The 13th annual Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race (SCMDPR) is just around the corner. Fanciers from more than 30 countries will anticipate the return of about 3 400 pigeons on 31 January, after they’ve flown some 552km.
The 13th annual Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race (SCMDPR) is just around the corner. Many South African fanciers are amongst the top achievers in the various points league categories of the pre-finals. Increasingly, since the race’s inception in 1996, meritorious breeders are pursued all over the world to raise superior racing machines that could score at the top of the competition, or even scoop the first prize of US0 000 (over R1,9 million). Fanciers from more than 30 countries will anticipate the return of about 3 400 pigeons on 31 January, after they’ve flown some 552km.
Pigeon racing developments
Exceptional quality pigeons are currently being bought and sold, borrowed or exchanged around the world for the SCMDPR. More specialised breeding programmes are being designed than ever before and fanciers who’ve ignored Darwin’s theories are unexpectedly studying genetics. There’s a new focus on the wing theory to create a specimen that could out-fly the world’s best in any weather. Specialised health programmes are being scientifically formulated to breed mega-healthy racing pigeons for the SCMDPR.
Singing the blues
The South African birds Blue Lady, Blue Magic and Blue Silk are among the top achievers in the pre-finals of the 13th SCMDPR. Blue Magic is owned by champion Cape Town fancier Saville Penkin. It’s in the lead of the SA Challenge Averages before the Hot Spot 5 and well-placed in the other SCMDPR Averages categories.
Saville has enjoyed repeated scores in the top results of the SCMDPR, including position 11. Blue Magic is a descendant of this line of breeding. Saville also owns a few more birds that are currently top SCMDPR achievers:
- Blue Silk has been entered into the SCMDPR for Anandi Smith by her grandparents, Chris and Anna Smith from Boksburg, and was named for Anandi’s blue silk dress. Besides winning two training flights and scoring 7th in the Hot Spot 2, Blue Silk is a major winner in this year’s SCMDPR nominations. It’s also 2nd in the SA Challenge Competition, before the Hot Spot 5.
- Blue Silk was bred from a selected pair bought at the SCMDPR auctions, a sire from Germany and a dam from the UK. The dam had an Irish-Belgian parent, and Bernard Smyth from the UK pursued and acquired her. Blue Silk and its nest mate, Blue Bomb, were hatched from this pairs’ maiden eggs.
- Lucky 13 and Top Up are nest mates and Blue Lady is their cousin of Blue Silk – their respective sires are full brothers. They are entered by the syndicate of Coenie Hattingh from Bloemfontein, which he shares with Koos Meiring.
- Before just one mistake in the Hot Spot 4, Blue Lady ranked with her near kin among the best pigeons in most of the averages. All three of these birds are always in the top results of most training flights and Hot Spots prior to the Hot Spot 5.
- Lucky 13 and Top Up’s dam was a German entry, bought at the SCMDPR auction, while Blue Lady’s dam descends from the De Klak Janssens-cross-Sierens, with which two prominent SA fanciers had top scores in the SCMDPR.
A message of congratulations
On behalf of Farmer’s Weekly, congratulations to all the current top achievers in the build-up to the race. We’re holding thumbs that everybody will enjoy a good 13th SCMDPR! – Thomas Smit ([email protected] or call (011) 680 4778). |fw
