Mark Gilbert (Winkfield, UK) - Reaping a rich harvest

Since his childhood Mark Gilbert of Winkfield, Windsor has had a deep passion for pigeon racing especially in the Long Distance races. His ambitions have ‘smouldered’  for years but since his wise investments a few years ago his dreams have burst into an ‘inferno’ of success.

When I refer to investment I don’t just mean by way of cold cash. No Mark freely admits that his very best and wisest ‘investment’ was in contacting Geoff Cooper and get to know him and benefit from Geoff’s knowledge which he shared with Mark. Oh yes he did get birds from the ultra successful G & C Cooper partnership and their wonderful Deweerdt stock and also directly from the Deweerdt family. Mark though firmly believes that the greatest reward of all was the very sound advice that he received from one of the UK’s finest long distance lofts. This gave Mark the firm foundations to build his loft upon.

In 2003 Mark knew that he was on the right track when he won 1st National Flying Club from Saintes with his Deweerdt based pigeon ‘Southfield Nightflight’

The first huge breakthrough Internationally though was in 2004 when Mark won 1st International from Dax with ‘Southfield Supreme’ a bird of 100% Serge Van Elsacker-Jepson breeding. That was the day when Mark Gilbert made the pigeon fancy all over Europe that another great fancier was along  Brian Shepherd who had won 1st International Dax in 2003 and 2nd  International behind Mark in 2004.

The Deweerdt birds  and a Red Cock brother to the Deweerdt’s super racer ‘Raldo’ in particular had a massive impact on the loft and from this Red Cock came no less than three national victories with one son ‘Southfield Darkie’ the ‘Double National winner’ winning  1st National placing from Messac with the British Barcelona Club and Pau with the British International Championship Club. ’Darkie’s’ dam was a daughter of the Deweerdt’s 1st International winner ‘Emiel’. The ‘Red Cock’ also sired ‘Nightflight’ 1st National Flying Club Pau/Saintes and ‘Southfield Pau’ the winner of 1st B I C C Pau. The dam of both of these birds was the Eric Cannon hen ‘Culmer Bess’.

These victories far from sating his appetite merely increased the hunger for more wins and pigeons from the World’s most famous lofts were purchased, with the lofts of Brockamp and Koopman being just two of these examples. As far as Mark Gilbert is concerned he only wants the finest lines from what he believes to be the very best of sources.

This firm belief has resulted in what must have been amongst the very finest season’s ever experienced  by any fancier Worldwide.

Just look at the results below all achieved by Mark’s Southfields Lofts in 2011 and I am sure that few would dispute Mark Gilbert’s right to be ranked up amongst the most ‘Elite’ fanciers Worldwide.

• British Barcelona Club Caretan
  1st 2nd 3rd 4th Section 357 birds
• British Barcelona Club Messac
  4th 5th Section 12th 14th Open 2,000 birds
• National Flying Club Cholet
  1st 4th 8th 11th 15th 20th 21st 23rd Section 1,181 birds   15th 21st 81st 125th 142nd 195th 209th 210th Open 8,745 birds 
• National Flying Club Tarbes
  1st 4th 5th 7th 8th  10th 11th  22nd 25th 29th section 767 birds   2nd 14th 29th 38th 44th 56th 57th  102nd  109th 124th Open 3,290 birds
• National Flying Club Saintes
  1st 2nd 3rd 4th 9th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 18th 21st 24th 26th Section 779 birds 1st 2nd 4th 7th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 15th 17th 19th 20th Open 4,128 birds  winning with ‘Southfield Champ’ a grandson of Koopman’s ‘Drum’ x ‘Gerrie’ the daughter of ‘Kleine Dirk’.
  2nd Open  was won with ‘Southfield Star’ another Koopman based bird when crossed with a daughter of Gaby Vandebeele’s ‘Golden Gaby’ and a daughter of ‘Bliksem’
  4th Open  was won with ‘Southfield Warrior’ a 100% Vandenabeele pigeon being a grandson of ‘Golden Gaby the 1st National Orleans winner and the Midlands National Gold Ring winner ‘Band of Gold’.

Never before has a National Flying Club been dominated in such a manner!

• International  Yearlings Bordeaux 11,416 birds
  1st Open with ‘Southfield Melissa’ an inbreed Brockamp hen being a granddaughter of the two Brockamp champion ½ brothers ‘Euro Diamond’ and ‘Minstral’
  2nd Open with  ‘Southfield Abigail’
• International  Hens  Bordeaux
  1st Open  with ‘Melissa’
  2nd Open with  ‘Southfield Karen’
  3rd Open with  ‘Southfield Abigail’
• National Flying Club Young Birds Fougeres
  3rd 4th 29th 44th 45th 48th 50th  Section 1540 bird   3rd 4th 55th 83rd 84th 92nd 104th 109th Open 4,776 birds 
• National Flying Club Old Hens Fougeres
  1st section 2nd Open 943 birds with a granddaughter of Van Elsacker-Jepson’s ‘Kilimanjaro’

Least to say is that Mark will work closely with Pipa and there UK agent Pieter Oberholster to offer only the best from the breeders that proved to transmit winning genes...