeovil 346 miles ,last season,12th Open Worksop 212 miles,21st Open Billericay 346 miles and 37th Open Brighton 384 miles.
This season recording 86th Open Billericay 346 miles two weeks previously and 14th Open Kettering 275 miles two week before that.
So the writing was on the wall for this racing machine to put the icing on the cake and win 1st section,1st Open federation from Brighton.
I think you could call him a "Brilliant" racer.
I took the time to visit Wullie at his loft and get some insight into the "Henry Cecil " of Plains village.
Winning two 1st Open federation longest inland races in three years.
This brilliant racer was born out of what could be called sprint pigeon, but I think this pigeon wasn't informed of his parentage.
The Sire was purchased at George Harris,Denny sale and contains the best of Stefaan Lambrecht x Van den Bulk including Donker Leo x Dochter Golden Pair Goede Rode x Golden Leo 999. Broer Goede Rode x Golden Leo 40000. DonkerLeo x Golden Leo 976. Stefaan x 300 Duivin
Dirk 892 xSister Kleine Dirk.
Blauwe Beer,Olympic Rosita
The Dam was bred by Performance Lofts UK
Super breeding lines bred down from the famous Golden Princess 1st ace KBDB Long Distance and Van Den Bulk/Best Kittle
Golden Wonder Gino Cliqe ,Dream Princess 20
He is a very strong in the hand with a yellow/orange racing eye, he breeds to type as a number of his youngsters are very much the same type.
As above stated he is a racing machine taking 4 x 1st clubs and winning prize money in the club over the years.
He missed the comeback race the week before Brighton as Wullie doesn't like bringing them back after flying a longer distance. He also returned with some inner flight missing from the Billericay race, unusually later than expected but was in good fettle.
He is raced on the celibate system /roundabout system and this week allowed box section on basketing day, with plenty of straw on floor to motivate.
The birds were fed a heavy mixture like "Breed & Wean" as Wullie says you cant feed "Rice Crispies " for these races.
Wullie would like to thank club mates Hugh Kidd, Tommy Battersby & Eddie McKerley for the road training of his pigeons.
Well done to Wullie and Jimmy on another brilliant performance.
2nd Open winner
This weeks 1st club Chyston,1st club Lanarkshire Social Circle, 2nd North section,2nd Open Lanarkshire federation 389 miles with a velocity of 1070 ypm for Billy Holland.
His two year old AD Schaerlackens Blue Cock put up a brilliant result timing after 10 hrs 40 minutes in very testing conditions of high temperatures and a head wind.
As a young bird he had five races to 120 miles and then as a yearling most of the federation programme out to 350 miles.
He has always been a steady pigeon and never looked tired on his return.
This year he was mated in January rearing one young bird in two nests.
He was raced on widowhood for the first four races and then every second week.
He only seen his hen on return from race with the nest bowl turned over on basketing night.
Well done Billy on his brilliant result and winning the Old Bird Averages in the Lanarkshire federation.
Its also worth noting that Billy was also 2nd Open last year in this race.
3rd Open was Alex Stewart from Airdrie club who timed a 2 yr old blue hen raced on the natural system.
Alex's winner was bred for him by good friend Billy Mitchell out of his Old Janssen lines that have been successful for Alex for a number of years. Thanks Billy for your friendship and excellent pigeons!
The hen was sent on a 5 day old youngster in the nest cycle and was Alex's timer in the Billericay 345 mile race two week ago being previous, being 60th Open federation..
He would like to thank Lewis McCauley for his mentorship on how to prepare and motivate his birds on the Natural system.
1st Centre Section, 4th & 5th,44th,58th Open Brighton 2026 ,Jim Wood of Uddingston club.
Jim timed two yearling cocks bred out his old Brugemann based distance lines. The section winner is a G/son of Jim's 1st region E ,SNFC Royes.
2nd section Brighton is also a Brugemann lines and is a G/son of Treble Four, his 1st West section winner from the SNFC Gold cup Alencon.
Both were raced on the natural system.
Jim would like to thank his son Andrew for his help with the pigeons.
Well done to both on a fantastic result on a very hard day!
1st club ,5th section 15th Open is J & H Brown & Higgins of Dalzell club, their winner is a yearling dark hen bred from birds from Dai Gore of Wales. Well done to partnership on a fine winner!
1st club,9th sect,13th Open is J McPheat & Sons with a 2yr old Mealy cock bred by Billy Holland out his Billy Bilsland multi National winning family. This pigeon is what you would call a "good yin". This is two in a row for this one, winning Brighton in the same race last year being 9th Open and going on to win them the old bird averages two years in a row. Flown on the Natural system and loft flown between races. He raced the full programme other than the week before comeback race.
The pigeon was bought at Bo'ness Lier Market sale for a £10.Best tenner ever you will spend Alec!
For some it was a walk in the park and just what heir birds needed for others it was a bridge too far. With around 10% of the convoy home that evening and some working in over the next day its wasn't for the faint hearted.
A true test of a pigeon!.
Top Ten in the Open
1st Gault & Quinn -1st North sect,1st Open
2nd W Holland
3rd A Stewart
4th J Wood, 1st Centre section
5th J Wood
6th Graham Bos
7th Gault & Quinn
8th Gault & Quinn
9th W Holland
10th J Murphy
Final Old Bird Average Board
1st W Holland
2nd Gault & Quinn
3rd Graham Bros
4th Young & Kelly
5th J Wood
6th A Stewart
7th J McPheat & Sons
8th W Graham
9th J & H Brown & Higgins
10th K Docherty
11th W McDonald
12th T Corrie Son G/son
13th M Findlay
14th T McLaren
15th J Cassidy
16th Battersby & Quinn
17th W Gordon
18th R & S Peden & Wilkinson
19th P & E Conroy
20th Cameron & Fan
21st D Young & Son
22nd P White
Well done to all who managed to complete the 13 race programme, that's us for a couple of weeks until the young bird racing starts on Saturday1st August from Wooler.
We support the British Homing World and Elimar Pigeons with articles and please have a look at
our web page Lanarkshire Racing Pigeon Federation and also available on face book.
.Update
The federation provide training of the youngsters before racing and once per week during the racing, great value and your own individual basket on the transporter. Starting 19th July till Wednesday 29th July. Pick up points Uddingston club, Blantyre club, Newhouse Garden centre car park. Times as usual .
Tom Corrie jnr
Lanarkshire Federation Press Officer